Something happened at work on Monday that I had not previously experienced in my role as Office Monkey. For every one of the 8 hours in my workday, I gained true satisfaction and enjoyment from the work itself. Don't get me wrong, there are many things I enjoy about my job—listening to music and audiobooks, hanging out with my coworkers, running into adorable pooches around the office, getting free food—but most of the time those things have nothing to do with the tasks for which I get paid (mostly fairly-complex data entry).
But there was something different about my work on Monday. A lot of my job involves sifting through and gleaning bits of information from massive computer-generated databases, and entering that data into various other forms and databases. A lot of the time, my mind gets a little boggled by the fact that no one has written a computer program to do my job yet. At that point my mind wanders away from my job and into fantastical daydreams. However, the part of the job that is interesting is when errors and inconsistencies come through in the data that only a human brain can catch and deal with.
On Monday, my team was absolutely flooded with work. I’m told that the end of the year usually brings a flurry of activity as hospitals all across the country scramble to get their books in order and do housekeeping to clean up for the new year. We had dozens upon dozens of envelopes to sort containing forms and letters from dozens of states about dozens of cases. As I simultaneously tried to help distribute documents, close out old cases, and feverishly log incidents with OSHA, I miraculously encountered countless instances of computer glitches that needed intellectual engagement to unravel, keeping my brain hopping with activity and solving problems. I actually got more done on this busy day than I do on a day with a more manageable workload.
Last night I was chatting with my friend Katie about work, since she has a similar kind of job at a different company, and the things that she enjoys about her job are essentially the same. And it occurred to me that, within Corporate America, the times of most authentic work and true enjoyment are the times that demand a special glimmer of Humanity in an otherwise mechanized world. In “The Adding Machine,” Mr. Zero’s most special moments are the moments of love he shares with the lovely Daisy, turning him from machine into man. The thing that is so charming about “The Office” is not a bunch of Scranton-ites working in efficient silence, but the group of glittering personalities that sparks stories of real human humor and drama while bound together by common work. What made Monday a special day was getting to really engage my unique brain in solving problems that a machine would balk at.
It makes me think that perhaps the key to transforming the American economy and workforce is allowing humanity back into our careers and abandoning the idea that a corporation is fundamentally the same as a human being. Corporations today demand anonymity and deny personal responsibility, rather than valuing personality and personal accountability.** However, people give their best work when they labor from their true self—genuinely giving their best human effort.
**Notable exceptions appear to be Google, Apple, Nike, and Starbucks, who have loyal and creatively engaged employees. May be good models for companies of the future, if the future of the American economy must include large corporations.
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