My Published Works

Magazine Article published in Destiny Magazine, Dec. 2010

There is more to work than the 9-to-5?: The changing meaning of work
By Ishara Maharaj

In a country ripe with entrepreneurial opportunities there is a growing group of women packing up their belongings and walking out of the corporate world. While many graduates and professionals aspire to climb the corporate ladder alongside their male counterparts, other women are sick of office politics, bureaucracy and lack of flexibility in a typical 9-to-5 job. They are searching for a new meaning to the concept of work. A new phenomenon is arising where more women are taking a leap of faith out of the corporate jungle to explore other forms
of work. And they are exuding excitement about the possibilities even before they have finalised all the details.

If one considers that an average person spends at least 35 years of their lifetime at work, re-evaluating one’s working life is worth paying attention to. Whilst most South Africans would not consider quitting their jobs without having another, particularly in this age characterised by cutbacks and retrenchments, some individuals believe that the potential outside the stresses of the corporate office is well worth the risk. Underpinned by the support of their partners,
families and friends, here are the stories of two young women contemplating their changing meaning of work.

Sahara Swarup*, 30 held well-paying employment as a corporate manager at a JSE- listed retailer. She resigned for two reasons.
“I was fed up with the red tape associated with colleagues and managers, all of whom had hidden agendas. Everybody was willing to back-stab another or pass off other colleague’s work as their own. All in the name of climbing the corporate ladder. This went against my morals and ethics. I also had a very unpredictable manager. I used to have to judge her moods before approaching her on work matters. She constantly switched between praise and utter damnation of my work. The final straw came when my work stress affected my health and I had had two miscarriages. There was no sympathy for my physical and emotional state yet my team was an all women one,” explains Swarup.

Swarup realised that she possessed an arsenal of skills and experience to allow her to freelance as a facilitator and writer. Her husband was initially concerned over her financial situation. Having two decent salaries allowed them to save money for retirement and have a few holidays and luxuries. But the long-term benefits of working for oneself and the benefit of less stress in the event of a subsequent pregnancy swayed their decision. She capitalised on her networks and
the professional relationships that she had built over the years to build herself a new portfolio. But Swarup admits that it wasn’t easy.
“Make no mistake, its hard work putting yourself out there as a freelancer. And the money doesn’t just flow in after your first month. So we had to do a bit of re-shuffling on the financial
side. But I do believe that all good things take time to build and I will be better off in the long run. The power of the internet has allowed me to stay in touch with so many of my colleagues, so whenever I feel like I need a bit of encouragement or advice, I sign on to a chat application.”

Swarup refers to the psychological definition of her generation; Generation Y and says that she is living up to that definition by searching for alternatives to the traditional means of work.
“My freedom from the corporate environment is in itself the best feeling in the world. The past year has allowed me to reflect on my place in society – sort of the proverbial “coming-of-age” – and I have realised that I will never be a corporate animal. Knowing this and understanding exactly what I don’t want for a career is enough motivation to allow me to explore the world of freelance work and entrepreneurship. I know that there is hard work up ahead but I am more confident in myself and my abilities than I ever was in the office environment. I am also excited about the personal targets that I have set for my work so I have something concrete to aim for,” says Swarup.

A similar scenario ensued for Gill Richardson*, 31 last year. Richardson was a human resources consultant at one of SA’s leading health and beauty retailers.
“The people I worked with made me most unhappy, particularly the women I reported to. There was a constant need to conform and be someone other than myself. Putting on an act every day drained my energy. The women I worked with were consumed by their jobs. If I even considered going home before 7pm, I was considered weak. Just to rub it in, the next day I was forced to hear about how they stayed at work until 10pm to get their work done. This made me realise
that there was no work-life balance in my work team,” says Richardson.

Richardson explained that she was becoming a different person whilst trying to fit in to her corporate environment. A divorce followed by the loss of her grandmother prompted her to
re-evaluate her life.
“I realised that life was too short to try and fit into an environment that I clearly wasn’t built for. I had lost my sense of humour and I was stressed out all the time. What was worse was that
my family started to notice the negative changes in me. This led me to hand in the resignation letter,” explains Richardson.

She is currently working with her partner in his business and has also started a small baking business with her mother.
“It’s an exciting time to be able to try out business ideas that I have always had in the back of my mind. I was really pleased when the baking orders started coming in. Although trying to start a new business can be stressful, I am much happier and more peaceful than I was in the corporate world. I am doing it for myself and I am enjoying every minute of my work time. I believe that that is the key to my success.”

