The thread that weaves us
work is one of the threads that weave the tapestry of our lives, shaping our biography and our societies.
work is not only an activity that we do: it is also, and above all, something that makes us. Despite its not at all encouraging etymology, in the midst of social changes, technical innovations and demands, work has always been much more than a means of earning a living. Throughout history, it has been a way of being in the world, of building identity, belonging and purpose.
Why do we work? How does work transform our lives? What challenges does the world of work face today? The University, open to the big questions, seeks to know and give answers, from a multidisciplinary perspective, to the problems and social needs of its time. Today it questions and reflects on work.
HISTORICAL EVOLUTION
Francisco Javier Caspistegui, Full Professor of Contemporary History, explains that the historical evolution of work as an activity has gone hand in hand with social evolution, a process that has become increasingly complex. "A Babylonian of the third millennium B.C. dedicated himself to hunting or farming because if he didn't, he didn't eat. In other words, he had to cover his needs," says Francisco Javier Caspistegui. "Nowadays, work has diversified a lot and nowadays many tasks are done that were unthinkable at the beginning of the 20th century".
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE WORD
Thework" comes from the Latin word tripalium, an instrument of torture made up of three sticks to which the condemned person was nailed. "Although in the beginning the metonymic meaning was that of torture, in the average Ages the concept evolved towards effort: it is the conception of the word laborar", emphasizes Cristina Tabernero, professor of Spanish language .
The evolution of the concept also varies with the course of history and social change. As Professor Tabernero points out, "the term remains the same, but the object of the word "work" changes. This evolution is consubstantial with linguistic change".
work as a research topic at the University
work has articulated one of the lines of research of the University's Strategy 2025. Under the degree scroll "work, care and development", several projects have sought to promote research and multidisciplinary dialogue on the role of work in shaping personality, culture and society.
"Today we live work either as a core topic of necessity - "there is no choice but to work to live" - or as a core topic of self-realization, somewhat "narcissistic", because it appears disconnected from the dimension of service through which work contributes to social development ," she says. Ana Marta Gonzálezcoordinator of this line of research, professor at the School of Philosophy and Letters and ICS researcher. Both approaches are partial. "What is certain - she continues - is that work has a profound human meaning, which goes beyond economic needs, and in which not only individual but also social dimensions are quotation . To see work itself as a core topic of service is a core topic".
When a work environment is pleasant and favors the deployment of one's own abilities and creativity, it is experienced as something that enriches, not only because you get a salary, but also because you develop as a person," he points out.
The change in the ways of work is an expression of the change in the ways of life. As Professor González explains, "the world of work is always redefining itself, both because of social needs and the means we have to satisfy them. Along these lines, changes linked to technological innovations, especially the introduction of artificial intelligence, have particularly attracted the attention of scholars, not only because they threaten some types of work, while creating new ones, but also because they significantly affect the way it is organized". However, she says she is more interested in cultural changes, "how the expectations we have about work and how we view its relationship to the good life have changed.
Understanding the nature of these changes and the way they affectstaff and social development requires a reflection that involves a plurality of disciplines. Psychology is one of them. Begoña Urien, professor at the School of Education and Psychology, participates in the project "Vocational professions and work organization". This research tries to analyze the tensions between the vocational demands of certain professions and the working and organizational conditions in which they are exercised as a possible structural cause of burnout, in order to propose alternative organizational models, which, taking better advantage of talent, favor the development of the professionals involved.
"The speed with which technologies change and the increasing labor demands due to the globalization of Economics (competitiveness) require all employees to give their 100% 100% 100% of the time. And this wears out and exhausts," warns Professor Urien. "People, in order to give 100% during their entire work workshop , need rest to recover. Companies should encourage their employees to keep their conference, do some 'energy-boosting' activities and get enough sleep. And they should schedule realistic work that allow employees to dedicate work time to continuous retraining.
"The speed with which technologies change and increasing job demands require all employees to give 100% 100% of the time. And this is wearing and exhausting."
BEGOÑA URIEN
Professor of the School of Education and Psychology
CHALLENGES FOR OCCUPATIONAL WELL-BEING
Digitalization is one of the main transformations that the world of work has undergone in recent decades. It has brought about important changes such as the consolidation of remote and hybrid work , the use of digital collaborative tools that have changed the way of working in teams, managing projects and communicating, the growth of freelancing and the robotization of tasks. But these changes, which have brought significant benefits, have also generated new problems to deal with. "Digitalization has created new job opportunities, but it has also widened the gap between those who have technological skills and those who do not. Therefore, companies are challenge to train their workforces to stay competitive, especially in sectors where technology is advancing rapidly," says Begoña Urien.
