This analysis follows on from the observation that work plays a less central role in French people’s lives. Its aim is to examine the short- and long-term origins of the new relationship with work, and the way in which the experience of work is now experienced on a daily basis.
A number of hypotheses have been put forward in the media to explain employees’ disaffection with their work: lack of involvement, the cult of the individual king above all else attached to leisure activities, the emergence of a lazy society compared to previous generations, in particular the baby-boom generation already or soon to retire… While it seems legitimate to question the sources of this phenomenon in view of the profound upheavals currently sweeping through the professional sphere, these arguments are nonetheless characterized by often essentialist statements. On the other hand, it’s undeniable that the current economic climate, characterized by low unemployment and high recruitment needs, makes it easier to “find a job across the street”, as Emmanuel Macron put it. But is it just as easy to feel good at work, and to project yourself into it once you’ve crossed the threshold?
