The Problem With Work

Long and Sour Productions

Why do we work so long and hard? This opening line from "The Problem with Work" by Kathi Weeks begins an investigation into our political and cultural relationships with the activity that occupies most of our time - work. Join us, an organisational psychologist and a curator/cultural researcher, as we discuss Weeks’s book, unpacking her analysis of the “work society”, and “Postwork invention” through interdisciplinary lenses. We will confront Feminist, Marxist, and Antiwork Politics traditions from the perspective of two apparently distant worlds: the office cubicle and the artist studio!

Puntate

  1. 09/10/2025

    Ep 9 - Conclusion: The Future is Now

    Queries: longandsour@gmail.com In this episode of The Problem with Work we discuss Chapter 5 - The Future is Now and the epilogue - A Life Beyond Work. In these pages, Weeks divides the discussion into three sections: cases against utopia, defence of utopia, and forms and functions of the utopian expression. After considering Weeks’ relevant points from the last section, we’ll summarize the broad themes covered in our previous episodes this season. First, we’ll pull the key takeaways from previous episodes on the Work Society and the Work Ethic. By looking back at the first half of the book, we draw connections to what Weeks calls the ‘deconstructive’ function of a policy demand. Then, revisiting the Basic Income and Shorter Hours demands we can highlight what Weeks refers to as the ‘reconstructive’ function.    Benedetta summarizes her contributions to the past eight episodes as a reflection on the dual nature of the art world: as a place of work for artists and creative producers, and as a place of leisure for the public. By keeping in mind these two sides of the field, she argues we can clearly understand the limits of the work society both in terms of its exploitative structures, as well as in terms of what we are missing out on, by discounting our non-work time. In her professional reflections, Nancy focuses on her attempt to be a bridge and an antidote during this season. In her commitment to building a bridge between academia and practical application, she remains steadfast in the value of research being dependent upon effective public communication. As an antidote, she wishes that everyone would stop taking psychology-sounding advice from strangers on social media. Art of the Episode: Art For the Art World (1977), by Adrian Piper Art for the Art World is an installation made of a small room “large enough to accommodate 3 or 4 people at a time, but small enough to conduce to low-level claustrophobia” in Piper’s words. The outside of the box-room is white, whereas the inside is completely covered in black and white photographs and newspaper clippings depicting things like a strike in Cambodia, effects of an earthquake in Turkey, students riots public executions in Thailand and so on… in random places in red are stenciled the words NOT A PERFORMANCE. Question of the Episode: Imagine your current career as a sailboat. There are variables outside the boat which are out of your control: the weather, the water, other boats. There are variables inside that boat which are more likely to be within your control. Consider these questions: What is your current destination? How is your compass guiding you? When are the winds in your sails? Do you have any leaks? Who else is on board? Happy sailing, professionals.  Stay tuned for updates on an exciting Season Two! Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Northumbria University Basic Income Health Project  The 4 Day Week Foundation (UK) Vivek Chibber: How the Left Got Lost | Doomscroll Sonnentag, S., & Wiegelmann, M. (2024). Not detaching from work during leisure time: A control‐theory perspective on job‐related cognitions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45(7), 1003–1024. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2792 Van Reenen, J., & Yang, X. (2024). Cracking the Productivity Code: An international comparison of UK productivity. London School of Economics and Political Science. https://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/special/cepsp41.pdf

