We need to talk about work
If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This popular quote, which encourages each of us to follow our dreams and pursue our passions, could also explain America’s increasingly negative relationship with work.
For proof, look no further than your closest social media feed, where online influencers have mastered the algorithms that determine what we see online — and what we don’t — that cultivate envy-worthy personal brands built on the seductive idea of “doing what you love.” Seductive brands often include travel, technology, fashion, gaming, and every form of escapism under the sun.
No mention of work
But what’s almost guaranteed to be missing from their media is any mention of the very thing that makes their influence possible: good, old-fashioned work. As their escapist fantasies imply, living each day like a carefree self-made icon is very much “in,” but needing to work to get there is essentially a cultural taboo.
The societal shift in attitudes toward work in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many inequities within the system. Many people are understandably fed up with feeling undervalued as they work for substandard wages, uncaring employers, and thankless customers.
That and many other factors contribute to the reality that America is now experiencing record labor shortages in fields ranging from education, transportation, and health care to electricians, mechanics, and construction workers.
How can we turn this trend around before the very foundations of our society are even more severely challenged due to a lack of talent, energy, and expertise? It all starts by rethinking work as an essential component to preserving our way of life.
Let’s borrow some best practices from the social media influencers. What if we celebrated the efforts and achievements of our country’s most overlooked contributors, such as medical assistants, plumbers, machinists, and electricians?
What if we sought to learn from labor instead of lionizing those who avoid it? What if we learned to think of blue-collar tradespeople in more buzzworthy terms — as our country’s real experts, disruptors, and change agents? After all, they certainly take more outstanding initiative, solve more complex problems, and have a significantly greater impact on society than those who seek to profit by distracting society from addressing its greatest needs.
Those who celebrate work
Fortunately, many people do celebrate and embrace the concept of work, and their commitment to a job well done. These individuals see work not as an evil to be avoided but as the means to achieve a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. They love to learn by experience, develop their talents, and explore a field they’re passionate about.
Perhaps most importantly, they understand that “behind-thescenes jobs” like manual labor, skilled trades, or food service may not be glamorous, but they offer tremendous satisfaction by doing the indispensable work that keeps our society running. By acknowledging, respecting, and celebrating their contributions, we can begin to reframe how America feels about key values like work, dignity, and purpose.
For workforce development to succeed, the pivotal jobs that our nation depends on must look as appealing and desirable as they are vital and important. The success of workforce initiatives goes well beyond measurable metrics like skills acquisition and employment rates and extends to our evolving relationship with work itself.
Blue collar professionals deserve our respect because they lay the foundation our country was built on. While the escapism offered by online influencers may temporarily grab our cultural attention, it’s the timeless talents of the skilled trades — engineering, problem solving, and handson craftsmanship — that never go out of style.
In addition, changing how we think about work is also crucial if we want our national investment in workforce development programs to bear much-needed fruit. From culinary arts and horticulture to pharmacy technicians and medical assistants, dozens of critical job fields in this country are in dire need of new talent.
Some lawmakers and workforce developers have identified these needs and are actively working to improve nationwide access to skills training. The federal government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
But many persistent social and economic barriers — including gaps in education, employment, and available transportation or childcare — prevent many unemployed and under-employed adults from accessing these vital training opportunities.
Close the gaps
If we don’t close those gaps in access, we won’t be able to close our widening gaps in ability, and our national labor shortages will only get worse, no matter how many new jobs are created each month.
It’s time for us all to shine a spotlight on the necessity of work and the workers themselves. It is longoverdue acknowledgement that a strong workforce makes the American Dream possible.