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After reading this article you will learn about work and its functions.
Work and the world of work constitute a very important component of a person’s life. It is through work that the human society has survived and progressed. A major part of anyone’s time and also a significant part of one’s efforts, both mental and physical, is normally spent on work.
In addition to the nature of work, and the environment of the work, other factors have been of interest to physicists, sociologists and psychologists and today there has emerged a specialised field of research called ergonomics, studying the role of different factors influencing work behaviour.
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Work situation, physical work, the physical conditions outside and the people around, the social environment, all these affect an individual’s adjustment, behaviour and personality. Success and failures, opportunities and lack of opportunities, all these are again events which can influence the general personality and disposition and consequently the behaviour of a person and his interrelationship both in the work situation and outside.
Thus work is significant to the individual because of functions, which ‘work’ performs. Some of the major functions of work are as follows:
(a) It provides a means of survival. A large section of the human society has to be directly involved in work not only for survival of oneself but also (one’s dependents) even at a physical level.
(b) Work provides an avenue or means of keeping oneself busy in a meaningful manner.
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(c) Work provides meaning to life and also gives the individual a sense of identity. People derive a sense of personal meaning, personal worth and also social identity. In many instances people are known by the nature of the work they are doing. For example, in the Parsi community we have people named after some of the works they do. Similarly in other communities we have the name Munshi. It is the description of the job. The first question anybody is asked when meeting a strange person is, ‘what are you doing’?
(d) This leads to another function of work. Work determines one’s status, position and to a large extent also the reference group of society and also the values developed by individuals.
(e) Under ideal conditions work provides a means for self-expression and also actualizing one’s potentialities and capacities- what Maslow would describe as self-actualization.
(f) Work is also a means by which we relate’ ourselves to the physical world. In traditional societies it is found that work is related with the physical elements and becomes almost personal; a small craftsman, milkman or a farmer develops a very personal relationship with his tools, plough or even a buffalo etc.
(g) The development of a personal relationship can be seen in many societies wherein we have particular days when one’s tools and implements are worshipped. This is very common in Hindu community when on the last days of Dassera workers, craftsmen and others perform what is known as Ayudha Pooja.
The above are some of the major social and psychological functions of significance served by work and this in addition to its major work functions. We are now probably in a position to appreciate the significant and deep role of work in one’s life.
It therefore, follows from this that work adjustment, relation to work, interpersonal behaviour in the context of the work situation, work attitudes, all these form a very important component of one’s personality whose influence can affect behaviour not only in the work situation, but also at home.
Alfred Adler in his well known book on ‘Social Adjustment – A Challenge to Mankind’, lists work adjustment as one of the three most major aspects of life along with social adjustment and sexual adjustment. Thus adjustment problems, difficulties encountered and experienced in one’s work and work relation can have a very serious impact on the general nature of life and affect not only the quality of one’s life but also the quality of work life.
A satisfactory wholesome, and happy work life, takes one a long way in leading a happy and well adjusted personal life, and in many instances may compensate for difficulties, frustrations and problems encountered in other aspects of personal life.