The REAL reason you’re unhappy with your job.

Many of us are unhappy with our jobs. But we don’t always have the time to think about the reasons why. . Let’s understand the common causes of unhappiness - in both work and life - in today’s world

Karl Marx was capitalism’s greatest critic. He sought to explain the alienation that people experience when they are a part of a capitalist economy. Alienation is a condition in which an individual is isolated from society, work, and self.

Marx was born in Prussia in 1818, and he identified two classes in his time; the Bourgeoisie (owners) and the Proletariat (workers). The owners could invest in the resources for production, and they also owned the excess value, or profit, from that production.

The workers were not capable of investing in resources for mass production. The only thing they could sell was their labor. Similarly, today only a few people make profits - the rest are at lower or mid-level positions working for owners of capital.

The employees are not the final consumers of the product that they produce, or don’t get any of the profit earned. The profit goes to the company’s investors/ shareholders. The employees sell their labor/skills to the company and are paid accordingly.

Karl Marx discussed four types of alienation:

Alienation from the product: In companies, the employees are a part of one particular production process and are not involved from start to end. The final product is expensive and an employee cannot buy it, even if they contributed.

Alienation from work: At present, there is high demand for specialized jobs. Employees find their work repetitive and often face boredom due to similar tasks. Work has become stressful and there is a loss of fulfillment at work. People feel like cogs in a machine.

Alienation from others: We all work in highly competitive environments, and there is an urge to earn more than others. Increased individualization creates a toxic work culture. There are fewer collective goals that keep employees connected.

Alienation from oneself: In capitalism, humans are reduced to what they contribute to the world in terms of work. Yet creativity is a part of human nature. In a product-based society, people are not able to manifest themselves and their inner selves.

The reason you feel unhappy in your job is that you feel you are a means to someone else’s end? The path away from alienation is to realize that you are not just a “unit of production”. Self-reflection can help you choose a job or career path where you are valued for who you are.