ABSTRACT
The first and most obvious thing one notes about work in modern society is that it takes place in a particular physical locale: the office, the factory, the construction site, the theater, the library, the school. The general fact that work is carried on in a specialized locale has more subtle consequences than the travel problem. The public character of work implies that the worker must be prepared to meet a number of quite rigid standards for dress, deportment, and social custom. One of the most dramatic features of work in modern society is that it is so heavily bound by time. The degree to which the work environment is enmeshed with time marks it off fairly sharply from the environment of the home or the environments of recreation. The self-employed constitute an increasingly small portion of the general labor force. Most work is performed under supervision, whether direct or indirect, simple or complex.
