Book Report

This report is based on the perspectives and concepts elaborated in the book My Job, My Self:
Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual by Al Gini (2001). The perspective of author
has been used to establish a framework for reflection for an individual, which is elaborated as
follows:
How peoples identities are connected to their jobs and their work:
Gini (2001) holds the opinion that there exists a complex interplay between the nature of job, the
tasks associated with a work and the implications it has on the personality development of the
workers. Work is not only a means of earning a living, but has also been perceived to have the
power to influence the pattern of living. An interesting point to elaborate in terms of the
perspective of Gini (2001) is that individuals use their job designation and position to form a
concept about who they are. An individual can develop understanding about the importance work
holds for him in the everyday interaction with others ranging from formal meetings to informal
social interaction. The professional background possessed by an individual is likely to have an
impact on the choice of words used to describe his own self, the ability to attain work can have
an impact on the sense of self worth, and the loss of job is viewed as loss of an integral part of
self instigating low self esteem. Considering these connections, the author has perceived self
identity and job to be interrelated on a personal as well as a social level. This perspective can be
incorporated as a means of enhancing understanding about how work influences the sense of
identity, self concept, well being and completion of a person.
Nature of meaningful work:
Meaningful work in simple terms has been viewed as a job involving tasks that generates

feeling of satisfaction in an individual that compliments the sustainability of positive self

esteem (Gini, 2001). The author has conceptualized good work in terms of jobs that carry the
element of importance for the organization or the society, which in turn generates the feeling
of worth among the workers. On the contrary bad work has been regarded as consisting of
the repetitive and boring tasks that seem to have trivial contribution in the development of
positive self esteem or sense of worth. People often define their jobs in terms of the financial
value they are able to gain from them. However, self reflection can allow them to deduce that a
good job is a means of providing them with a sense of autonomy, adequate control, and an
opportunity to utilize their skills and capabilities effectively, thus creating feelings of content.
A bad job on the other hand, is marked by the monotonous work routine which instigates
feelings of being trapped in work that can only provide a source of living, but is void of
meaning or personal fulfillment. Regardless of the pay scale and benefits associated with a job,
the actual sense of doing a good job can be perceived as stemming out of the sense of
achievement it purports. An additional factor that Gini (2001) has regarded as playing a crucial
role in the deduction of a job as meaningful is the level of alignment between the capabilities
and personality of the individual worker with the job requirements. Therefore to label a job as
good or bad, an individual needs to consider the extent to which it offers an opportunity to use
his skills and capabilities, the effect it has on his sense of well being and magnitude of
meaning it adds to his life.
Presence and absence of ethics and vision in organizations:
Gini (2001) has considered ethics and vision as two of the important elements that establish
the direction and strategy adopted by an organization. The author has viewed issues such as
immoral treatment of the labor force, such as lack of concern about employee safety, low focus

on job security, perceiving workers as easily replaceable, exploiting the labor through offering
low wages, and burdening them with excessive workload a manifestation of lack of business
ethics. As a basis of self reflection, an individual can use the authors perspectives in terms of
the degree to which an ethical work protocol is being followed by the management. In cases
where the management has adopted an ethical stance to manage the people, it is evident
through the adoption of labor friendly business practices. The presence of ethics and vision
can be seen in the form of establishment and maintenance of humane working conditions, job
security, acceptable salary package, benefits, and growth opportunities. Moreover, an
individual can also use the issues of exploitation of workers through exposing them to long
work hours, low compensation, and minimum chances of feeling personal or professional
fulfillment as indication of absence of ethics and vision.
Overwork and stress:
The author considers the factors of job nature, working conditions and work hours to be
closely connected with the implementation of ethics in the organization. Similar to the initial
phase of industrialization, the employees in the contemporary times are also over burdened
with job related responsibilities. An important argument that reflects the perspective of the
author is that jobs that require the workers to overwork can create and increase stress, which
can inevitably have negative implications for their physical and mental well being. A
significant number of workers can identify with the feeling of being overworked and stress out
which deteriorates their quality of output in the organization. The focus of managers on
reducing the cost of production has manifested in the form of decreasing the workforce, and at
the same time increasing the responsibilities of the already employed personnel. This situation
can be used as a point of self reflection and analysis by an individual in terms of the

implications overwork and stress has for their personal, physical and mental well being.
When work fails us, and when work is what it should be:
Failure of work is a somewhat unique idea presented by Gini (2001) which is based on the notion
that if a job is unable to meet the expectations workers held about it, then it is a reflection of
failure of work. Individuals consider the availability and nature of jobs to fulfill their sense of
self worth, respect, purpose and overall well being, thus the author perceives failure of work to
be a transgression from these outcomes. On the other hand, when work is what it should be, it
reflects the notion of a job being a source of personal, professional and social well being. An
individual can evaluate his job in terms of the degree to which it establishes and adds to the sense
of worth. Furthermore, the contribution of work in enhancement of personal well being is also an
important area for self reflection.
The author has provided some important consideration for the purpose of reflecting on our own
personal and professional life as an individual. One of the major focal points can be about
understanding how your job is having an impact on your physical and mental well being. It can
also allow gaining insight about the implications of being engaged in bad work over an extended
period of time. Moreover, it can also facilitate the analysis of the positive traits of a job, which
can further promote the decision to avail a job opportunity or continue with a job. Therefore, the
work of Gini (2001) provides an excellent framework for evaluating the nature of job within the
context of understanding the interplay between what you do and what you are and what you
become.

Reference:
Gini, L. (2001). My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual: New
York, NY: Routledge.