Omit to Commit Research: Business Work for Yourself, for Others

Omit to Commit is all about the resources needed to opt into (and out of) behaviors, such as time, traditions (individual or group behaviors), trust, and treasures. By regularly making and breaking habits, life becomes more fulfilling and satisfying. I’m drafting a book called Omit to Commit, and in 2023, I’m posting research on the 20th of every month.

Welcome back to Omit to Commit! I’m analyzing business work today, in the contexts of working for yourself and working for others. Since this is such a large topic, I’m focused on contemporary, western exchanging of goods, services, and ideas. I’ve researched entrepreneurs, social scientists, and CEOs, among others, analyzing their systems. Throughout reading, I asked, what tools are needed for good work? Who and what are they committed to (and why)? What or who is opted out of in the process? Innovators, creatives, and makers will most likely be featured next month, as that is another form of work. So today, let’s get down to business.

“Humanizing work” has been on my mind, and so I believe the biggest asset of any company or organization is its people. Whether you’re working for yourself or others, some sense of “team” is essential to do business. If you’re working for yourself, that “team” may not be found at work and instead be from emotional supports, such as friends, family, or member associations. Teams have been extensively studied by organizational psychologists, as work is a huge part of group behavior in the modern world. These social scientists have found trends in what works at work and what doesn’t.

As people are the core to any organization, some business leaders focus on fostering a sense of family within members. Other managers and directors focus on respect, more than being liked. Hopefully, there’s mutual respect across all members. Either way, teams help the foundational practice of exchanging work. Solopreneurs or self-employed individuals, by comparison, may find gaps in their knowledge and hire out work to team member(s), such as gigs (see below). Delegation is part of teamwork, even if finding support may feel vulnerable. Or worse, this process of not knowing everything can make some individuals feel ashamed or fearful.

Shame abounds in the workplace, due in part to what I call the “cult of productivity”. How do workers keep up with each other, with trends, with technology? Capitalism creates workplace environments that breed scarcity, wrongfully suggesting the work/worker will never be enough because of these changes, thus making work have an ever-faster pace. Consequently, workers may feel emotionally, mentally, and physically drained; no wonder working enough may translate to a feeling of being enough. But who decides the limit of what’s enough work? The limit may or may not exist.

And why does western culture in particular assign so much individual and collective worth to work? Especially if some work methodology is not, in fact, working: Anxiety, “quiet quitting”, and having multiple jobs are increasingly common and I believe are due in part to responding to scarcity. Exhausting, right? But work is changing, and so beyond people, there are other tools modern workers use, deploy, and cultivate. I’m curious about your experiences with group and solo work. Consider filling out my form, here, all about opting in and out of habits. Think back on your own work experiences: Did you feel a sense of belonging at work? Did company culture matter to you?

Working for yourself requires time and space, but this work often goes right back to paying for said resources.

Covid-19 created new modes of thinking about and doing work. Hybrid models of virtual and physical workspaces have existed before the twenty-first century, but pandemic-induced isolation brought this model of multiuse spaces to scale. For one, many economists believe modern workers rely on gigs as a business exchange, and these short-term commitments such as renting a car or home can foster a sense of freedom. These “gig” workers get essential services done, like feeding or homing someone.

Gig economy relies on temporary work, and it’s often on the employee’s own terms of time and space. Uber(eats), Lyft, and other services are a fascinating example of changes to modern work: These folks are actually self-employed and they are independent contractors to the company/companies. They choose their own hours, often using their own spaces. But these workers are also dependent on a system. Choose your own adventure: Some people circumnavigate a space, others focus on ranking, and still more work when they have a pocket of time. Switching between services is common practice, too. I can only imagine what tax season looks like for these independent contractors, but gig economy depends on many side hustling, short-term staffers.

Traditional work, as in tenants like clocking in to work for “the man”, does not work for everyone. Gig workers, independent contractors, and entrepreneurs are responding and changing the game. This physical response of working for yourself, in your own time and space, may be an emotional or mental one too. Is imposter syndrome lurking?

We are social creatures. While gigs and entrepreneurship may feel like solo endeavors, work assignments are often based on standard business practices, and therefore it can still feel competitive. And isolating. Some entrepreneurs and contractors may struggle with such a solo path, and may need the very teams that make up traditional work environments. Humans need people, and networks could help to forge a sense of belonging.

When working for others, tenants abound, beyond roles and responsibilities. Working for yourself, the standards are on you.

Working for others requires compliance, to business practices and the company’s culture. Productive people usually get favored in organizations, but if their work gets selected and/or reviewed, more work (and perhaps a promotion) can result. This system values work, but it can lead to both favoritism and burnout. Hopefully, modern workspaces are learning to value the people, too. And not just at the water cooler.

