The Way We Work and the Great Transition

We’re increasingly used, in times of increasing unemployment, to hearing that worklessness creates moral as well as economic problems. Yet in such times is there enough work to go around? And should we reassess what the purpose of work in our lives is?

At the next Cardiff Philosophy Cafe on 19 June 2012, Mike Harris from the New Economics Foundation (Nef) offers some thoughts on how we might respond, as a society, to a post-austerity world in which the goal of full employment is no longer viable. He will introduce the idea of a ‘Great Transition’ to a genuinely sustainable economy, society and environment, and will address, in particular how this will force us to rethink how we work, and what we work for. Nef argues for a gradual move towards a much shorter paid working week. This offers a new route out of the multiple crises we face today: over-work for some; unemployment for many; over-consumption; high carbon emissions; low well-being; widening social inequalities; and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other and to enjoy life. In looking at these issues, we’ll examine the value work contributes to our lives, and ask when work improves well-being and when it impairs it.

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