Publication Type
News Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
6-2025
Abstract
In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Philosophy Matthew Hammerton opined that "workism" – finding meaning and identity in one’s job – should not be dismissed outright. He distinguished it from "statusism," which ties self-worth to social hierarchy and often leads to competition and misplaced values. In contrast, non-competitive workism can promote collaboration and meaningful engagement. While acknowledging concerns that workism may lead to imbalance or risk, he cautioned against pathologising the choice of those who derive deep fulfilment from their work.
Keywords
workism, hustle culture, status
Discipline
Philosophy
Research Areas
Humanities
Publication
Straits Times
First Page
1
Last Page
1
ISSN
1692-9344
Publisher
Singapore Press holdings
Citation
HAMMERTON, Matthew, "‘Workism’ isn’t the enemy" (2025). Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 4222.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4222
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4222
Copyright Owner and License
Author
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.