"Cruelty-Free Capitalism": Changing the Face of Work as It’s Been for Decades

It could be said that there is a change in the "temperature" of work in recent years. Gone (for the most part) are the days of stuffy corporate expectations that everyone dress, groom and act in a formal, conservative manner. Likewise, the dated expectation that one’s work-life is completely separate from one’s life-life has gone by the wayside in favor of a blended experience with a more blurred delineation between the two with a focus on enjoying a richer sense of satisfaction from being in alignment with one’s values.

How had work, until recently, evolved into such a separate realm than the rest of an individual’s life? The answer lies in midcentury history. It’s only natural that in the era directly following WWII there was a tremendous yearning for a sense of collective serenity and predictability. The result was that society was industrialized, processed and homogenized to ensure a secure, predictable existence. It was a time for building the economy with diligent, yet not necessarily enjoyable or fulfilling, work.

Now, after decades of the repression of creativity and free-thinking that was necessary in those early post-war decades, workers are ready to experience greater self-expression. And that urge is manifesting itself in our lives as the burgeoning turn toward what is known as, "cruelty-free capitalism." The term "cruelty free" is normally used when referring to the treatment of animals, When used in reference to humans, it expresses a more natural, "uncaged" experience regarding work. Workers are no longer as willing to trade their creative aspirations and values for a paycheck.

In his book, Return of the Artisan - How America Went from Industrial to Handmade, author Grant McCracken discusses this recent cultural transformation of attitude as ushering in a new model of production and consumption. The author explains that people at this point in history feel the need for an inter-penetration of work with life and life with work, infused with their values.

Feeling freer to live without strictly imposed rules of conduct, people crave that freedom in all aspects of their lives. They seek a deeper connection with everything from their social interactions, their community, their physical environment to the food they consume. They yearn for more social, convivial relationships which prioritize individualism.

People who are feeling the call of cruelty-free capitalism are willing to strike out on their own and start businesses. A growing trend among startups is the artisanal shop, selling handcrafted foods and items produced in small batches rather than mass-produced. Many of these products are highly prized and sales can earn the artisans making them lucrative incomes. Some employees have left their more traditional jobs in favor of the freedom of expression and mind/spirit-alignment they find doing such work. The rise in the artisanal economy is also providing a viable career path to those who have been forced out of a traditional job or do not have another clear professional direction to follow.

As an employer, it’s important to recognize the clear signs that at this point in history, humanity is ready to get "back to basics" in a very substantial way. It’s time to assess your company culture and consider where you could offer opportunities for flexibility, creative expression and values-based projects to help your employees connect the various aspects of themselves in their work. To ignore this trend would be to ignore the fact that the world that we live in changed through the decades - and so have the people who live in it. And employees aren’t hesitating to participate in the "cruelty-free capitalism" economy.

How do you accommodate your employees’ need for a more "uncaged" work experience?