It may have taken these two women stressful work situations and consequent overflow into their personal lives to warrant contemplation about other means of work. One thing is for certain –
many more men and women are contemplating the same notions. Whilst contemporary
South African organisations are working on less hierarchical structures and more employee flexibility, the majority of big business is slow to change towards work-life friendly benefits for its employees. This leaves a lot more stressed out, unhappy workers and the subsequent search for alternatives to traditional working roles are on the rise.

The shifting meaning of work
Recent studies confirm that the meaning of work for the average employee is steadily shifting. As employment equity policies have allowed for more women to excel in the corporate world,
many of these women are realising the existence of another mind shift. South Africa has fast transformed into a land of entrepreneurial opportunities. More and more workers are realising that the application of their business acumen outside the corporate boardroom may get them further in life. For many, the search for meaningful work has led to their personal discovery of more purposeful and passionate contributions to society.

Apart from organisational bureaucracy, more employees are faced with the threat of retrenchment in today’s turbulent times. This has further exacerbated the need for a
creative outlook on traditional ideas of work. Linda Naiman, author of Creativity and the Meaning of Work1 explains that as large industries fall prey to economic downturns, we as
individuals are forced to re-evaluate our career and work needs, putting our values first.
“There is a yearning to align life purpose with work to make it meaningful. The Buddhists call this Dharma, spiritual work, the vehicle for Spirit to express its blessing. It is both inner work, remembering our true Self, and outer work, the expression of our unique talents and role in the evolution of humanity. Work is meaningful when we add to the quality of life to those around us. Work is a vehicle for our creations to be a blessing to the world,” says Naiman.

Professor Estelle Morin2, psychologist and professor in Organisational Behaviour at the HEC institute, University of Montreal, described work as meaningful with the following characteristics:
Work is meaningful when:
Established rules and duties are followed from moral and spiritual values

It is enjoyable to the employee since it relates to her fields of interest or motivates her
potential to reach work objectives

It enables employees to use their problem-solving or decision-making abilities so that she may feel more involved in her work

Her talents are recognised

The development of positive professional relationships is encouraged, and

It is done responsibly, not just when it is being implemented, but in terms of the end products or
consequences.

Morin is quick to exclaim that the quest for meaningful work is as subjective as the quest for the meaning of life. Here are some factors to consider if you are currently evaluating your
working life.
Safe and healthy working conditions – Consider your physical work environment, work
hours, salary and benefits
Purpose – Is there a sense to your work? Do you have direction in your work?
Ethical behaviours – Consider if you view your work with shame or guilt or with pride and dignity. Are the processes and results of your work morally acceptable to you?
Self-efficacy – Can you complete your work in an effective way? Are you proud of the way
in which you have achieved your work results?
Adjustable work load – This factor can be viewed on the physical, mental and emotional planes. Are you provided with clear direction, sufficient resources and proper feedback for your work?
Pleasure – We’re not talking about the pleasure you may get from leisurely activities. Do you enjoy doing your work or some components thereof? Are there any fun aspects to your work?
Autonomy – Do you have some control over the implementation of your work tasks? Can
you use your special talents or judgement to solve work-related issues?
Support – Do you have the support of your colleagues or managers when needed? The
support of one’s co-workers or seniors is an important buffer against the negative impacts of stress.
Recognition – Are your talents and competencies recognised and respected by others? This is a part of human existence to be accepted by others.
Positive relationships promoted – Working in a team or having the opportunity to meet and interact with other people is another existential need to be in relation with others and to belong to a social group.
Professor Morin calls on society to change perspectives on the concept of work. She suggests that work be viewed, not as a social duty or economic necessity, but rather as an opportunity to create and recreate ourselves through these ten factors that make our work meaningful.

There is no doubt that changes in the post-modern working world will force us to recreate our beliefs about work. It is up to us to take the leap out of traditional methods and avenues and step into new dimensions. We can only do this with a clearer understanding of what we value in life and how we plan to merge those values into our working lives.

1. Information from website http://www.creativityatwork.com/articlesContent/meaning.htm
2. Article: The meaning of work in modern times – Estelle M.
Morin, Ph.D., Professor, HEC Montreal, and psychologist. Presented at the 10th
World Congress of Human Resources Management, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August,
20th, 2004.
*Not their real names.