Book Review by Dr. Sally Gelardin

This book is too good to be true! Author Richard Reeves writes, “Work is more fun, more fulfilling, more creative, more sociable, and more rewarding than ever.” The book’s copyright is 2001, my guess is before 9-11, when, for many employees, work was put on hold for several months, then fell apart entirely. It’s been a rocky ride for many employees. Who wouldn’t want to gain insight into how to make Mondays as glorious as author Richard Reeves says they can be?

Most of the workers that Reeves describes work in progressive, employee friendly organizations. These employees love their work; are highly valued by their employers; and enjoy a multitude of benefits, including independence, flexible hours, and workplace respect. Their work-mates become their friends, long after they move from the organization where they originally met to other jobs. The workers that Reeves discusses see no difference between work and play, choosing to work long hours because work is fun! The quality of their home lives depends upon whether home has the same enticing qualities as work, such as social support, relief from tasks seen as drudgery, and in many cases, extent of child or elder support at work, especially for dual-earner couples with families.  My first question is:  Are these Happy Monday workers still working and having fun in the current depressed market? The answer is not readily apparent in the book.

My second question is:  Are most of the workers that Reeves describes members of the post-baby boomer generations who were latchkey children when they were growing up? If so, that might account for the long work hours and view of work as family. Actually, I find Reeve’s concept of work so enticing that I am trying to figure out whether even aging baby boomers can create such environments, in our own entrepreneurial and consulting practices, rather than from within institutions.

My third question is: What is the key to enjoying one’s work? The key to enjoying one’s work and working long hours comes from passion, Reeves says. Survival will follow, so he believes. He notes that even quietude has been introduced into the workplace in the form of spirituality classes and religious support systems. In-house or consulting advisors not only provide spirituality support, but also provide general counseling , as well as career advising.  Ah ha, Reeves, we’re back to balance, if not work and home, then at least achieving balance between our primary motivations – passion, survival, and quiescence - within our work environment  (the subject of a new book that I am writing with Transactional Analyst Fanita English).

My fourth question is: Are organizations still willing to provide numerous benefits for employees or are they preferring to find cheaper workers abroad? It’s broad-based, knowledge workers who constantly re-invent themselves that are needed in today’s workplace, Reeves asserts. According to Reeves, American workers who succeed have learned how to adapt to the ever-changing work scene.

Finally, I ask, what new occupations can fill the needs of these adaptable knowledge workers? Reeves says, “Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, and Goldman Sachs have sub-contracted ‘lifestyle managers’ for some of their staff” to “pick up the pieces of busy people’s lives” (Wallace, 2000). Some of the things that these corporate concierges do are book tickets, send flowers, advise on theater options, and receive personal deliveries. You and I know what level of staff is being served.

I am willing to buy into Reeve’s theory that things will work out if you love your work and love to learn. At the same time, I am looking through a wide-lens pair of binoculars to watch the future unfold during these challenging times. What most intrigues me about Happy Mondays is that it presents a new perspective – that work and life don’t have to be balanced, as long as you enjoy what you do! Reading between the lines, I also picked up that if your work and personal life are not balanced,  and you are spending most of your time working, then you need to achieve balance at work.  Heads up  - career counselors, human resource specialists and life coaches!  Opportunity knocks for new approaches to providing within-work balancing services!