Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work

Citation

(2001), "Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work", Work Study, Vol. 50 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2001.07950fae.004

Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work

Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work

Richard DonkinTexereISBN 1-58799-076-8£18.99 Keywords: Employment, Change

There has always been a dark side to the world of work – throughout the ages, people have been forced to carry out tasks that were unpleasant, dangerous or simply exhausting. For too much of the time, people have also worked far too hard – in terms of both effort, and hours worked. In this book, the author comments that "Our lives are choked with work – it invades every corner of our lives". He then goes on to establish a historical perspective by drawing picture of the past from primitive times, to provide insights into our present work-obsessed culture.

Donkin is a Financial Times columnist who specialised in workplace issues, He paints a picture of a world entering the twenty-first century as slaves to work, trapped in the clutches of a 400-year-old Protestant work ethic, driven by an obsession for perfection, material good and, of course, the illusion that technology liberates us from having to sweat. In fact, technology is enslaving us evermore by breaking down the barriers between work and leisure with the intrusive nature of modern communications – mobile phones, pagers, e-mail and the Internet.

However, the book is not simply doom-mongering – Donkin also identifies new and future trends that hold potential to enrich working lives – such as the trend towards self-management and the greater participation of employees in the planning and organisation of work. Technology also gets an honourable mention for its role in creating flexible workspaces and work schedules.