    1 h 11 min

  2. 18/09/2025

    Ep 8 - The Demand for Shorter Hours

    Email: longandsour@gmail.com In this episode, we discuss Chapter 4 - Hours for What We Will: Work, Family and the Demand for Shorter Hours. In her book, Weeks analyses 3 different ideological cases for shortening the workday: (1) less work for more family time (2) less work for more free time (3) less work for more freedom to shape our society After presenting each case and considering possible political premises for the ideal of a post-work society, we then offer our professional and personal insights from within the art world and organizational psychology.  Benedetta thinks about what the issue of working hours represents for the inextricably personal nature of creative work and careers. She proposes as a framework, what economist Claudia Goldin called “time-greedy jobs”, highlighting its usefulness in understanding gender parity gaps. Nancy considers recently published interdisciplinary research on the positive outcomes of a four-day work week, and how social science must be centred in its policy making. She briefly touches on concepts of the Ideal Worker and how it is incompatible outside of hetero-normative assumptions of organizing a life. That is, the ways in which using space and inhabiting time differs when living a Queer life when considering the demand for shorter hours. (For a more in depth discussion on Queer Time, listen to Jack Halberstam’s talk on Queer Narratives at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.)  Art of the Episode: Washing/Track/Maintenance: Outside (1973) by Mierle Laderman Ukeles.  Washing/Track/Maintenance: Outside was a series of four performances staged at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, in Hartford CT, in 1973. In these performances Laderman Ukeles sought to make visible the ordinary maintenance work necessary for the functioning of any art institution and individual household. The performances were based on her Maintenance Art Manifesto (1969), which she wrote shortly after having a child and finding herself extremely frustrated with the seeming incompatibility of her identities as artist and mother, and the apparent invisibility of her domestic labor. This work underscores that to be equitable, a feminist time ethics must acknowledge and value these often invisible forms of labor. Question of the Episode: In what ways has the image(ry) of the Ideal Worker informed your approach to work? How does it determine how you organise your time, your relationships, you work outside of work, your notions of being a successful person? If you are a woman, what tensions does the embodiment of an Ideal Worker bring up for you?  Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Art Basel in Basel (2019, June 13). Panel discussion with Chus Martínez, Coco Fusco, Nadine Zeidler. Moderated by: Julieta Aranda. Between Production and Reproduction | Career and Motherhood in the Artworld Campbell, T. T. (2023). The four-day work week: a chronological, systematic review of the academic literature. Management Review Quarterly, 74(3), 1791–1807. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-023-00347-3 Chung, H. (2022). A social policy case for a Four-Day week. Journal of Social Policy, 51(3), 551–566. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047279422000186 Fletcher, M., Evans, L., Parry-Williams, L., Ashton, K., & Green, L. (n.d.). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and employment. https://phwwhocc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Impacts-of-COVID-on-Women-Explanatory-Note-Eng-FINAL.pdf Goldin, C. (2021). Career & Family: Women’s Century-long Journey Towards Equity. Princeton University Press. Halberstam, J. (2005). In a queer time and place: transgender bodies, subcultural lives. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA70887604 Jahal, T., Bardoel, E. A., & Hopkins, J. (2023). Could the 4‐day week work? A scoping review. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 62(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12395 Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay.

    1 h 6 min

  3. 14/08/2025

    Ep 7 - Universal Basic Income: Policy, perspective and provocation

    Comments and Questions: Email longandsour@gmail.com In this episode of The Problem with Work we discuss the second part of chapter 3, Working Demands, and specifically about Kathi Weeks’ formulation of a proposal for a Universal Basic Income. Following in her footsteps, we elaborate upon a Universal Basic Income as a concrete policy proposal, but also as a conceptual tool of analysis, in the forms of a critical perspective on the present, and as a provocation to ambitiously re-imagine the future. After this discussion, we present our professional insights surrounding Universal Basic Income as a policy and as a political demand. Nancy explains some examples of psychological impacts that the introduction of a UBI could potentially have on workers and on society. Interdisciplinary research suggests a UBI could address many of the determinants of mental health and well-being commonly experienced today. Benedetta talks about a few examples of Basic Income programs for artists and other programs of government support for the arts, their impact for both artists and potentially audiences, and the aspirational nature of such programs, in their recognition (even if partial) of the importance of the sector for society. Question of the Episode: How would receiving a UBI change your sense of security and connectedness in relation to your work life?  Art of the Episode: Look at Art. Get Paid (2016), Maia Chao.  Look at Art. Get Paid was a socially engaged art project that paid people that didn’t visit art museums to visit one as guest critics of the art and the institution. Maia Chao and team recruited visitor-critics through advertisements in public transports. They received 200+ responses, and 41 people were invited as guest critics, with priority given to BIPOC, working class people, people with disabilities, and black. The projects yielded very interesting insights for the museum on their audience engagement and inclusivity. The guest critics offered accounts of what the museum looked and felt like for a newcomer, and the feedback was instrumental in adjusting museum curatorial decisions and policies. Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Gentilini, U. et al. (2020). Exploring Universal Basic Income. World Bank Group. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/993911574784667955/pdf/Exploring-Universal-Basic-Income-A-Guide-to-Navigating-Concepts-Evidence-and-Practices.pdf Griffin, V., Zlotowitz, S., McLoughlin, E., Kagan, C. Psychologists for Social Change, (2017). Universal Basic Income: A Psychological Impact Assessment. PAA: London. Stanford Basic Income Lab: https://basicincome.stanford.edu/research/guaranteed-income-dashboard/ Sodergren, M. (2024, March 26). Charting progress on the global goals and decent work - ILOStat. Würfel, C. (2025, August 1). Millennial women were told to chase our dreams. That’s left us burnt out, broke and dreaming of a rich patron. The Guardian.  Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay.

