Do I Belong or am I Alienated?

We all know that work is a place we go to cover our basic living needs. During our working periods, we also get to meet our colleagues, interact with each other and meet different people every time.

To maintain a smooth workflow of work, we see processes, procedures, instructions and guidelines. Our performance is measured. Our art of teaching is put in boxes to standardize the teaching practice among the different institutions. Our assessment tasks are monitored and supervised closely to assure we meet the standard criteria set by the institution.

However,we are missing an important element here. Our humanity. Our sense to belong. Our individual need to create and improve our work. It hurts when you see an individual with lots of energy and enthusiasm is advised to sit back and focus on the job description tasks. It is sad when the employees receive signs from the work culture that say: Keep quite. Do what you are told. Just do your job and go home.

Especially referring to a work context where the pressure is to the roof. Rarely the staff get to meet or gather collectively. They would meet either in the restrooms or in the lobbies where we are rushing going to our classes.

We humans have a strong need to belong, to relate and express ourselves. But if the working conditions like the interaction space, the communication approach and the management philosophy don't fulfill the humanity needs, we all will remain alienated and distanced from each other.

At the end, work is not just work. It's not just to receive a monthly paycheck. It's not something we barely swallow to arrive the retirement point. It's art. We are still humans. With all these work process and measurements, we still interact, engage and relate with each other with full of grace and spacious.