At the same time, she warns about "technology fatigue": "The intensive use of new technologies in the work has brought with it digital overload; excessive video calls, notifications, time spent on maintaining passwords, mailboxes, documents to keep up with data, etc., all of which exhaust attention and generate stress". To this, he adds that constant availability makes it difficult to really disconnect from work, which compromises mental health. "In this sense, many organizations are promoting digital wellness practices, such as the right to disconnect and redesigning partnership modes," he says.
Work flexibility (time, space, contractual) has become a core topic, especially among the new generations. "Flexibility needs to be balanced with the necessary cohesion that any organization needs to remain an organization," says Professor Urien. And this flexibility is also a challenge for leadership in companies. "Managing hybrid or distributed teams requires different skills," she explains, and lists three of them: "More communication, trust and clarity in objectives and processes. He also adds that "positive leadership is necessary to build healthy and resilient organizations. The authentic leader is aware of his behavior and the effect it has on his collaborators; he processes information in a balanced way, avoiding biases or his personal interests; and he is ethical and moral in his decisions, and transparent in his relations with others".
Recovering the sense of work
"There is talk of Generation Z looking for meaning or purpose in their work , but this is not new. Already at the end of the last century, employees were attracted for intrinsic and transcendent reasons and not only for salary or benefits. It has been known for decades that attraction and retention based on extrinsic motivation is only useful in the short term," explains Professor Urien. " We have to recover the meaning and importance of work. work, whatever it is, makes us plenary session of the Executive Council right members of a society," she concludes.
Another of the perspectives from which work is studied at the University is that provided by recent Christian theology (Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox). Gregorio Guitián, Dean of the School of Theology, leads an interdisciplinary study that seeks new perspectives from which to think about work, so that its future is inspired by categories such as creativity, relationality, service, solidarity and virtue.
"The project involves six other researchers from the School and more than fifteen collaborators, including professors from the School, other centers and other universities. We are aware of the experience of work in today's world and we have proposed to return to the meaning of work from the different areas of theology (biblical, dogmatic, moral and spiritual, patristic, etc.)," he explains.
In the Greek world, work was considered an activity that impeded free thought. However, the Christian meaning of work revolutionizes this understanding: "It is a good activity, which comes from God. In antiquity, work was seen as an expression of the call to mastery of creation, as a mandate from God, or as an ascetic remedy to avoid idleness," explains Guitián.
In the light of the Second Vatican Council, " work began to be considered as a means of sanctification and partnership in the Redemption of creation brought about by Jesus Christ. In this, the founder of the University made a relevant contribution," he continues. "Today, we conceive it as a response to God's call to self-improvement and the perfection of creation, which is always carried out in a social context of service to the community of which we are a part," he adds.
work reaches its plenary session of the Executive Council when it is part of aproject broader lifeproject that, with the financial aid of grace, seeks to integrate its various dimensions (rest, family, worship, contemplation, care for creation, etc.). The core topic is to succeed in understanding work as a means and not as an end," he concludes.
"The work has a deep human meaning, which goes beyond economic needs, and in which not only individual but also social dimensions are quotation ".
ANA MARTA GONZÁLEZ
Professor at the School of Philosophy and Letters
and ICS researcher
"In the light of the Second Vatican Council, work begins to be considered as a means of sanctification and partnership in the Redemption of creation brought about by Jesus Christ".
GREGORIO GUITIÁN
Dean of the School of Theology
For the past three years, the School of Communication has been leading ReMeD (Resilient Media to Strengthen Democracies in the Digital Age), a project funded by the European Commission within the Horizon Europe program and formed by a consortium of nine European institutions. ReMeD aims to help the media regain their informative role and contribute to the democratic development of Europe. The project aims to propose solutions to strengthen the link between citizens, media companies and professionals, and digital technologies.
One of its areas of study concerns the working conditions of journalists: working hours, salaries, labor conference , worksecurity... But why is this topic of interest to ReMeD? " Weare convinced that the more satisfied professionals are, the higher the quality of the product offered to the public". Mercedes Medina, principal investigator of the project, is the one who answers this question. "In ReMeD we have drawn from a previous source , the WJS (Worlds of Journalism Study), where several European universities, including ours, studied the working conditions of journalists in the traditional media. ReMeD seeks to complement that study and apply that questionnaire to the so-called alternative or peripheral media; those new media, which also include content creators, that today are interacting with public media, citizens and democracy," he explains.
