The Dutch art of Flip-thinking

at work

© 2021 Berthold Gunster

© 2021 Omdenken Uitgeverij

Original title Omdenken op het werk

Cover design Jan Gunster

Graphic design and illustrations Jan Gunster/Adept vormgeving

Drawings Evalien Lang

Publisher and editor-in-chief Annemargreet Dwarshuis

English translation David Mangene

First edition, Febuary 2022

ISBN 978 9083 204 246

NUR 770

All rights reserved. In accordance with the Dutch ‘Authors Law’ of 1912, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in an interview. On the basis of article 16h from the Dutch ‘Authors Law’ of 1912, and with respect to the production of reprographic duplications from this publication, any parties wishing to do so must pay the necessary fees to Stichting Reprorecht (Postbus 3060, 2130 KB Hoofddorp, the Netherlands www.reprorecht.nl). For the use of specific sections of this publication for lectures, journals, or other compilation works, please consult Stichting PRO (Foundation for Publication and Reproduction Rights Organisation, Postbus 3060, 2130 KB Hoofddorp, the Netherlands www.cedar.nl/pro).

Working to live

Work. How many countless expectations do we have about our work? That it will provide us with financial security, for starters. That it will help us bring home the bacon. That we can pay our rent. But there’s more. Over the past few decades, work has taken on a more central role in our lives. We expect to have fun co-workers, to be able to develop ourselves, to create a stellar career, to achieve status and a strong identity and, to top it all off, we want our hard work to make the world a better place.

Those are our expectations about work. But there’s a reality about work too. A reality that stands in stark contrast to our expectations. When it comes to our work, so much has changed and not always for the better. Relationships between employers and employees have become much less fixed. There continues to be a growing army of freelancers, known legally as independent contractors. In reality, however, many freelancers have become sources of cheap labour for an employer, as in “I’ve got 100 people I could give your job, right now”. In the meantime, we’ve allowed ourselves to be exploited by employers, to be treated like children (or to act like children ourselves). Every day we’re confronted with more and more meaningless bureaucracy, while we continue to question the ‘why’ behind our efforts and our employers. At the end of the day, how ethical, important, or meaningful is our work for us anyway?

Oh, we gladly play along with the idea that work will make us happy, but more and more of us are ending up disillusioned. It’s understandable. Think about it - what does society have to offer a single 27-year-old, who works hard as a delivery driver, a nurse, a teacher, or shop employee, but still can’t even rent a house, let alone buy one? Even the people who feel relatively secure financially, experience the constant pressure of an unsure future. How can you make ends meet if your partner suddenly decides to leave you, your far-away father needs intensive home care, your kids demand all your time and attention, and you feel an impending burn-out coming on?

Organisational leaders are also highly concerned about how we’ve collectively created our corporate world. At least 92% of these leaders feel that traditional work structures are no longer functioning properly. Of even more concern is the fact that 86% have no idea how to treat this situation going forward.¹

In the meantime, the Covid pandemic has seriously complicated things. Working from home has ended up being surprisingly easy to organise. We’ve become more conscious of how dependant we are on essential occupations; it’s no coincidence that, in addition to supermarkets, these are mostly occupations organised by the government, such as waste management, law enforcement, health care, and education. Miraculously, the world has kept right on spinning, despite lockdowns, mask mandates, and social distancing measures.

All of which begs the following question: isn’t it an illusion to expect that work is the answer to everything? Should we begin to think in a fundamentally different way about work? Or, to put it more simply, how about if we could stop living to work and start working to live?

At the office

What you normally wear.

Extended image description: 1

What you secretly, just maybe, would once really like to wear.*

Extended image description: 2

* This image is undoubtedly gender neutral. You’re the one who decides what you wear. Do you want to dress up as a firefighter (m/f), or Cat Woman (m/f)? That’s fine. Just make sure you put on your fire retardant underwear, but that goes without saying of course.

The solving reflex

A finance department manager at the provincial government identifies a persistent problem; various sub-departments are not working well together. It seems that a ‘one man is an island culture’ has taken hold. The IT department doesn’t talk to the cleaners and the company restaurant staff barely talks to the people from Facilities. The manager discusses the problem with the directors. They decide to hire a consultant to tackle the problem.

What is our primary reaction when we’re confronted with a problem? We want to solve it. The problem needs to be taken care of and, preferably, as quickly as possible. You could even say that our brain’s default mode is to solve problems. Even the aforementioned ‘one man is an island culture’ is a problem we just want solved. I call this human tendency the solving reflex.

The truth is this tendency is understandable. Problems often feel like threats. And what is our initial instinctive response to a threat? Get away! Spot a bear? Run! Hear an explosion? Duck! At one time in our history these impulsive responses were useful. The world was full of danger, lions were on the prowl and a quick response was a matter of life or death. Our contemporary world is much more complex and, when dealing with complex problems, the solving reflex often falls short.