What are we really working for?
Work is broken. Burnout, pointless jobs, toxic management—Jennifer Moss breaks down the absurdity of the system and offers actionable solutions to fix it, including less control, better recognition, and fair pay over superficial perks. But the big question is: Should we fix the system or scrap it entirely?
Why Are We Here? : Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants by Jennifer Moss (Harvard Business Review Press 2025) .
Work is shattering all our illusions. Burnout, bullshit jobs, toxic management—everything seems designed to make work something we have to endure rather than enjoy.
Meanwhile, as the world tilts on its axis, the whole planet seems to be asking: “Why are we still doing this?”
What if we asked the same question about work? This book is a wake-up call: the time has come to jettison obsolete systems and invent a new work culture. And no, a couple of PowerPoint slideshows and a new coffee machine in the open-plan office won’t cut it.
1. The myth of the fulfilling job
We were sold the dream for decades that work was a path to personal fulfillment. But it was just a marketing ploy. Post-war generations bought into the promise of a steady job, a linear career, and a cushy retirement. But today, even you understand that the company isn’t here to save you.
The post-Covid push to return to the office is a perfect example of this madness. Companies are acting as though nothing happened, ignoring the fact that remote work didn’t harm productivity. And honestly, who really wants to go back to a noisy open-plan office and a boss keeping tabs on your lunch break?
The demise of so-called “fulfilling” work hardly comes as a surprise: it’s the logical outcome of a system that never truly cared for the genuine needs of its employees.
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