Invisible Worker The Unseen Cost of Bad Jobs (and Who Pays for It) with Zeynep Ton
The "Invisible Worker," who powers society, is often trapped in bad jobs lacking dignity and fair pay. MIT's Professor Zeynep Ton unveils her Good Jobs System, showing how operational choices—like cross-training and slack—create high productivity and dignity. She argues that making service jobs the next middle class jobs is an urgent necessity.
Notes from our host, Emily Trant:
Has a business book ever moved you to tears? I had to reach for the tissues more than once when I read Zeynep Ton’s book, The Case for Good Jobs. The human impact of her work is powerful. As a Professor of Practice at MIT Sloan and the President of the Good Jobs Institute, she has spent over two decades proving that treating workers well isn't just "nice"; it’s a competitive necessity. She has worked with the businesses you love to go to, like Sam’s Club, and helped make their workers love being there just as much as the customers.
Zeynep is everything you could hope for in a podcast guest. She is a powerhouse of operational expertise who speaks with incredible empathy and clarity about why our current labor system is failing so many. Thank you so much, Zeynep, for joining me to discuss how we can bring dignity and meaning to everyone's work.
Useful resources we discuss on the show:
- The Good Jobs Institute: Explore their mission to convert 10 million "bad jobs" into good ones by 2027.
- Learn more here: https://goodjobsinstitute.org/
- The Case for Good Jobs: Zeynep’s latest book, which serves as both a rallying cry and a blueprint for organizational change.
- Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Good-Jobs-Companies-Everyones/dp/1647824176
- The Economic Policy Institute (EPI): For data on wage standards and the 26 million workers earning less than $17 per hour.
- Get more information here: https://www.epi.org/
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