Is Your Work Worth It?

How to Think About Meaningful Work

By: Christopher Wong Michaelson, Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

Narrated by: Andrew Sellon, Jennifer Tosti-Kharas, Christopher Wong Michaelson

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.

©2024 Jennifer Tosti-Kharas and Christopher Wong Michaelson (P)2024 PublicAffairs

Critic reviews

“Wise, intelligent, provocative, and ambitious. A worthy read, in which the authors ask us to explore and consider what our own work means and what role it plays in our lives. A beautiful book.”—Amy C Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, and author of Right Kind of Wrong

“Michaelson and Tosti-Kharas have masterfully tackled the crucial question of finding purpose and meaning through work. In a world where the nature of work is evolving rapidly, this book provides essential insights from both personal experiences and academic expertise. A valuable compass for anyone seeking purpose in their professional journey.”—Hubert Joly, former CEO of Best Buy, senior lecturer Harvard Business School, and author of The Heart of Business

"In the tradition of Studs Terkel’s Working, this profound and engaging book tells workers’ stories, peppered with philosophical insights, to explore what makes work worthy. It challenges us to reflect on what we do for a living, why we do it, and how our self-worth stacks up against our net worth.”—Joanne B. Ciulla, Professor and Director of the Institute for Ethical Leadership at Rutgers University, and author of The Working Life