    1 h 6 min

  4. 31/07/2025

    Ep 6 - Lessons from Wages-for-Housework

    Questions & Comments? Email In this episode, we set our sights on Chapter 3 where Weeks shifts her focus from “the development of an antiwork critique to the incitement of a postwork political imaginary,” (p. 32). We focus on Weeks’ rereading of the 1970s movement Wages for Housework. We discuss the 3 aspects of the movement she highlights as having valuable insights and innovative analyses: The Social Factory Refusal to Work  The Demand (as a process) In our discussion of The Demand as a process, we consider the two ways Weeks looks at it. The Demand as a perspective, and the Demand as a provocation. Looking at it as a perspective, we talk about demystification, denaturalization, and the invitation to cognitive mapping as they relate to demanding wages for housework. As a provocation, we examine the usefulness of wages for housework as an incitement of antagonism, collective power, and desire.  In the second section, we offer our perspectives from the Artist’s Studio and the Office Cubicle. Benedetta uses examples from the art world to expand upon her earlier remarks on  demystification, denaturalization, and cognitive mapping. She proposes that these same discursive tools of analysis be applied to artistic labor.  In her expansion on using the Demand process as a means to provoke, Nancy offers two examples from Organisational Psychology research and scholarship: flexible work, and debiasing hiring practices. She invites the audience to contemplate the value in trying to make change whilst working in a biased system, and attempting change by rejecting that system instead.   Art of the Episode: Triplice Tenda (1969), Carla Accardi.  Triplice Tenda is an installation in the form of three polygonal tents, contained one inside the other, made of Sicofoil – a transparent plastic sheet. The surface is painted with a semiregular repetition of light pink waves, inspired according to the artist, by non-figurative Islamic decorative patterns. The theme of the work is a re-imagined domestic space that borrows structurally from nomadic cultures, and their close relationship to the surrounding environment. At the same time it represents a protected and solid space, by virtue of the multiple contained layers. The see-through aspect of the Sicofoil is intended as a support to overcome fear, allowing the person inside the tent to look outside from this sheltered space. Question of the Episode: If you were to hire someone to do your household labour, what would the job advert include?  Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Acker, J. (1990). Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies: A Theory of Gendered Organizations. Gender & Society, 4(2), 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124390004002002 Banet-Weiser, S., & Kay, J. B. (2025). Through the looking glass: Feminism and reactionary politics in the digital hall of mirrors. European Journal of Cultural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494241310721 Chung, H. (2024). Flexible working: A deep dive into the impact of remote working on gender equity. Shape Talent White Paper. Costa, M. D., & James, S. (1975). The power of women and the subversion of the community. Davis, B. (2022). Art in the After-Culture. Haymarket Books. Goldin, C. (2021). Career & Family: Women’s Century Long Journey toward Equity. Princeton University Press. Krivkovich, A., Field, E., Yee, L., McConnell, M., & Smith, H. (2024, September 17). Women in the Workplace 2024: The 10th-anniversary report. McKinsey & Company. La Berge, L. C. (2019). Wages Against Artwork. Duke University Press. Van Der Zee, R. (2025, April 2). Hiring women, rather than just talking about it, works. That doesn’t mean all men are on board, it turns out. The Guardian. World Economic Forum. (2022). Global Gender Gap Report 2022. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2022 Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay.

