P&P October 2015

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Policy&Practice October 2015 6
In the field of human services, we are
constantly talking about work, and
rightly so. For most human service
customers employment is critical to
their ability to meet their needs and
support the health and well-being of
their families and communities. This
is why workforce engagement is such
a critical component of many human
service programs. But work is about
more than financial self-su ciency.
Work is an essential, defining com-
ponent of most Americans’ lives. In a
nation that highly values independence
and rugged individualism, a person’s
job, and the freedoms and social influ-
ence one garners from earning a living
through working at employment worth
doing, is inextricably linked to identity.
Throughout childhood, children
display their budding professional
interests through costumes and
brightly colored presentations
answering the ubiquitous question,
“What do you want to be when you
grow up?” Work defines us consider-
ably more as we move into adulthood.
The transition from being depen-
dent on one’s parents to becoming a
financially independent worker dra-
matically a ects a person’s identity
and self-esteem. One of the first ques-
tions adults ask one another when first
meeting is, “What do you do?” Perhaps
this perpetual question serves as an
answer to the “What do you want to
be” question we are peppered with
throughout childhood.
Some professions—and the workers
that perform them—are elevated in the
public eye for their valor and selfless
commitment to the support of the
common good. Think firefighters, the
military, doctors and nurses. And while
many workers may not be considered
heroes or leaders for the work they
from the eld
The Importance of Work: More than Just a Paycheck
do, they still garner respect from their
ability to provide for themselves and
their families. Work o ers not only a
means to support a family, but also an
extra familial source of identity.
Unfortunately, many Americans face
very limited employment opportuni-
ties. Whether through low levels of
skills and education, or exclusion from
the systems of social capital that lead to
better opportunities, many Americans
encounter barriers that prevent them
from finding and securing jobs that
promote stability and well-being. The
connection between employment
and well-being is well-established.
Unemployment is shown to have a
number of negative psychological
e ects. However, securing a job does
not ameliorate those e ects if the
working conditions do not a ord some
of the supports that many people find
helpful, if not essential.
There is dignity in all work, but it is
not intrinsic in all jobs. Those jobs that
lack basic worker protections, such as
decent wages, opportunities for pro-
fessional growth, appreciation for the
value of employees to a company, and
authentic and open communication
between employer and employee can
have negative psychological e ects on
workers, such as lower self-esteem,
which carry over into other areas of
their lives. For example, research indi-
cates that negative work experiences
are associated with negative parenting
styles.
“Two-generation” approaches to
work and family stability focus on
holistic services that recognize the
critical roles that parents play in
shaping their children’s lives, and
acknowledging the strong interrela-
tionship between work success and
family success. Work is critical to
human service customers’ ability to
become financially stable and meet
Illustration by Chris Campbell
By Kerry Desjardins and Charlie Lucke
See Paycheck on page