Attitudes to work

Pierre-Michel Menger

pp. 65-72

in: Robert Skidelsky, Nan Craig (eds), Work in the future, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020

Abstract

Work has traditionally been defined as either instrumental (to meet needs) or expressive (as a creative activity). In the twentieth century it has also, through the welfarist model, been seen as a route to human flourishing. Workers in France show paradoxical attitudes, in that they attach high importance to work, yet devote less time to it and express strong dissatisfaction with pay and career prospects, and feel a high level of insecurity about retaining their jobs. French employment and social policies help to explain this paradox, including regulation of working time, rejection of the "working poor" social model and the high employment/high inequality economic model, and distrustful labour relations. There are three responses to this paradox: voice, loyalty or exit.