The 21st Century Workforce

I emerged into adulthood at a time and situation where less than 20% of my peers found work. Most of us were unemployed, and I remained amongst the 80% for most of my 20s and 30s (longer than most, I think). I was in my late 20's before I personally knew someone who had a full-time permanent job.

Thereafter I did (somewhat miraculously) manage to find myself 'good' work in corporate IT. But after so many years of being poor but kind of independent (at least in how I chose to spend my days and who to associate with), I found it a daily torment. After some years in a few different companies I was too depressed to continue, and quit to do something else (which didn't succeed either, and I doubt I'll ever work again, but that's another story).

What depressed me so much? It was the supine lack of individuality of my peers. They accepted the most appalling, often illegal, behaviour from management without a peep. Groupthink had such a grip that even objecting to dishonesty and outright lawbreaking was looked at with embarrassment. An ethical point of view was looked at like some distant country's tribal dance -- something you might have to study up on if you needed to relate to its residents, but fundamentally foreign. And everyone was happy with this. I found my corporate peers to be, quite frankly, monstrous (at least in their working incarnation; I expect they were nice to children and pets).

So there's something for psychology to work on: a kind of developmental study of adults emerging into work. What kinds of workplaces create what kinds of people.

It might even be of practical importance. I suspect that difficulties countries face in getting their electorates to accept meaningful action on issues like climate change might in part result from general anti-ethical attitudes inculcated in workplaces.