On Work: Money, Meaning, Identity

by Derek Thompson

A rousing commentary on the history of labor and the future of work. An Atlantic Edition, featuring long-form journalism by Atlantic writers, drawn from contemporary articles or classic storytelling from the magazine’s 165-year archive.
On Work gathers a selection of Derek Thompson’s most popular and significant writing on work, life, and the future of jobs. From essays on how mass automation could change society to his widely read treatise on “workism” as our modern religion, Thompson’s analysis and forecasts have become fixtures of the twenty-first century conversation about work.

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Essays, Nonfiction

104 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine and a weekly news analyst for NPR's "Here and Now." He was born in McLean, Va., in 1986, and he graduated from Northwestern University, in 2008, with a triple major in journalism, political science, and legal studies. He hasn't done much with the latter two. In 2015, he wrote the cover story "A World Without Work" about the future of jobs and technology. "Hit Makers," his first book on the secret histories of pop culture hits and the science of popularity, comes out in February 2017. He has appeared on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list and Time's "140 Best Twitter Feeds." He lives in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Ian McManus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic and premise. I tend to agree with the author’s observations, though this loose collection of articles feels like it was hastily put together (all of which can be accessed online), complete with frequent duplication. I’d like to have seen a more rigorous assessment to warrant a full book treatment.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was mentioned in a sermon I listened to and I was intrigued. As such, I bought a copy and brought it to the pool with me. I got some odd looks and comments as to how a book on work constituted as a "beach read" but I thought it was all very fascinating.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, on the whole, Americans are little too obsessed with work. This is especially so in the area I grew up in and, as someone with workaholic tendencies myself, I was hooked.

Some of my favorite quotes/tidbits:

"In a 2019 Pew Research survey, half of Americans said that the most important part of a fulfilling life was work that provided joy and meaning. Just 20 percent said the same about marriage or having children" (p. xi)

"Research has shown that it is harder to recover from a long bout of joblessness than from losing a loved one or suffering a life-altering injury" (p. 13)

"Everybody worships something" (p. 35)

"Our desks were never meant to be our alters" (p. 40)

"Long hours don't make anybody more productive or creative; they make people stressed, tired, and bitter" (p. 43)

"There is something slyly dystopian about an economic system that has convinced the most indebted generation in American history to put purpose over paycheck. Indeed, if you were designing a 'Black Mirror' labor force that encouraged overwork without higher wages, what might you do? Perhaps you'd persuade educated young people that income comes second; that no job is just a job; and that the only real reward from work is the ineffable glow of purpose. It is a diabolical game that creates a prize so tantalizing yet rare that almost nobody wins, but everybody feels obligated to play forever" (p. 43-44)

I work in an industry that, traditionally, has taken advantage of its workers and, overall, still does today. We are sold a lie that we have a calling and that abuse is acceptable in the workplace. I find Thompson's arguments compelling and provoking as the industry I am in is beginning to take a hard look at itself.

[Dalan Mendonca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5ish for me. The book is really well written. Sadly, it is clearly a compilation of Derek's newsletters on the subject - you can see stories and entire paragraphs repeat across chapters. Relatedly, it is not a deep work of scholarship either; there's is no data or case studies cited from outside of the USA. I think China alone would have made for great case study - the country is simultaneously a blue collar and white-collar powerhouse; and the recent Tang ping movement shows the country having a conversation with itself when it comes to the value of working.

Derek correctly catches the trend of people seeking meaning from work as religiosity declines; and is rightfully worried, while we will figure it out in the long term; the short term is always painful. I agree on UBI as a cushion but my man's solution to everything is pay people to do it! it not the magic pill the author thinks it is & social practices can go a long way. E.g., Japanese companies retrain workers in new jobs instead of just firing the ones affected by automation.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been reading Derek Thompson for ages so obviously I enjoyed this short collection of his writings on work. However, aside from the introduction, it was just a collection of his writings on work that I’d *already read.* I probably should’ve read the description closer so that’s on me, but was maybe hoping for a further synthesis of his ideas.

All in all, good stuff. I will return to these essays often.

[Christine Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Derek Thompson and found this to be an excellent collection of his observations about the current state of work, especially for millennials and those in creative/white collar industries. There is some duplication across articles, but overall, I really enjoyed it and found it thought-provoking, especially for some introspection on priorities and the "goal" of work for me. Very much recommend!

[Peter Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

a pithy and forceful series of arguments that im way to biased to evaluate. reading thompson, i bask in the warm feeling that being else out there shares nearly all of my opinions on time, money, purpose. essential reading, truly, but thats just my opinion

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The essays originally published earlier on time felt more resonant than those published early or mid-COVID. Some interesting ideas to contemplate, nothing super groundbreaking if you're already thinking about these issues.

[Trey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some compelling critiques of our society's wrong views on work, but lacking a compelling vision for what work is/should be.

[Dari · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is changing and how we identify ourselves at work

[Johnny Kirven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a huge Derek Thompson fan. I wish this book had more flow to it. I know it’s just a collection of some of his newsletters, but I wish there was some overarching theme. I enjoyed it though.

[Joseph Solis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting ideas about work and explored from various angles.

[Sarthak Pattanaik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of Derek's writing. A wonderful elucidation of how the relationship between man and his work has evolved over many years. A journey from mundane 9 - 5 to workism.

[Varsha Subrahmanyam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes u THINK!!! Would recommend to anyone looking to interrogate work as this catch-all savior of purpose, utility, and community

[Sujit Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

We’ve been going at this thing called work since the dawn of human civilization. This was an intriguing read that gets the reader to revisit their relationship with work, however it lacks a systems effect view of what the world would be without it. As faulty as capitalism is (a whole lot), it’s created some of the finest works across art, science and commerce which would be difficult to achieve in a post work world.

Overall, a decent read. Definitely thought proving but lacks context around history and fails to offer a future.