Work has been the object of my work for several years now. I have explored in-depth how work develops socially and what ‘good work’ encompasses. My interest for this area of research developed out of personal experiences and private anecdotes – no matter which work they engage in, people gave me the impression that their work structures are a major determinant of how well they are off. Ever since I started actively thinking about this, my own perception of work has undergone several fundamental changes.

These changes, as described above, are partly rooted in the visibility of work. Once there is a conscious acknowledgement of how broad ‘work’ really is, it is impossible to overlook. Once there is recognition of how significantly people’s lived experiences are shaped by their various work activities, you encounter them differently. The value-creating and creative side of work leads to recognition of others – and to being recognised. This does not automatically lead to this recognition being communicated.

Further, however, these changes in my perception of work were related to the challenges I encountered throughout this project. Beyond my research, I have spent the past years working in different positions – most of the time in several positions at once. Like for many people, my work situation developed out of economic necessity, and with it came the enormous effort of ‘juggling’ – those who work multiple jobs have to organise them in relation to each other. As such, I frequently have not one but four professional mailboxes to monitor; at times, I had to travel to four different workplaces per day. While it wasn’t easy, at times, to stay on top of everything, I have gained much ‘lived experience’ on the topic of work quality. These experiences have fundamentally shaped my research and thesis – from my point of view in a way that more accurately captures the experiences of working people than it would have been the case otherwise. (Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ESRC for rejecting my funding application – I owe you something!) This helped me to gain a better understanding of what matters to me about my own work – another reason why I would like to use this website to invite people to think and reflect about work quality.

Such reflection, however, is not always easy, either. Those who take a closer look may sometimes begin to notice more problems than before. My hope is that the Dimensions of Work framework not only helps to make sense of these problems. It is also designed to help people explore concrete room for action. The individual dimensions can be seen as parameters that can be tweaked to shape one’s situation despite external challenges and limitations – those dimensions providing agency can be a source of strength and strategies to address challenges in other dimensions.

Despite political, economic, and social impacts on their work, which sometimes seem out of their control, people can continuously recognise themselves in their work and find a seed of self-efficacy within it. This can lead to whole system of support networks and care structures, which have the potential to redirect these impacts in the long run. This is a core lesson from historical perspectives on the numerous challenges people managed to overcome by virtue of their work – despite highly adverse conditions.

To bear fruit, this seed requires nutritious soil and regular watering. I hope that my work can make a small contribution to filling the gardeners’ cans.

I dedicate this analogy to my colleagues from the Sustainable Consumption Institute, which has generously funded this website – I’m sure some of them have interesting things to say about the anthropocentrism in my wording. Without their support, this project would have been a different one, which is why I would like to express my gratitude now that my project is coming to an end.

Thanks to them, I was able to continuously question, adjust, and transform my understanding of the material and relational conditions under which we work. With the extensive work that went into this website I’m hoping to be able to give something back in return that helps them and others to organise and shape future’s work.