Our current search for a better quality of life is nothing new. Seeking a balance between career, work and private life is a concern for individuals and science alike.
We will continue to search for a balanced relationship between our private and professional lives, because in the future our goals in life will be broader and not just about work. Today’s discussions revolve around the fact that we should no longer put work at the top of our list, and that we no longer define ourselves exclusively through our work.
Today’s working world is under the microscope – across all generations. Work-life balance aims to create a healthy balance between work, family, social activities and leisure, and to unite the various areas of our lives.
New work
For some time now, the list of working models has included a new approach which at first glance seems pretty radical. The focus here is on people and their satisfaction with what they do i.e. their work. And let’s not fool ourselves, very few of us feel satisfied. New work is the opposite of the capitalist work model.
The term “new work” was coined by social philosopher Frithjof Bergmann, who developed the theoretical concept of “new work” in the mid-1970s. In 1949, the Austro-American philosopher wrote an essay entitled “The World In Which We Want to Live”, and as a result was sponsored by the Austrian Embassy to study in Oregon in the United States for a year.
After the year was up he didn’t want to return to Austria, so he stayed in the USA. The story goes that he made his way as a prize fighter, dockworker and pot-washer. He is also said to have written plays. Then followed an unprecedented academic career: Frithjof Bergmann first studied philosophy at Princeton University, where he earned his doctorate with a thesis on the influential philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Bergmann was then given teaching positions at Princeton University, as well as at Stanford University, the University of Chicago and the University of Berkeley.
Teaching led to the “new work” theory
From 1958 he taught at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received a chair in philosophy, and later also in anthropology. Anthropology is the study of human beings. In anthropology, humans are not viewed merely as objects, rather the focus is on qualitative properties such as personality, freedom of choice and the possibility of self-determination.
This is where the key to Bergmann’s theory of “new work” lies. To Bergmann, the term new work represents freedom, including freedom of action and the freedom to choose between alternatives. He believes that, since the conventional “job system” has come to an end, humanity now has the chance to free itself from the bondage of paid work.
The future of work
The central values of “new work” are independence, freedom and participation in the community. New work should consist of roughly three equal parts: gainful employment, smart consumption and “high-tech self-sufficiency”. Also, people should only do the work they really want to do. They should think about what they actually need.
Frithjof Bergmann starts from the assumption that, in the transition from an industrial society to a knowledge-based society, the current work system is outdated because of the increasing importance of knowledge in the new working world.
For this reason, in 1984 he founded the first Center for New Work in the automotive town of Flint, Michigan. For Frithjof Bergmann, new work became his life’s work, and it still is today. His vision of a self-determined society took its course.
Our current economy is dying
In a recent video interview, Bergmann said: “Work can be wonderful. It can be what you really want. Under these circumstances, work gives you life and doesn’t wear you down. Work can give life, that is to say it can make you more alive than you were before. But work can also kill.”
Bergmann is convinced that our current economy is dying, and also that it deserves to die. He and his movement want to hasten its death. Paid work in particular weakens people, he believes; it should be abolished.
He believes that digitisation will throw people back to being human, especially in their working lives. The Future Institute (Zukunftsinstitut), founded in 1998, deals with research into trends and has summarised Bergmann’s theses as follows:
“When in the future machines can do certain jobs better than humans, we will begin to reflect on the meaning of work. When work no longer needs us, what do we need from work? The concept of new work describes an epochal change, starting with the meaning of work and transforming the world of work from the ground up.
The age of the creative economy has dawned, and it’s time to say goodbye to the rational meritocracy. New work focuses on developing the potential of every individual. Because work should serve people: we no longer work to live and we no longer live to work. The future will be about the successful symbiosis of life and work”.
Bergmann’s new work concept was an effort to develop a future-proof counter-model to our current working world. Now digitisation has turned the world of work upside down and new work has surged in importance like never before.
New work is no social utopia
These days many processes are automated, employees collaborate from different locations, and knowledge is becoming increasingly important. Consequently, the needs and requirements of working people are changing.
Today we’re talking about the future of work or work 4.0 The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an enormous push towards digitisation. This, in turn, is creating enormous changes in the working world: extreme flexibility in working hours and places of work, working from home, and communication via video conferences. We are moving away from rigid hierarchies and towards increased freedom.
All of this and much more is now becoming standard. New work is no social utopia, on the contrary, it can actually be implemented. The only thing is, the “new work” concept does not provide for strict divisions of labour and paid work. For Frithjof Bergmann, it is about the self-realisation of the individual and personal and professional development. For this we need a new corporate culture.
Pioneering companies are already on the move
Some exemplary companies are already implementing Frithjof Bergmann’s approach. Instead of filling the time saved through digitisation with more work, no, these companies have introduced six-hour days or four-day weeks – for the same pay.
This means that employees have more time for themselves and their families, or they can continue their education. They have more room for personal development. People can pursue their needs and talents, seeking their own personal fulfilment. According to Frithjof Bergmann, the focus is on employees, their independence and their freedom.
Work should be fun. A little tip: managers should recognise whether employees are in the right roles and whether they are satisfied with their work. If not, they should see if there are departmental tasks that would appeal more to the employee and increase their satisfaction.
Frithjof Bergmann is angry about the current interpretation of new work:
“A lot of people think that new work is something that makes work a little more attractive, like paid work in a mini skirt,” says Frithjof Bergmann in the #Personalmagazin about the current design of #newwork. “Of course there are companies will exploit the idea of new work, seeing it as a mere marketing trick”, says the founder of the #newwork movement. By this, he means: investing in colourful furniture and fancy drinks doesn’t mean that you have implemented the new work concept.
The philosopher and philanthropist will turn ninety on December 24, 2020, and is still very active. He gives lectures and meets with entrepreneurs and governments to teach them about his new work philosophy.
Our final word: If you want your employees to be healthy, they have to be satisfied.
Sources:
Frithjof Bergmann: New Work New Culture: Work We Want and a Culture That Strengthens Us, John Hunt Publishing, Winchester, Washington 2019, p. 36.
Stefan Wogawa: Alternativen zum “Wirtschaftswachstumswahnsinn”: Interviews mit einem Visionär: Frithjof Bergmann, Vordenker der “Neuen Arbeit”, Eobanus, Erfurt 2012
Zukunftinstitut.de and avantgarde-experts.de