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Summary of Work Won’t Love You Back 

4.2 . 310 reviews

Short summary

Millions of people around the world have no job security or satisfaction. They are burned out, underpaid, unhappy with their jobs, and have low or zero motivation to work. But, almost everyone is expected to work in order to survive, so this can be a problem. Social media and many motivational speakers encourage people to do the work that they love so they can be successful. Still, the reality is that more people are working longer hours than ever, and this creates room for stress, fatigue, and loneliness. Sarah Jaffe is a Type Media fellow and an independent journalist covering the politics of power, from the workplace to the streets. She is also the author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt. In this summary, Jaffe examines different professions and how devotion to our jobs is a pathway to exploitation in the workplace. “Labor, after all, is us: messy, desiring, hungry, lonely, angry, frustrated human beings.” ~ Sarah Jaffe

Table of content

  • Summary of Work Won’t Love You Back
  • About the author
  • What is Work Won’t Love You Back about?
  • Who should read Work Won’t Love You Back
  • Topics in Work Won’t Love You Back
first key point

Many employers are out to exploit unsuspecting people, and the labor of love myth is their weapon

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The question of whether or not work should be enjoyable has been on since the 1800s. From the feudal system — a system where peasants received land as payment for work done — the rich lived off their wealth and had many lower-class workers. To keep the lower-class and industry workers at work, the “Fordist compromise,” named after Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company, was created. This involved paying workers some money so they could work more hours. This continued from the end of the Great Depression until the 1960s. There was a slight change in the 1970s and 1980s: the ownership class began to work and derive joy in long hours. It also became expedient that the lower-class believed that work was something to love so that they could work for longer hours. The Fordist compromise led to many strikes and crises. Companies closed factories and found new ways to pay workers less.

This summary traces the “labor of love myth” — the belief that you should love your job and work even more as a result. It explains why this myth is a means of exploitation and how society has propagated it for so long. Jaffe delves deeper into many professions and how workers managed to revolt against the idea that they must love their work.
Different factors such as technology and culture have evolved and made it possible for changes to happen in the workplace.
The working class is now a more diverse group made up of different genders and races. We can break the labor of love myth by understanding that love happens between people and is reciprocal. Work cannot love you back, but people can. Keep reading to understand how to stop your employer from exploiting you and break free of myths surrounding work.
second key point

Children form ideas and beliefs based on what they experience at home and in their environment

From an early age, girls are expected to show more love than boys. As they grow, they are taught to care about the needs of others and look good. These gender roles are reinforced in the family — an institution that revolves around unpaid labor of taking care of others.
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third key point

Domestic workers are not slaves, and their employers owe them fairness

fourth key point

Teachers are workers in the education sector and deserve to be paid wages like workers in other sectors

fifth key point

Retail workers have rights too and are entitled to polite treatment from customers

sixth key point

Many nonprofits are tilting farther away from their goal because of the exploitation all around them

seventh key point

Sometimes, societal stereotypes make it hard for certain jobs to be appreciated

eighth key point

Long hours and a work-life imbalance are not signs of excellence

ninth key point

People can earn money playing sports — these days, there are many legal ways to earn money

tenth key point

Conclusion

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What is Work Won’t Love You Back about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.