The New Work concept - ecologically sustainable, technologically smart and humane
The Austro-American philosopher Frithjof Bergmann founded the New Work thesis in the 1970s because he believed that the prevailing wage labor model was outdated and that now was the time for a redefinition of work and freedom of action. In the 80s, he founded He founded the first "Center of New Work" in the small US town of Flint in the 1980s during the threat of mass unemployment at General Motors in order to develop new job prospects together with the workers and to find out "what they really, really want to do".
The New Work movement is a plea for more self-determination, creativity and passion in alternative working models. We have been seeing a change in the understanding of work for some time now.
"Discussions about a basic income and the re-evaluation of care work regardless of gender roles are the first tender buds of a social development that will change the way we see work. Concept of work decoupled from income", writes the Zukunftsinstitut.
Since the globalization of our markets, digitalization and corona, the importance of such new work models has increased significantly. If you ask Generation Y and Z, their focus is already completely different to that of the generation before them. They want a fulfilling, meaningful life and not working until they fall ill.
https://news.pro.earth/2023/04/24/bareminimummonday-oder-sich-sonntags-bereits-auf-montag-freuen/
"The power of wage labor over people, the waste of human skills and creativity must be ended as quickly as possible. This cannot be achieved with cosmetic corrections to the wage labor system, such as ergonomic workplaces or breaks fought for by trade unions. The basic structures of the system must be changed."Frithjof Bergmann
The modular model of New Work according to Frithjof Bergmann
This consists of the following three pillars:- Wage labor: Many are looking for employment, but here too, the breaking up of existing hierarchies, new working hours and location systems are on the rise
- Keywords are: Remote work, work-life blending, self-development in the workplace, personal responsibility and creativity, gig economy (the growing labor market of self-employed, freelancers and people who work in odd jobs or only on a project basis), workation (employees take work with them on a trip and combine their stay in a special place with their professional activity), collaboration and co-creation
- Calling: Do what you really, really want to do. You need people and places that support you in finding your true calling. The second pillar of Bergmann's model is to devote yourself with dedication, intensity and passion to what you truly embody.
- Self-work. High-tech self-providing - "Work that you really, really want to do is not possible without a certain material, physical and economic independence. With the help of high-tech, however, most of the products needed for an attractive life can be produced by oneself in just a few hours of work per week. It gives people the freedom to sustain themselves so that they have the time to pursue their vocations. A variety of such technologies and products have already been developed, e.g. fabricators, biogenic technologies, blockchain and artificial intelligence," writes newwork-newculture.
Our pro.earth.conclusion: The New Work model can help with the transformation of our world, which we urgently need in order to overcome the current crises. We need to rethink the economic sector and include social and ecological factors alongside economic ones. If we actually manage the transformation towards doing what we really, really want, then we will change as beings and with us society and, in the best case, the planet as a whole. https://news.pro.earth/2023/02/06/un-nachhaltigkeitsziel-8-gerechte-wohlstandsverteilung/"There will be no alternative to our current culture until we create an alternative form of economy on the basis of which the new culture can develop."
Frithjof Bergmann
