Does everyone need to work?

I have been listening to the Labour government in the UK, talking about changes to the benefits system.

The message is simple, too simple for my liking: work is good for you.

No one seems to be challenging this. Actually, I think we may even live in a society where it is taboo to suggest otherwise.

I think it's also possible, that those who are repeating this mantra, haven't really thought about it, atleast enough, that some of them might not believe it, or that what this really is, is an excuse.

In the early 1990s there was, for a while, what were considered high levels of unemployment. 3 million adults not in work. I remember the Tories calling people on benefits, "scroungers". This is not the language that Labour are using, but if they aren't careful, their efforts could have a similar effect.

One of the issues here, is that I think the idea that work is good for a person, is fallacy. For a start, it's a generalisation, because clearly some work is really not good for people. Some people would be healthier doing no work than doing the work they are. The problem I am focusing more on here though is that I think work isn't the underlying need, feeling valued, being truly seen and heard, is.

Work is not required for that.

Not only is work not required to make a person feel emotionally healthier, we may well have a society with a very significant number of people in jobs who feel undervalued, not just in financial terms, but undervalued as people. There are those who keep their heads down, and are okay with pointlessly typing junk into a spreadsheet (real life example) just as long as they are paid reasonably well to do so. There are many who are not okay with it at all but of course, get on it with it because it provides an incomee, but also because of the idea that it is better to do a pointless, potentially soul destroying task, repeatedly, than not work at all.

The thing is, businesses don't really want this scenario either. The person who keeps their head down, and is relatively okay with doing the job, is less likely to tell their employer about how the task could be improved, particularly if it might put them out of a job.

The person who is not really okay with it, may not say anything either, but they are likely to have the added disadvantage of their mental health suffering due to feeling like it's not just the job that is pointless, but their own life. This may sound pretty extreme, but I don't think it's uncommon.

Labour are talking about people getting 'trapped' on benefits, but they don't seemed to be talking about people being trapped in work, and there may be more people in that situation, and the damage to those people may be greater. Furthermore, there does not seem to be any discussion around the numbers of people who are not working because of feeling undervalued at work. It's possible the figures are not available.

I heard Labour's Liz Kendall, being questioned on BBC Radio 4 about the causes of people not working and on benefits, I think specifically due to mental health struggles. Her reply was that there are numerous causes, but I think she gave only one, to do with areas of the country which have had historically low 'economic demand' (few jobs available). No mention whatsoever of poor working conditions, and when poor working conditions are talked about it's usually from a physical health and safety perspective, rather than about how people feel.

Siobhán Sarelle sitting in a chair while playing mandolin and singing on stage