We all know that having a job is important for your well-being. But did you know that it's actually even more important that your work also creates value for society?
The type of work you do – and the value it creates for yourself and others – is crucial to your well-being and that of society as a whole. Especially in the long term. There are jobs that create value and jobs that destroy value.
We all know that having a job is important in our lives. But why is that actually the case?
For several reasons:
It gives direction
Having a job helps you set (life) goals and work towards them. It helps you give a certain direction to your life.
It provides structure
Working forces you to bring structure to your life and to plan ahead. You have to get up in the morning to be at work on time. During the day, you probably have meetings and appointments to attend. And in the evening, you naturally go to bed on time because you have to get up early the next day.
It’s good for your social life
People who work usually have colleagues and interact with many different people during the day. That's why working is good for your social life. And this happens to be a very important factor contributing to good health.
Achieving goals makes you feel good
It feels good when you set goals at work and then achieve them. This too contributes to your well-being and health.
It brings respect and status
Working automatically gives people a certain social status. Fair or not: research also shows that people who work automatically receive more respect than those who do not.
You earn an income
When you work, you are rewarded with an income. Money helps people take care of themselves and their families. Which in turn contributes to their well-being.
It gives you a sense of purpose
This may well be the most important aspect of work. Working gives people the feeling of being useful. And that is a kind of primal need most of us strive for.
Now we know why having a job is important for your well-being. But why is having the right job also important? Are there also jobs that are bad for your well-being? I think so. Personally, I believe there are different types of 'unhealthy' jobs.
A few examples of ‘unhealthy’ jobs:
Useless jobs
More than twenty percent of all working people in the Western world believe they have a useless job. Some company cultures, for example, ensure that employees are not (able to be) productive and cannot possibly work efficiently. Or they are just a cog in a huge machine where the added value is not directly clear.
Some people have jobs where they feel they (practically) do nothing. Others feel that they only do unimportant things. Research shows that thirty-seven percent of all workers in the United Kingdom believe it would make no difference if their jobs didn't exist.
Jobs that destroy value
These are, for example, jobs held by people who do work but where value is lost. Research shows that some investment bankers – for every euro they earn – destroy an average of seven euros for society. The same seems to happen with some managers working at the top of the advertising world. For every euro they earn, an average of eleven euros is destroyed for society as a whole.
What kind of jobs create value for society?
Perhaps an obvious one, but these are, for example, jobs in healthcare. Like the work of those who care for our elderly, people in need, the sick, and children. These people are often underpaid but create a lot of value. For every euro they earn, they generate an average of nine euros for society. It’s about time we start paying these important people what they’re worth.
Of course, there are plenty of other examples of work that clearly adds value to society.
Do you have a job that creates value?
Best regards,
Raymond te Veldhuis
DataJobs.nl