All the questionnaires have recently been received and once they have been analyzed they will be able to draw some conclusions. However, broadly speaking, and from other programs of study and conversations with professionals, "job dissatisfaction is very high, conference are very long and salaries are low," he says. At the same time, he alludes to the fact that"the crisis suffered by the business model has caused most of the media, and this does affect the traditional media more, to cut their workforces. This undoubtedly affects the quality of content and, therefore, the audience's perception of journalism".
"Either you take care of your product, or there is a real risk, already visible, of offering the public biased and superficial information."
MERCEDES MEDINA
Professor of the School of Communication
reflection in teaching
These conclusions are based on mini-ethnographies that ReMeD researchers carried out in the second phase of the research, based on semi-structured interviews with journalists.
"It seems to us that communication companies should reflect on this: "The product that the media offers is an intellectual product that has to do with something intangible, which is the ability of journalists to interpret the world and to tell it. Either you take care of your product, or there is a real risk, already visible, of offering the public biased and superficial information," explains Professor Medina, who is also participating in similar research focused on streaming video platforms and public television companies.
All this research is inevitably reflected in teaching. "We must prepare students for the reality they will face when they finish the degree program," he says. "Many will have to work as freelancers or will need to start their own business. We have to teach them the reality of self-employment, how to register in the commercial registry, the fees and taxes they will have to pay... And at the same time, help them discover the value of their work so that they can charge the right amount for it," he concludes.
"All people are equal in rights and obligations, so it is necessary to prevent, if it is in our power, that discrimination occurs or at least draw attention to it when it does occur. And not only prevent such behaviors from occurring, but also make viable proposals for positive action to improve the accessibility of people with disabilities at work". Under this premise, the monograph "Intellectual disability in the workplace. Towards universal accessibility", in which Inmaculada Baviera, professor at the School of Law, has participated as coordinator, in partnership with academics from other universities and professionals, such as lawyers, magistrates, civil servants, training entities, financial aid and guidance for people with disabilities. The publication is the result of the research project "Vías de acceso y permanencia en el employment de personas con discapacidad" (AICO 2021/109), funded by the Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital de la Generalitat Valenciana.
The monograph reviews the legislation concerning the employment rate of people with disabilities and the work market for this group, as well as national and international strategies and recommendations to promote their access to employment. The publication studies people with disabilities, "as a priority group for public authorities, both in terms of social coverage and incorporation into the work market in effective coordination with active employment policies (recommendation 18 of the Toledo Pact)".
One of the topics extensively dealt with in this work, as well as in previous books by the research team, is the "reasonable accommodation" of the work space of the person with a disability, which is currently one of the core topic of the upcoming reform of the causes of termination of the work contract due to disability of the worker (which may not be automatic), included in the Workers' Statute.
This issue was highlighted by the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) of 18 January 2024, which stated that the national rules and regulations conflicted with the EU committee directive 2000/78/EC, interpreted in the light of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). The denial of reasonable accommodation constitutes, agreement to that Convention, "discrimination on the basis of disability".
For her part, Professor Inmaculada Baviera approaches this reality from the study of the origin and internship of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR "can be an antidote to excessive 'managerialization' and can help companies to achieve the objectives of social justice and economic prosperity, creating welfare beyond the companies and their shareholders," writes Professor Baviera, in reference letter to the theories of the American economist Howard Bowen, who is considered the father of CSR, and who pointed out that companies not only produce "goods and services", but also "conditions of work".
"Putting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in internship can be an antidote to excessive 'managerialization' and can help achieve the goals of social justice and economic prosperity."
IMMACULADA BAVIERA
Professor at the School of Law
CSR as a "constitutive dimension of freedom".
From Bowen's theories to the present day, Baviera reviews in his research the legislation, organizations and national and international forums that have been developed on CSR and the principles of sustainable development , with a view to guaranteeing equal opportunities for vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities (the European Commission's Green Paper, the Copenhagen World Summit on Social development , the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable development , the Lisbon Treaty and the White Paper on employment and disability).
"The 'White Paper on employment and Disability' points out that the adoption of CSR policies, which has become increasingly important, involves the voluntary incorporation of social concerns in business relations, so that an entity is valued not only for its assets and profits, but also for its compliance with social standards that go beyond the regulatory ones. This subject of actions result in a better quality of employment, which is especially important for people with more difficulties in accessing the work market, i.e. people with disabilities", he explains, with the support of a relevant bibliography.
Quoting Professor Alejandro Llano, Inmaculada Baviera defines responsibility, including CSR, as "a constituent dimension of freedom, and it is from human freedom that the creative force of companies as socially relevant realities arises".
