Adam Chandler is a journalist. He used to be a staff writer Atlantic and his works appeared The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Narrativeand Voxamong many other publications. He is a recurring guest on The History Channel The food that built America and appears regularly on television and radio such as CBS and NPR.
What is the big idea?
American labor standards undermine the well-being of workers as well as the success of companies. Myths about success, fertility and equality cloud our collective thinking about what leads to a long and fulfilling life. Fixing work culture has the power to solve America’s social crisis.
Below, Adam shares five key takeaways from his new book,99% Sweating: A New Business History of the American Way of Life. Listen to the audio version sung by Adam himself in the Next Big Idea App.
1. American Abracadabra
The bootstraps myth—the belief that anyone can succeed with hard work and a little moxie—is a central tenet of American life. This is visible in culture, politics and citizenship. But this ideal has a dark side. If you can’t get ahead, it means you’re not trying hard enough. I call it the American Abracadabra.
The danger of abracadabra is that it makes success or failure a matter of individual character rather than prompting us to collectively confront the obstacles that have made it difficult for us to succeed in recent years. We can examine the cost of housing, health care, child care, and college in the United States to understand what prevents Americans from living prosperous and stable lives. – salary.
2. Everyone benefits from recreation, especially employers
Generous working hours policies in the United States have long been viewed with suspicion by lower-level employers, especially when compared to their American peers. One result is that American workers log more hours than almost all industrialized countries. They also tend to avoid the breaks they deserve. According to Pew, nearly half of U.S. workers avoid using their allotted time off for fear of appearing disloyal, dispensable, or burdening coworkers. Interestingly, those who are most reluctant to use all of their paid time off are especially high earners. Studies have found that employees at companies with unlimited overtime policies take fewer days off.
“Retired employees are not only happier and healthier, but also more productive, more creative and more committed.”
There is a strong case for employers to encourage employees to step away from their desks and relax. Rested employees are happier and healthier, as well as more productive, more creative and more committed. Another big part of this equation is the high turnover costs for companies related to employee training and replacement, as well as lost morale. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2019, Gallup conservatively put a $1 trillion price tag on replacing workers who leave their jobs in the U.S. each year, and estimates that “The cost of replacing an individual worker can vary dramatically. – from half to two times of the employee’s annual salary”.
3. America’s job drive is a civic and social crisis
Americans disproportionately define themselves by their jobs. In a recent Pew survey, a staggering 71% of Americans cited a job or career they enjoy as a more important measure of a fulfilling life than close friendships, having children, or marriage.
Even though we put more of ourselves into work—whether it’s how we spend our time, build social circles, or promote ourselves—work doesn’t love us. A 2023 economic opportunity survey by Gallup found that 39% of Americans believe they can’t get ahead no matter how hard they work. In 2002, this figure was 23%. The failure of work to get us where we want to be leads to discontent, mistrust of institutions, xenophobia and extremism.
4. Immigration is critical to the strength and sustainability of the American economy
In recent years, immigration, legal and otherwise, has become the focus of populist outrage and political campaigns. What they often leave out is that immigrants are 80% more likely than native-born Americans to start a business, whether it’s a mom-and-pop outfit like a restaurant or gas station, or a giant company like Google, Zoom, or Duolingo. . On average, businesses founded by immigrants employ more workers than others.
“Immigrants are 80% more likely to start a business than native-born Americans.”
As for government benefits, immigrants pay $1.38 in taxes for every dollar of government benefits they use. Finally, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, far more than many Fortune 500 billionaires or companies with loopholes.
5. America’s income inequality isn’t just about money
Income inequality has reached dangerous levels. The impact of these differences led to strange results. Between 1970 and 2009, Stanford researchers estimated that “the share of families living in middle-income neighborhoods fell from 65% to 44%.” In other words, high-income households moved to wealthier neighborhoods, while low-income households moved to poorer neighborhoods. Back in 1980, you could live in a city with high levels of income inequality and it didn’t necessarily have a geographic map. A doctor’s child and a dockworker’s child often played ball on the same street and went to the same school.
But this is no longer the case. These disparities affect everything in a neighborhood, from crime rates, school quality, social mobility, and the availability of good-paying jobs to the presence of environmental hazards, the likelihood of developing chronic health conditions, and the life expectancy of both the elderly and the young. . Fortunately, countless people at every level of society are working on bold initiatives to make communities stronger, safer, healthier and happier.
This article originally appeared here The Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.