    57 min

  5. 24/07/2025

    Ep 5 - Rejecting and Resisting the Work Ethic

    In this episode, we discuss what Weeks refers to as the "parallel history of those who failed to internalize the ‘gospel of work’”. This is the other side of the story we told in Episode Four. Instead, it is about resisting and rejecting the Work Ethic. We offer a brief overview of what was (and is) rejected, by whom, and via what action. In our discussion on rejecting the Work Ethic, we talk about the different ideological positions highlighted in the book which include: Socialist Modernization Socialist Humanism Autonomist Marxism   We discuss what each focused on in their critique of capitalist work ethic, and we reflect on their limitations. In the second section, we switch focus to current and contemporary ways in which the Work Ethic continues to be disavowed and how it persists, even in the face of rejection. Benedetta uses the world of Art as a useful framework for reflecting the limitations of Socialist Humanism and working for passion. She does this through a discussion of potential for harm and exploitation, as well as the missing value of (and need for) boredom and rest.  Considering how a glorification of the Work Ethic can make us unwell, Nancy uses examples found in Organizational Psychology research to offer practical actions we can all take to resist the temptation to chase passion as a career guide. She asks the listener to consider how they can engage with their jobs in ways that are more likely to result in enjoying meaningful, decent, and psychologically rich work.  Other topics pop up along the way such as a brief exchange on the challenge and utility of Utopias (a topic to be explored in much more detail in future episodes!), warnings about the neurological impact of overwork, and an example of Job Crafting done perfectly by tending soil.  Question of the Episode: What/When/How will you rest?  Rest and recovery are essential for us all. However, in a contemporary world that is filled with productivity hacks, hustle culture, and an unending sense of urgency from our phones - it can be hard to do without purposeful action. Here is a simple way to build small, consistent moments of rest into the end of your work day.    Art of the Episode: Ville Fantôme (1996), Bodys Isek Kingelez.  Bodys Isek Kingelez’s works were, as he called them, “extreme maquettes”, architectural and urban models made of paper, cardboard, plastic and other found materials. They are joyous, utopian visions of human environments that offer Kingelez’s own optimistic ideas of what a peaceful, collectively built world might look like. Ville Fantôme, his largest construction, is one of the few completely imaginary places he built. Here the world of the living and that of passed ancestors meet, reminding us of the complexity, if not of the impossibility, of the task of defining a ‘human essence’. Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Castrioto, B. (2024). Labor of Fire. https://benedettacastrioto.com/Curatorial-Projects Gullì, B. (2005). Labor of Fire. Temple University Press. Innes, A. (2023). Late Soviet Britain: Why Materialist Utopias Fail. Cambridge University Press. Jebelli, J., PhD. (2025). The brain at rest: How the Art and Science of Doing Nothing Can Improve Your Life. Penguin Group. Sonnentag, S., & Wiegelmann, M. (2024). Not detaching from work during leisure time: A control‐theory perspective on job‐related cognitions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45(7), 1003–1024. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2792 Zacher, H., & Baumeister, R. F. (2024). Differences among a satisfied, a meaningful, and a psychologically rich working life. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2024.2417102 Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay. Inquires: longandsour@gmail.com

    1 h 7 min

  6. 17/07/2025

    Ep 4 - Work Ethic’s History and Contradictions

    In this episode, we discuss what Weeks refers to as the “the diagnostic and deconstructive dimensions of the critical theory of work”. We do this in three stages: the evolution of the Work Ethic, the contradictions which reveal vulnerabilities in the Work Ethic, and our professional take on Chapter One. In our discussion on the ever-evolving Work Ethic, we divide our analyses up into the sub-themes of: Work for MeansWork for SalvationWork for Social MobilityWork for Meaning  We talk about how the goalposts of the Work Ethic needed to constantly move in order to support the sustained growth demands of capitalism as it, too, evolved throughout history. In the second section, we explore 5 antinomies which Weeks argues are the key contradictions that reveal the weaknesses of the Work Ethic. These antinomies consist of competing conclusions between:  the rational vs. the irrationalthe producer vs. the consumerworker independence vs. worker dependence subordination vs. insubordination as part of the class strugglehomogenization vs. differentiation of gender and raceIn the third section of the episode we move on to discuss our professional take on various aspects of Chapter One. Nancy discusses the dangers in conflating the disciplines of business management and organizational psychology. She highlights how despite working in similar settings, their key areas of research are often very far apart. Benedetta reflects on consumer culture and the monetization of free time, to the point of transforming consumption into a form of leisure. She also talks about the co-evolution of display techniques in the retail business and exhibition spaces. Question of the Episode: Who Do You Think You Are?  Personality tests, and the application of their ‘findings’, are problematic much of the time. While all Personality Tests can be fun, there is little science to support any other than those which use Big Five or HEXACO inventories. See Works Cited list for more.   Art of the Episode: Bliz-aard Ball Sale by David Hammons.  This work consisted of a sale of snowballs, in 1983, probably shortly after a 13 February snow storm in New York City. Hammons set up in Cooper Square, next to other street vendors, putting a blanket on the floor, with a beautiful north African pattern, and he neatly lined on the blanket a series of snowballs of different sizes, organized in lines of the smallest one at the front and the growing in size till the back where the biggest ones were. Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Filipovic, E. (2017), Bliz-aard Ball Sale. Afterall Books/One Work. Han, B. (2024). The crisis of narration. Polity. Higgs, K. (2021). A Brief History of Consumer Culture. World Economic Forum. (2020). The Global Social Mobility Report 2020.  Big Five Personality Test - Open-Source Psychometrics Project Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay. Inquires: longandsour@gmail.com

