9 to 5 Philosophy
Ruth Harrowfield – BA/BSc, MSc Hons, PGDip I/O Psych, PGDip Science (Cl. Psych)
Over the school holidays we did a road trip, which in our family basically means a moving karaoke session. With ages ranging from 11 to 50, it’s an eclectic mix, but I always make sure Dolly Parton gets in there.
Back into work last week I found myself singing “9 to 5” then thinking, “wait, what was her beef??”
Because I love my work.
I know not everyone does, and that is actually quite sad given how much of our lives we spend working. Our vision for our business is pretty simple: to see people enjoying being at work more. The bread’s gotta come from somewhere – we might as well enjoy making it!
So I started wondering what she was really pushing back on.
Was it the rigid “9 to 5” hours? If so, I do get that. One of the best things about my job is flexibility – and I hear a lot of others saying the same. I do think we have moved forward here and I wonder if she would write the same song in a hybrid world.
Or was it the lack of recognition? Your mind being used and never getting the credit… that would drive anyone crazy (if you let it). Research shows people who receive recognition for their work are four times more likely to be engaged. So it’s unsurprising that having your work overlooked – or worse, credited to someone else – would make ya mad.
She could have been singing about something more serious. Inequality, unfairness and the treatment of women were very real issues in the 1980s workplace. If that is what she was calling out, then that’s entirely valid. And, in many contexts, still relevant.
But if the frustration was simply about the fact that we have to work at all, that’s where I part ways with her.
There’s a common, Western world narrative, that the “better life” is to reach a point where work is no longer necessary.
But working is good for us!
According to The World Health Organization decent work supports mental health by providing a sense of confidence, purpose and achievement, opportunities for relationships and community, and a level of structure in our lives.
Our job might not be the glamorous kind of work people write books or make movies about. But a meaningful, ordinary job that contributes to others is part of a good life.
So I am left wondering what Dolly really meant.
Was she anti- the good old average life… did her boss need some leadership training … or was she just ahead of her time – an early adopter of the flexi working model?
One day I might write and ask the lady herself
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Harrowfield draws on the disciplines of organisational and behavioural psychology to provide fit-for-purpose training in human skills that build workplace capability and confidence.
Harrowfield People Development, a strategic learning agency.
