Theodore Zeldin has been named 'one of the forty world figures whose ideas are likely to have a lasting relevance to the new millennium' and 'one of Britain's leading intellects'. His books Conversation and An Intimate History of Humanity are international bestsellers.
How people spend their time is the most important thing to them. Business is about buying and selling time. You
have sold your time for a certain amount of money each day. Are you using your time for the
best advantage? That is the big question.
So we really have to think again about how people work and whether they should spend all their time doing very stupid jobs which they do just for the money, not because they like it, or because it makes them better people. The main problem is how you spend your time.
So we really have to think again about how people work and whether they should spend all their time doing very stupid jobs which they do just for the money, not because they like it, or because it makes them better people. The main problem is how you spend your time.
How do you think we can reinvent the work so that people feel satisfied and find meaning in their jobs?
I think increasingly people who are being educated are developing new ambitions and new aspirations about how they want to spend their life. A third or half want a steady job just in order to have security and I accept that. But there are people who want more adventure, want to see many countries, want to have many different experiences.
What I want in businesses is that they should take account of the fact that they're going to have more and more difficulty in recruiting energetic and inventive people who are going to prefer to go into startups or to go to small organizations. I remember I talked to the CEO of one of Britain's biggest companies and he said he no longer interviews candidates, they interview him. Because they say: "Will you give us two months holiday? Will you let us go here? Will you let us travel? If not, we're not interested in you".
I think increasingly people who are being educated are developing new ambitions and new aspirations about how they want to spend their life. A third or half want a steady job just in order to have security and I accept that. But there are people who want more adventure, want to see many countries, want to have many different experiences.
What I want in businesses is that they should take account of the fact that they're going to have more and more difficulty in recruiting energetic and inventive people who are going to prefer to go into startups or to go to small organizations. I remember I talked to the CEO of one of Britain's biggest companies and he said he no longer interviews candidates, they interview him. Because they say: "Will you give us two months holiday? Will you let us go here? Will you let us travel? If not, we're not interested in you".
So there will be eventually a movement by young
people. They have the capacity to choose the kind of work they want and to move between different
occupations. But if we're going to live 100 years, are you going to spend 100 years doing the same thing?
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