In a new op-ed, Professor Scott Schieman and PhD student Daniel Hill ask: “Does anyone want to work anymore?” Publishing with the Globe and Mail’s Leadership Lab, they draw on quantitative and qualitative data to examine how current discourse about decentering work – “quiet quitting”, “anti-ambition” – relates to changes in work ethic. Comparing data from 1977 with data from two recent surveys, the authors find that despite ostensible cultural shifts away from work, workers continue to report that they put more effort into their jobs than necessary. Read the article to learn how we can make sense of this discrepancy.
Scott Schieman is Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair in the Social Contexts of Health at the University of Toronto. His research interests include health and mental health, work, status and identity, and quantitative methods.
Daniel Hill is a PhD student in the department of Sociology at the University of Toronto. His primary research interests are social mobility and the social determinants of health. Specifically, he is interested in examining the social psychological antecedents of occupational and educational attainment – such as ambitions and expectations.