Alienation

I have been reading about Karl Marx’s theory of alienation, that workers have little control over their working lives, are alienated from natural social contact during work and neither decide how and what to make nor own the output of their labours. This distance, or alienation, with a more natural way of living, of a… Continue reading Alienation

Return to the Office

During the recent pandemic there was fully remote work, where possible, followed by a worker shortage where workers could call the shots and had leverage to stay in home office. Now there is a financial crisis and layoffs so employers can again call the shots and mandate a return to the office, or at least… Continue reading Return to the Office

Rat Race

When I was young people used to talk about the rat race, the 9 to 5 lifestyle and overwork. Now people talk about work-life balance, the 9 to 6 lifestyle and burnout. What has changed ? Bertrand Russell’s In Praise of Idleness changed nothing. The Industrial Revolution and opportunity to free mankind from the drudgery… Continue reading Rat Race