Throughout history, technical advances have been one of the main drivers of transformation in the world of work. From the invention of the wheel to the industrial revolution, each major innovation has profoundly altered not only the tools used, but also the organization of work, work roles and social relations around production. Mechanization displaced traditional trades; electricity and transportation accelerated the pace of work and expanded markets; and more recently, digitalization has erased physical boundaries, given rise to remote work and fostered new forms of employment.
Now, the future of work seems to be marked by the irruption of Artificial Intelligence, which a doomsday speech accuses of a massive destruction of jobs.
Iván Cordón, director of innovation at the University's data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute (DATAI), has a different perspective on this view. "It is crucial that companies that adopt these tools make their employees see that they can benefit from them instead of seeing them as a threat that comes to replace them," he says, while defending that "people are not going to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence, but they may be replaced by other people who know how to use this technology".
Iván Cordón also collaborates with theIA+Igual project , of which DATAI is an academic partner, a pioneering and collaborative project of three companies (CVA, IN2 and ORH), promoted by the Community of Madrid and financed with Next Generation funds, which seeks to analyze and verify the Artificial Intelligence algorithms applied in the labor market. " We have to be aware and very critical with the incorporation of AI to human resources processes in business. When you are going to incorporate technology you have to understand very well what are its limitations, its pros and cons. We have to make sure that those companies that have developed Artificial Intelligence software comply with the rules and regulations in force and that they have a focus when developing their models that puts the person at the center," explains Iván. And he adds the characteristics of this person-centered Artificial Intelligence: "An AI that is fair and non-discriminatory, that is not biased in its decisions and that allows an explanation, as far as possible, of how the final decisions or recommendations are carried out".
The goal of the IA+Igual project is clear: "We will be successful to the extent that we can deliver a clear methodology and internship that can be used in companies to improve, complement and validate the development of AI in a reliable, ethical and humane way. Many projects talk about ethics in a generic way, but we want to make it concrete. We are going to create a roadmap for auditing algorithms in an empirical and concrete way. Then, each business will be able to use this guide to audit and diagnose their tools, determining whether they are doing well or need improvement".
For Ivan, the impact that Artificial Intelligence can have on improving talent management is unquestionable and positive. "The integration of generative AI will facilitate this process, allowing a quick and efficient interpretation of information about employees. This will allow us to know the employee better and will allow us to manage the talent we have in a more effective way," he explains. " business has to think about how it can help employees to be better so that the benefit is mutual. If employees feel fulfilled and are more comfortable in their work, it will inherently improve productivity and the value they create for the business," he concludes.
"People are not going to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence, but they may be replaced by other people who know how to use this technology."
IVÁN CORDÓN
InnovationDirector of the data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute (DATAI)
TECHNICAL SKILLS AND HUMAN CAPABILITIES
This same vision of Artificial Intelligence is shared by José Azar. A professor at the School of Economics and associate researcher at IESE Business School, he is part of the Artificial Intelligence and the Future of management Initiative, an interdisciplinary project , integrated into DATAI's research areas and led by IESE, which aims to analyze the impact of artificial intelligence on management and prepare executives to apply it in their companies in an ethical and socially manager manner.
"Artificial Intelligence not only automates tasks, but also profoundly transforms the content of human work . In many cases, it shifts its value to activities that require judgment, creativity and adaptation," says José Azar.
The demand for AI skills is experiencing a significant increase, and not just in technical roles, but as Azar explains it also has implications for managerial occupations. "AI demands an evolution of leadership. In addition to traditional skills, leaders must develop competencies such as interpreting algorithmic models, management hybrid teams (human and machine), and a strong ethical orientation. Leaders who integrate technical expertise with strategic judgment in complex contexts are especially valuable in organizational environments transformed by AI," he says. He adds, "Specifically, AI increases the need for cognitive and interpersonal skills, such as partnership, creativity, stakeholder management and data analysis, while reducing the importance of routine management skills such as scheduling and budgeting. This suggests that leaders must adapt to an environment where strategic decision making and change management are paramount.
Many wonder whether the advance of artificial intelligence does not pose serious risks to the labor market. For José Azar, the way to avoid them is to promote a humanistic view of AI to ensure that this technology extends, not replaces, human capabilities: "This humanistic approach proposes an integration of AI that reinforces human judgment, encourages moral responsibility in decision making, and preserves the dignity of work".
And he makes a recommendation for companies and workers: "For companies, I would recommend creating an organizational culture that fosters continuous learning and adaptation. For workers, I would recommend combining technical skills with complementary human competencies, such as critical thinking and communication. The demand for AI skills has grown steadily, but so has the demand for soft skills, which remain essential."
