ABSTRACT
In the long history of industrial capitalism, the nature of the work people do has evolved so that the overwhelming majority of people spend half their waking lives doing work they don’t want to do in a place where they don’t want to be. Though Adam Smith thought it was only human nature to be lazy and to be motivated only by a looming paycheck, we now know that people want more from work than just pay. People want engagement, meaning, autonomy, and respect. They want to make a difference in the lives of others. Seduced by false beliefs about human nature into designing workplaces that deprived people of any satisfaction of work aside from the paycheck, we have created workplaces that are profoundly dissatisfying—even toxic. The profound shake-up of work brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic offers hope that the workplace of the future will look different and enable more people to do work that not only pays the rent but gives them a sense of meaning and purpose.
