Why is work important?

Human civilization has been built on work, the work of many billions of people throughout history has created the cities, farms, industries, armies, and infrastructure that have marked our time on the planet. 

Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels

Even before human civilization emerged, the role of work and the development of different types of tools have been central to our evolution since the era of the most primitive primates.

Working, whether paid or not, is good for our health and well-being. It contributes to our happiness, helps us develop confidence and self-esteem, and rewards us financially.

But did you know that having the right kind of job is even more important? The type of work you do and the value you create for yourself and others are critical to your well-being and to society as a whole. Especially in the long term. 

Because it is important? Well, for many reasons:

Why is work important?

Give a sense of direction

Having a job helps you set (life) goals and start working towards them. It gives you a sense of direction.

Provides structure

When you work, you need to structure your life and plan for the future. You need to get up in the morning to get to work on time. During the day you probably have meetings and appointments that you need to attend. And you go to bed on time because you have to get up early to go to work in the morning. When you work you need to plan your days, weeks, and months.

Helps you build a social life

People who work often have colleagues and have contact with many different people during the day. Working is beneficial for your social life. And this is a very important factor for your health.

Reaching your goals gives you a feeling of satisfaction

It's a great feeling when you set goals at work and achieve them. It gives you a feeling of satisfaction. Which is also very important for your well-being.

It gives you respect and social status

Work gives people a certain social status. On average, people who work receive more respect from others than people who do not work.

You earn money

When you work, you are also rewarded with a paycheck. Money helps people support themselves and their families.

Gives you a sense of purpose

This may be the most important work factor. Work gives people a sense of purpose. Well, it should.

What kind of work adds value to society?

So what are valuable jobs? Jobs that add value to society? These usually care work. For example, people who take care of our children and our elders. These jobs are often poorly paid, but they add a lot of value to society. For every pound they are paid, they generate more than 9 pounds of value to society. I guess it's time we started paying these important workers more. Fortunately, there are also many other jobs that add value to society. 

Let's summarize the importance of work both individually and socially:

I work on a personal level

Work is an important feature in structuring: personal and social identity; family and social ties; ways to earn money and thereby access a range of essential and non-essential goods, services and activities; daily routines; activity level; physical and mental well-being; self-confidence and self-esteem; a sense of self-worth provided by the feeling of contributing to society or the common good.

Contribution to society

For societies, work is an important characteristic to: promote community cohesion and security; increase civic participation; reduce public spending on a number of social benefits (provided, of course, the work is done in a job with a decent wage); promote social and economic development; organize social life at a macro level.