The Soul At Work, a blog post

The Soul At Work

"I love what I do---I just hate having to go to work every day to do it."

"If I didn't have bills to pay, I would tell my boss to shove it!"

"I'm lucky to have this job. It could be worse."

All these statements indicate some level of suffering at the soul level while at work.

Whatever happened to "Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life." or "Do what you love and love what you do." Even "I would do this even if I wasn't getting paid."

Negative or passive aggressive acceptance of the work environment indicates a disconnect between the soul and the world of work.

Does your work environment nourish your soul? The physical environment itself can initially impact the 'inner peace' of the worker.

Is it a haven? or a prison? Is the environment toxic to your inner peace because of the physical environment itself? or is it a place where you spend time in exchange for money?

Walk into your work space with an evaluative perspective. Is it noisy? Are you by nature a quiet, introverted person ? Just the volume or churn alone could be contributing to its toxicity.

Is the environment plastic? If there is an absence of natural elements, you may not feel comfortable, or comforted. A plastic desk, a jarring painting, metal filing cabinets, impersonal machines that often malfunction or stress you, or operate at a speed and complexity that contradicts your inner rhythms may all contribute to a soul-deep discomfort. Plastic plants may not be contributing to oxygen production, accumulate dust that is a marker of time spent, and require no interaction or support from you in order to survive.

Are you immediately overwhelmed by a feeling in the space that you are underpaid and unappreciated for the time spent in this environment? Are you in the space merely because of a fear of loosing the things that have more meaning for you if you should be unfortunate enough to loose this job and its attendant income and prestige?

In our society we must face the fact that we are, after all, identified by what we do for work, and following that identification, again defined by how much money we are perceived to make in that position.

Have you ever been to a party where you hardly know the other guests? When introduced by your host, you may hear "This is Joe Toehead. He's the CEO at the Earwax Corporation." Whatever your current position might be, you are never introduced by something that really defines you as a person. You will never be asked by other guests "What do you love doing most?" or "How would you describe your interaction with animals, small children or the homeless?" You are defined by job title, company, and implied salary, not by your character or interpersonal relationships, or commitments.

After evaluating your work space and its relationship to your social status, consider the affect your job itself has on your inner peace and sense of satisfaction.

The most person-less and stressful position I can think of is the customer service professional. Elements of this position can be found in many jobs and professions. Granted there are always individuals that thrive in every job situation. All of us need to evaluate the stress level and connection we feel to the job we do and the time we spend every day.

Picture yourself walking into a large room, lit by florescent lights and filled with work spaces defined by movable walls. Already you are in an environment that is impersonal and insecure. Movable walls can be rearranged at a moments notice, creating additional positions, altering existing positions, and eliminating some or all of the presently existing workstations. You are aware that change is not only possible, but potentially eminent!

Computer screens and headsets wait for the next user. Calls appear on the screen and in your ear, totally random and in rotation, often without any human intervention or screening for appropriateness or application to your personal skills. One call ends and another appears. One disgruntled caller after another is channeled after an inordinate amount of time spent listening to music not of their choosing, and after they have had time and reason to become more frustrated and more disgruntled.

Your opening dialogue is preset, perhaps even preprinted! Introduce yourself- by a pseudonym?- and determine what the problem is. Flip to that card on your Rolodex and present that predetermined solution. No need for creativity here! All the thinking has been done for you.

The main objective in your job is to find a resolution that fits the company's parameters, and get the caller off the phone as quickly as possible! Another caller is waiting in rotation and must be dealt with before the "cool jazz" on the wait music gets them too hot to handle. As they listen to the recorded voice tell them their call is "important to us" they become cynical and obstinate...just before being passed to you!

Is the customer service person being held prisoner and subjected to a torture regime that could cause the activation of the Geneva Convention? The prisoner is spilling their intellectual life blood on the alter of the company's bottom line. The hard won profits will be disbursed to someone who at that moment is teeing off on a green and tranquil golf course where they are known by their first name, and to the portfolio manager of a future ROI! Can the connection between the top and the functionary be enhanced and improved?

In that impersonal work setting is creative reflection even possible? The soul at work in this environment is a tortured one at best. When the work shift ends, the worker leaves the room, and begins the often long drive home. Is there little wonder that road rage is a very real possibility? All that stress and impersonality, and lack of individual creative outlet has to be channeled somehow.

At the end of the drive home, even the welcoming arms and hearts of the family or pets for whom this soul sapping sacrifice is made may become an irritation. Irritation can escalate depending of the extent of the stress and the level of frustration. Now a cycle begins.

After a work day spent in a place where stress, noise, impersonal surrounding and lack of creative opportunity are the dominant factors, the soul may be bereft of energy. Like an airless balloon, it is slack and lifeless and has no buoyancy. There is little energy left to enfold the family that is the perceived reason for the sacrifice of time.

The soul deflated worker speaks. Words spoken on the physical plane from a lifeless place have an equal or greater impact on their recipient.

The soul at work extends its angst into the society. An act, a word, a gesture, a facial expression, they all create an emotion in the recipient and observer. That emotion is than passed on, outward, in a never ending cycle. Our society reflects this spiral of impersonal stress and frustration in its functioning, objectives and condition. We all suffer from the outflow in one way or another, some affects are observable and direct, some are indefinite and indirect.

The time has come to put the soul back into the work place, and by doing so, back into society.

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This is NOT a 'how to fix it" piece. It is merely a jumping off place for thought about your own workplace and preferences and the larger affect on our society. What are your suggestions and observations? Please comment below and be sure to give your email for responses.

Links to articles for further thought and investigation:

https://wwww.inc.com/lolly-daskal/50-forms-of-dysfunction-in-the-workplace.html

https://www.tlnt.com/the-three-hallmarks-of-a dysfunctional-workplace

theworkplacetherapist.com

https://www.entrpreneur.com/article/241132

https://www.forbes.com/sites/.../10/.../how-to-explain-why-you-left-a-toxic-workplace

Author: Franco Berardi

Book: "The Soul at Work:From Alienation to Autonomy"

VISIT ME AT: https://Karenmac1999.wixsite.com/website-1

A PLACE FOR THE EYE TO REST