Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture Is Ruling Our Lives

by Madeleine Bunting

A hard-hitting expose of the overwork culture and modern management techniques that seduce millions of people to hand over the best part of their lives to their employer. Work has come to increasingly dominate British national life. 'Job intensification' affects every shopfloor, office, classroom and hospital, as a cult of efficiency has driven a missionary magnetism of tighter deadlines and more exacting targets in the most exploitative and manipulative work culture developed since the Industrial Revolution. What do we get in return for this hard work? Stagnant wages, job insecurity, stress, exhaustion; the British workforce has not been so powerless for over a century. 'Willing Slaves' exposes the paradox that, though we're all being exploited, it's work that has come to give our lives religion, political causes, family life have become secondary. This book reveals how this astonishing fraud has been perpetrated, how millions of workers know they face burnout but believe 'there is no alternative'. Bunting tells us how to take our lives back -- and what will happen if we don't.

Genres: Nonfiction, Society, Economics, Business, Psychology, Sociology, Social Justice

325 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Madeleine was born in North Yorkshire, one of five children of artist parents. She studied history at Corpus Christi, Cambridge and Harvard, US. She held a number positions at the Guardian including reporter, leader writer, religious affairs editor, and for twelve years, she was a columnist. She wrote about a wide range of subjects including Islam, faith, global development, politics and social change.
She directed the Guardian’s first ever festival, Open Weekend, in 2012.
From 2012-14, she led a team as Editorial Director of Strategy, working on a project around reimagining the institution of a newspaper and its relationship with readers.
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She has a longstanding interest in contemplative practices and in 2013 she co-founded The Mindfulness Initiative to explore the potential of mindfulness in public policy particularly health and education. The Initiative supported the All Party Parliamentary Group in their 10 month inquiry which led to a report Mindful Nation UK, published in October 2015.
She lives in East London with her family.

She has received a number of awards and prizes including an honorary fellowship from Cardiff University in 2013, the Portico Prize for The Plot in 2010, a Lambeth MA degree in 2006, The Race in the Media award in 2005 and the Imam wa Amal Special Award in 2002. She has won several One World Media awards for her journalism on global justice.

Reviews

[Ape · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written almost 20 years ago. Published 2004. So around the time I left full time education and entered the world of work. And some small things have changed since she wrote this - flexitime and part time are more common, and in the world of children, fathers can now take up to 6 months of the maternity leave, if hheir employer is up for it. But on the whole it seems most things are the same or a bit worse, which is rather depressing to think how little human life is valued against business and making money as if that is all life is about. The government gunning for anyone on benefits is still there, shaming of people who want to look after their kids over work, presenteeism and the overwork badge of honour. The yardstick the government had set up to beat people over the head with in the public sector are still there and have become so stressful that we even have the recent case of the headteacher who committed suicide.

It would be interesting if Bunting could add a chapter now, with her thoughts on how Brexit will hit the UK long term (goodbye rights...) and also the post pandemic world which has hit us with a double edged sword. I personally find being able to work from home twice a week a godsend, but it has also made things like sick leave or looking after a sick child things that can happen whilst you continue working. You do have to be strict. People check emails whilst on leave so they're not hit with a motherload when they come back. Because as staff leave they are not replaced and yet those who remain are expected to cover everything.

I think career snobbery has gotten worse, and with the cost of living crisis it has really shown how bad things are. When people in full time work can not afford to heat their homes and have to go food banks, something is wrong. But as one of our prime ministers last year said, if people can't afford to live, they should just get out and get a better job. No. As a society we need to value jobs better. The carers, the nursery staff, the cafe workers, the refuse collectors, shop workers, delivery drivers, office workers.... a lot of jobs which coincidentally connect into what is seen as women's work and the unpaid and unvalued domain of the old housewife, caring and cleaning. I think it was a Simon Reeve documentary where he went down Devon way, which has become a second home playground for wealthy London, and the local people needed to work at the cafes and shops to keep this holiday dream alive simply can't make ends meet living there. Because they are paid so little. They can work all the hours under the sun and still struggle.

I personally am disillusioned and unchallenged by work, and it is purely to pay the bills. Some of what she says is all good and well, bit bottom line, we have to eat. I have not tried to climb hhe career ladder as I felt it would take all my time from me so I couldn't have my own life, and also pile even more stress than the crap I have had to put up with. And now I am in my 40s and wishing I could have done something more meaningful to me and feeling like I have missed the boat. It is unavoidable in reading this book that you find yourself reflecting on your own situation and working history.

And just how crap it is in the UK. Of how it was Tony Blairs Labour that went gunning for mothers as work is more important to all than little kids (never liked him); or how consumerism and overworking go so hand in hand. So miserable and worn out people need those treats and trips to sustain them, which in turn keeps the dependency on the high wage. And as long as people have amazon to do quick wish fulfillment shopping and more box sets online than you could ever watch, you don't need to stop and think if there could be another way for your life. Which in turn feeds into some of our lifestyle factors that are bad for the environment, for community, for society... it all looks rather hopeless

[Linh Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presented a very thorough picture of the overwork culture observed in the UK, and around the world. Written in 2005, yet it had (depressingly) not lost its timely message, and since then the situation has unfortunately been progressing just as predicted, if not worse, with the staggering introduction and pervasive nature of technology.

