# Being In This Together By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-05-07 The quality of the work environment is potentially influenced by how far removed those in charge are from the actual work. In the guild system, the master and apprentice worked next to each other. Whereas one could reasonably expect that an apprentice would do many or most of the dirtiest, grueling tasks, there were limits to how divergent the work could be. Both master and apprentice worked in the same area. If it was oppressively hot or cold, the master was subject to the same misery. If the pace were too fast, the master would work alongside the apprentice and suffer. For better or worse, much of the work environment an apprentice was subjected to, the master was subjected to as well. In the capitalist wage-labor system, this is not the case. Those running a factory or office are likely far removed from the work environment. It is not unreasonable to think the person owning the company may have never been in many of the areas in which work is accomplished. If unity is more than rhetorical, the top and bottom must share the work experience. Being in this together requires awareness and empathy unless one is open to extreme abstractions. The environment in which work is executed influences how one experiences it. Solidarity can’t be rhetorical. It either exists or it doesn’t. Humans are social animals. Unity does not require sameness but requires empathetic action to benefit those who work in the lowest positions. Determining if the work environment contributes to the worker’s dignity is important. Some jobs require working in a largely inhospitable environment. In those cases, consideration of shift duration and breaks should be designed to counterbalance aspects that cannot be improved. If we are truly in this together, we should focus on improving things from the bottom up rather than the top down. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Environment]] [[Capitalism]] [[Progress]] [[Solidarity]] [[Society]]