Is Your Work Worth It?: How to Think about Meaningful Work

What is work that’s worth doing in a life worth living? A revealing exploration of the questions we ask and the stories we tell about our work.

According to recent studies, barely a third of American workers feel ＂engaged＂ at work, and for many people around the world, happiness is lowest when earning power is highest. After a global pandemic that changed why, how, and what people do for a living, many workers find themselves wondering what makes their daily routine worthwhile.

In Is Your Work Worth It?, two professors - a philosopher and organizational psychologist - investigate the purpose of work and its value in our lives. The book explores vital questions, such as:

• Should you work for love or money?
• When and how much should you work?
• What would make life worth living in a world without work?
• What kind of mark will your work leave on the world?

This essential book combines inspiring and harrowing stories of real people with recent scholarship, ancient wisdom, arts, and literature to help us clarify what worthy work looks like, what tradeoffs are acceptable to pursue it, and what our work can contribute to society.

Christopher Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas worked at the New York offices of large management consulting firms before 9/11 led them to rethink how they spent their time. Michaelson became a professor of philosophy, teaching business ethics at NYU/Stern and Wharton before getting tenure at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Today, he speaks to thousands of employees of large organizations, including PepsiCo, PwC, the IMF, and the IRS, about work and ethics. He is the creator and host of the popular podcast, ＂Work in Progress with Christopher Michaelson.＂ Tosti-Kharas earned her Ph.D. in Management from NYU Stern and has been on the faculty of San Francisco State University and Babson College, where she is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior. Her research on meaningful work, calling, and careers has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and recognized with ＂Best Paper＂ awards by academic journals and the Academy of Management. She lives with her family outside Boston, Massachusetts.