If you had not been disillusioned with the hustle culture and radicalized against corporation, this book will do so. Since this is my domain of research, I find the writing and the content very accessible, but it might be a lot of economics information for someone not familiar with the subject prior.

[Jamie Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was enlightening and thought-provoking to read this book, published about fifteen years ago, in the era of Covid and widespread home working. It’s pretty dispiriting how many of the book’s arguments and warnings might as well have been written weeks rather than years ago. Willing Slaves has certainly influenced the way I see my work and it’s place in my life. It’s clearly, lucidly argued and I think it’s particularly strong in its recognition of the importance of a “care ethic”. There’s something oddly uplifting in how the author describes and celebrates the simple domestic chores that ultimately lay the foundations for much of the rest of our lives. This is not to say it’s a perfect book - it’s probably about 50 pages too long and towards the end the polemic gets overheated. There are a few too many half-hearted concessions and a number of points where some tighter editing was needed. For instance, there are moments which come uncomfortably close to self-contradiction and I think a really good editor would have helped the author sidestep these moments or address them head on. Instead, there are a bits where the reader is left asking “didn’t you just say that was good?!”. Overall though, I’d recommend this book and say that it’s perhaps even more important now than it was was when it was written. It seems that responding to Covid will, in many of the worlds most prosperous countries, lead to new discussions about time, work and home and this book is an instructive guide to the debates which lie ahead.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A hysteric cry for mediocrity, stupidity and whomever might like to ally. Nothing wrong with that, only the only means of perpetuating such a system is robbery and leeching off the productive just creates a slave group, which the author seems to be vaguely against. In fact, Madeleine Bunting is not against, Madeleine Bunting is for slavery, only not "us", but "them".

[Simon Copland · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Madeleine Bunting takes and in depth look at the overwork culture that is dominating the United Kingdom - although the messages and evidence are relevant throughout the world. Bunting explores this issue in depth, discussing how the past decades have seen the development of an overwork culture, looking at the extremely negative impacts of that culture - from increased stress and mental health problems to less time to care for those we love - and then looks at the solutions to the issues. In doing so Bunting sets up an impressive argument. It is well researched, exquisitely argued and extremely relevant to a range of political issues we face around the world today.

The only critique I have of Bunting's work is that sometimes she can be too thorough. At times the points are a bit laboured as she uses numerous examples and statistics to make the same point. Whilst the book is extremely easy to read therefore, this can make it drag on a little. Some finer editing would have been useful.

This criticism aside however and this book is definitely worth a read!

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the working culture in the UK, which was quite an eye-opener. It was packed full of enlightening stats i.e. that fewer women are in work ten years after the birth of a child, then are a year after (somewhat reflecting a need to go back to work straight away, and then how being back at work puts a strain on things?). There was also discussions I can sympathise with in that due to the influence of IT and the greater importance of auditing, it now means that people each have TWO jobs to do - they have to do their job, and then they have to *prove* that they've done their job!

Alas as interesting and shocking as it was, I can't really claim that it had a positive impact or helped me regain my work/life balance!

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why I picked this up from the table at the Unconvention when I have already done the opting out it suggests, at least to a certain extent. It explores the overwork culture which it claims is a product of the last thirty years or so and lays at the door of companies out for profit. There are lots of examples and descriptions of lifestyles and jobs that have become even more prevalent in the nearly ten years since it was written and were again in the news at the time I was (slowly) reading it. Maybe it is because it is no longer new that I thought it was over-simplistic and repetitive and didn't enjoy reading it.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good critique on society's obsession with working long hours and making career the centrepiece of one's existence. Some very good points made about the detrimental effect on mental health, family life, friendships, etc and how many workplaces try to replace these in order to become the focus of individuals' lives. Very interesting for those with workaholic tendencies who might want to consider what they're burying for their career, and slackers like myself who can get their smug on.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this personally very relevant to my life. While it doesn't offer many solutions, it is thought provoking and has encouraged me to value my free time and not to get sucked into the quantity of work being more valuable than quality. I have been guilty of this in the past. To do a job well, need to be healthy and not neglecting my health.

[Farhat Baig · Rating 3 out of 5]

why the british work the longest hours in europe but the economy is still behind the big european economies. also, the stresses involved with the long hours, competitive nature of the work place and culture and how to achieve a balance between one's work and social life.

[Gsc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Torn with this one.
Well written, interesting topic, plenty of references to back up points. But too too long. Much better as a longer article - found myself skipping pages as the points were being repeated.

[Pauline (booksofviolette) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5
Très intéressant mais beaucoup trop répétitif.