The Definition of Work in Academic Literature

Work is a central part of many people’s lives. It provides structure, a means of survival, connection to others and often, an opportunity for self-realisation. However, work is not defined by employment status, place or remuneration. Emergent perspectives on the meaning of work suggest that it can also be viewed as the fulfilment of individual potential and capacity through creativity, innovation and problem-solving.

This article examines definitions of work in the academic literature and highlights areas for further research. The literature was searched using a combination of scholarly databases and a search for keywords that are commonly used in the field. Only peer reviewed academic articles that directly address the concept of work were considered. This limited the scope of the search but did not exclude grey literature.

A common definition of work is that it is any effort that transfers energy from one location to another. It can change the kinetic energy of a system or its potential energy in a storage medium such as a battery, or the thermal energy in a device.

In the physical world work can be measured by calculating the scalar product of a force and displacement. This is the same as a vector multiplication and can take on values of zero, positive or negative depending on the relative directions of the force and displacement.

The work a force does can also be determined by looking at the total amount of movement over a given period of time. For example, if a person pushes against a wall until they exhaust themselves then the force has done no work because the distance moved (to the east) is not equal to the magnitude of the force. However, if a book falls from the table and hits the ground then there is work being done because of the force exerted on the book by gravity.

While the scientific definition of work reveals an important relationship to energy, its application to a more general sense of human activity is less clear. Nevertheless, work is widely recognised as an important factor in maintaining people’s well-being and in contributing to the economic success of organisations. This is especially evident in the recent impact of the pandemic on workplaces as they adapt to new ways of working. While some companies are embracing remote working, others have found it difficult to shift their business models and employees back to the office and may be struggling to retain talent. The challenge now is to redefine work for a new age of technological and social change. This requires a deeper understanding of what work means and the role it plays in society. It will be necessary to identify what kinds of activities will continue to be deemed productive and valuable, as well as to explore the implications of these changes on the wider world. This will require a broad and diverse range of research methodologies and a willingness to critically examine existing frameworks and assumptions.