Work is an important part of our lives. It provides income that allows us to buy goods and services, which keeps our economy moving. It also provides a sense of purpose and self-worth. Work isn’t always easy though. It can take time, effort, and energy, leaving many people jaded, burned out, and cynical. However, when done well, work can also change us – for the better. It can teach us discipline, wisdom, and skill. It can help us build relationships and become more compassionate, and it can challenge our beliefs and push our comfort zones. It can lead to career growth, success, and fulfillment. In short, work can be an amazing thing.
In scientific terms, work is the transfer of energy to or from a system. The equation for work is force times displacement, or more simply F
The direction of displacement relative to the direction of the force determines whether the work is positive, negative, or zero. For instance, if an object is displaced upwards by a force of 100 N, then the amount of work done on the object is equal to 100 J. However, if the force is applied at an angle of 90° to the displacement, then the amount of work done on the objects is equal to -10 J.
Work can also be done by a force that hinders the displacement of an object. For example, when a car skids to a stop on a roadway surface or a baseball runner slides into the infield dirt, friction is doing negative work on them.
The final element in the definition of work is that it must cause a change in kinetic energy Ek of the object. For a conservative force field, the change in kinetic energy is equal to the sum of the force and the displacement: W = F
Although this definition of work differs from its everyday meaning, it still captures the essence of what is needed to transform our jobs and our world. Redefining work requires shifting all workers’ time, effort, and attention away from executing routine, tightly defined tasks to identifying and addressing unseen problems and opportunities. The solution isn’t just automating processes with robots or augmenting with automation technology, reskilling and retraining to perform these new tasks, or adding employee suggestion boxes and 20 percent time to innovation/entrepreneur centers. It’s about redefining work to create more value for all.
