Work is something people do to earn money and pay for food, shelter and other necessities. People also do work in the context of their occupations, hobbies and social activities. People may also do work as part of volunteer projects and for charities. The term can be applied to physical labor, such as digging, building or gardening, or mental labor, such as reading or writing. It can also refer to a place where people do work, such as a factory or office. Work can also refer to a particular project or activity, such as a painting or a piece of music. Finally, it can refer to a person’s career or life journey.
Work can be either positive or negative. In physics, positive work is defined as the transfer of energy from one object to another by the application of a force over a displacement. This definition of work is illustrated by a horse pulling a plow through a field, a father pushing a shopping cart through a grocery store, or a freshman lifting a heavy textbook above her head.
In chemistry, work can be thought of as the change in the amount of energy an object has. It is measured in joules, named after the 19th-century English physicist James Prescott Joule. The SI unit for work is the newton-meter, although other units may be used. The calorie, therm and BTU are all alternative measurement units for work.
The future of work will require all employees to be creative, imaginative and empathetic in the identification and resolution of unseen problems and opportunities. It will also require all employers to recognize that their employees are multifaceted and have lives beyond the workplace. Good bosses will never infringe on their employees’ “real” lives – such as asking them to stay late for a special meeting or project – without a good reason.
To understand how work changes us, consider what you would be without your job. You might have the discipline, wisdom, and skill you’ve developed through work. Or you might have the relationships you’ve built with coworkers and supervisors. You might also have the passions, beliefs and dreams you’ve nurtured through your work. However, you might also think about the ways in which work has jaded and hurt you, destroying relationships and snuffing out your creativity. Perhaps it has even left you feeling cynical and bitter. These are the negative consequences of working. The positive side is what makes it worth it. Changing the world of work means changing the way we see others and the world around us. It will be a difficult task, but it is necessary. If you want to learn more, read the articles below.
