Work is a necessity in this and almost every society in order to live. We spend a majority of our lives doing just that working. Work yields some level of status and social connection as it serves as the primary connection beyond the family structure for most. Some, including Marx, say that human beings are made for work. That is, labor distinguishes humans from other animals. The true character of humankind is reflected in the objects that we produce and create .whether that is a campfire, a car, a skyscraper, or a song. Humans see their own reflection in the world they have constructed. Work, therefore, is not only instrumental, it is also an expression of who we are and what we do. Marx calls this "species being" - I do, therefore I am. Work is central to human existence and as a result, central to many of our social problems. No one can escape the bleeding of work into personal and family life.
Today's workplace alienation or according to Max Weber, depersonalization of the workplace and of society in general due to modern society's rational focus on efficiency, are " fed by conditions of experience which drift in time, from place to place, from job to job. While the notion of alienation is not a new topic in the workplace, the nature of alienation and how it is being played out in many institutions has changed dramatically. As our society becomes more reliant on technology and our actions are monitored via our keystrokes, cell usage, receipts, and hard drives, we are encouraged to interact less, adapt more readily to change, and lose our self identity. Is this not a contradiction to .
Isolation in the workplace is more predominant than ever as the physical and social realms at work separate employees from their clients through a web of primarily impersonal communication, short lived relationships and short term behaviors. In so far as the Industrial Revolution automated and mechanized the work arena, the Information Revolution has further amplified feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, isolation, and self-estrangement in workers" lives thus affecting organizational productivity.