    1 h 7 min

  7. 03/07/2025

    Ep 3 - Freedom, Equality, and Work Values

    In this episode, we discuss Weeks' conceptual pairing of freedom and equality as a way to consider domination and subordination at work. We talk about this using examples of employment contracts, gig work design, and roles with power and authority. We also begin an exploration of traditional work values - a lengthy and layered topic that will continue in future episodes. This time, we consider how the shift from Liberal to Radical Feminist critiques in public discourse challenged traditional work values. Additionally, we consider how we have perceived the impact of work values within our separate areas of industry and expertise. Art of the Episode Black Power Naps, by Sosa and Navild Acosta. This artwork took the form of an installation in 2023 at MOMA’s creativity lab and was called La Biblioteca is Open. Question of the Episode When do you experience a sense of autonomy in your work? Decision making? Scheduling? Work methods? What about competence? How do you get to demonstrate that competence? What about relatedness? For the area you feel is least represented - what is available to you to add to it? Read more about Self-Determination Theory. Works cited Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723 Gray, M. L., & Suri, S. (2019). Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass. https://c2o-library.net/catalog/index.php?p=show_detail&id=6958&keywords= Firestone, S. (1972). The Dialectic of Sex: The case for Feminist Revolution. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA20741946 Willis, E. (1984). Radical feminism and feminist radicalism. Social Text, 9/10, 91. https://doi.org/10.2307/466537 Blustein, D. L., Lysova, E. I., & Duffy, R. D. (2022). Understanding decent work and meaningful work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), 289–314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031921-024847 Cover artwork by Simone Hutsch from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay. Inquires: longandsour@gmail.com

    1 h 5 min

  8. 26/06/2025

    Ep 2 - The Work Society

    In this episode of The Problem with Work, we introduce Kathi Weeks’ concept of ‘the work society’. We examine the interrelated ideas of social construction and reproduction through work, and identity via the categories of gender and class. We discuss the usefulness of finding a name for work’s reach beyond the economic realm and into social and personal life. We talk about how this reach leads to the devaluation of ‘free’ (non-productive) time, and how that further produces classed individuals. We dive into to the dynamics through which work and work preparation (in training and education) reinforce gender norms and identities. After this discussion, we present some personal insights on the work society and the (re)production of identity through work. We consider an Organisational Psychology take on identity and the strategic use of “in-group bias”. This practical analysis considers the challenge and opportunity of combining personal and professional identity. Reflecting upon the figure of the professional artist, and the idea of the migrant worker, we consider what ethical and political distortion can emerge from the eruption of work into other realms of life. We close the episode, as customary, with the ‘Artwork of the Episode’, a work of art selected for its resonance with this episode’s key themes, and the ‘Question of the Episode’, something for you to reflect on until next time. Works Cited: The Problem with Work, by Kathi Weeks (2011, Duke University Press, Durham and London).King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership - UK Gender Equality IndexJob Switching, a sculptural dynamic installation by Nancy Daly. Daly is an artist based in Washington, DC. You can find more information about her work on her website.Cover artwork by Simone Hutsch from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay. Inquires: longandsour@gmail.com

    1 h 5 min

  9. 19/06/2025

    Ep 1 - Introductions

    In this very first episode of The Problem with Work, we briefly introduce Kathi Weeks’ book after which this podcast is named and tell you a little about how our project came to be. After a short introduction on our first encounter with this book, we present an overview of its two main parts: a critique of the status quo, described by the author as “anti-work critique”, and a constructive proposition for how we might reform work, namely Week’s “post-work invention” After discussing some of the ideas that most grabbed our attention and what we hope to achieve through this podcast, we close the episode (as shall become customary) with the Artwork of the Episode, a work of art selected for its resonance with this episode’s key themes, and the Question of the Episode, something for you to reflect upon in relation to your own thoughts about 'work'. This podcast is a discussion of the book The Problem with Work, by Kathi Weeks (2011, Duke University Press, Durham and London). Artwork of the Episode: How to get out of bed and go to work, a poem by Darby Hudson, from his collection Working Nine Lives. Hudson is an artist and writer based in Melbourne. You can find Working Nine Lives and more of his work on his website https://www.darbyhudsonart.com/ Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash. Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay. Inquires: longandsour@gmail.com

    57 min
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Descrizione

Why do we work so long and hard? This opening line from "The Problem with Work" by Kathi Weeks begins an investigation into our political and cultural relationships with the activity that occupies most of our time - work. Join us, an organisational psychologist and a curator/cultural researcher, as we discuss Weeks’s book, unpacking her analysis of the “work society”, and “Postwork invention” through interdisciplinary lenses. We will confront Feminist, Marxist, and Antiwork Politics traditions from the perspective of two apparently distant worlds: the office cubicle and the artist studio!

Informazioni

  • Creatore
    Long and Sour Productions
  • Anni di attività
    2025
  • Puntate
    9
  • Classificazione
    Contenuti espliciti
  • Copyright
    © Long and Sour Productions
  • Sito web del podcast
    The Problem With Work