Office politics are normal but reading an organization’s culture is based on perception. It’s up to the employee to opt into that culture or not. Perhaps this subjective, social-emotional work is a key reason why some people choose to opt out of traditional, work-for-someone-else positions. Building relationships, reading how to participate within an organization, and choosing to opt in or out of social engagements are work, too.

Achievement gaps exist, especially when working for an organization with a long history and/or when the person has other obligations, such as another job or family. Social capital can be gained, depending on “matches”, “fits”, and “complementary” people. But it takes time to make these efforts work. And another huge gap in achieving capital? Othering people of difference, such as employees with disabilities, womxn, and people of color. These folks consistently make less than white, able-bodied men. And that’s just physical capital.

Womxn in particular work hard at work, perhaps as a response to modernism’s “traditional” gender roles. (See February 2023’s research, here, on post-WW2’s impact on work, play, and home.) Is perfectionism or “enoughness” a choice, or is it a reaction to one’s environments and culture? And who decides what is perfect? Is work/life balance even considered today? Competition, internally and externally, can fuel work. Healthy challenges can inspire individual and collaborative growth, such as competitions to run or lift. But ranking or making money as a result of internal competition fuels scarcity and comparison. Gross. Where are the PEOPLE in that system? And are skills honestly, equitably assessed?

Acknowledging unique talents takes time, but it can result in flow and creativity.

Hard and soft skills take time to learn and are usually gleaned through continual access to resources, such as continuing educational endeavors. While I’m currently not studying the school system (maybe for May 2023’s O2C research?), I’m a school marketer and know there are MANY barriers for entry into education beyond grades and previous learning, such as finances, transportation, relationships, and food. Education is key to building skills, whether it’s trade school, college, or other environment. Schooling is a standout path to a career because education is an inherently learning environment where people are committed to making connections and mistakes. All this is to say that professional and personal talents take time to cultivate, as well as environments to hone and honor those skills.

Cultivating professional talents requires an abundance of resources. Committing time, space, and identities is hard work, for both individuals and teams. When leaders take the time to acknowledge their staff-people’s unique skills and passions, employees are more engaged. By giving spaces for workers to continue practicing skills, they tend to stay longer, too. This benefits everyone, as individual contributions add up, thereby helping the greater organization. In addition, workers may feel satisfied in doing good work, feeling they are doing what’s true to them. Creativity can be forged by making these connections. Thus, better work for all can result. In these kind of environments, risk is still difficult, as is natural for social creatures, but it often is welcomed. Trying new things, individually and collectively, can lead to promotions or other positions, even working for yourself!

Flow is so important in making and doing good work, and I think it is possible within teams and solo work. By comparison to social capital, flow is often a solo practice. Uninterrupted cycles of work give workers room to breath and work through problems. As a result of flow, progress truly feels achieved, and this makes employees want to come back to work again as they can keep working toward a goal. When employers value both independent work and the spaces to collaborate and work through problems, progress happens. There is a balance between individual and collective teamwork, and kudos to those organizations that have found it.

Yet work is often interrupted, whether it’s due to concurrent projects, a shared workspace with multiple departments and interruptions, and of course meetings. Progress reports are important beyond the standard annual review, so finding how to tightrope between solo and group work is pivotal. Trust, then, is an essential resource for all modern workers to lean into: Trust that team members have, or will have, the skills necessary to complete the tasks and trust in yourself to manage those talents and hopefully use those gifts for good.

The norm of modern business, though, is keeping one’s head down. While this might result in a flow state for some, it can also look and feel like a silent compliance. By not challenging the status quo, employees may not challenge themselves, at least not while working. Work, for some, is “enough” to fuel the resources of life, and perhaps “enoughness” is defined elsewhere or in others. Hopefully, these folks spend their time and talents in other endeavors, like time with family or making a home. But since I’m focused on work, I must ask, do these people consider the potential of their individual and collective work? If the employee and/or employer doesn’t want to face new challenges, they may never discover still-unseen successes. Knowing there’s a risk involved but doing it anyway is ballsy, and in certain environments and for certain workers, normal.

Innovators and creatives value trying as a resource, and I’ll be studying that in April.

Using all of these tools, including teams, traditions, and trust, can make powerful work. Carefully applying resources and relationships makes good work happen. The modern economy, filled with independent contractors, workers, and entrepreneurs, has rapidly changed work, especially with how humans work for each other. I’d love to know what you think! How do you decide what’s good work? And what trends have you seen in your own workplace(s)? Feel free to leave a comment, fill out my habits form, and tune in for my next Omit to Commit post one month from now, on April 20.