Beyond the Bottom Line: The Search for Dignity at Work

From Booklist
Despite the recent economic boom and record-high employment, there has also been a strong undercurrent of worker discontent. Rayman's thoughtful argument suggests why. The "bottom line" for Rayman, director of Harvard University's Radcliffe Public Policy Institute, an organization devoted to researching work restructuring and the relationships between work and family and community, cannot be found on a balance sheet. Instead, it is the achievement of dignity and self-respect at work--a way to earn a decent livelihood, a chance to balance work and family, and an opportunity to contribute to the larger society. She argues that two factors undermine the quest for dignity: the American "overemphasis on [personal] autonomy" and the global economy, which, she says, creates a never-ending cycle of overwork and pressured consumption. Rayman chronicles personal stories and historical trends to document her case, and she profiles the banking and biotechnology industries to chart emblematic changes in the workplace. Rayman's goal is to sound a "wake-up call to explore the costs of doing business as usual--for ourselves, for our families, for our society." David Rouse
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Book Description
Why do so many Americans-working harder and longer and with less security than ever before-question the price of success demanded by today's hot-wired economy? Can you work and still have a life? Paula Rayman says, is yes. In this timely book, she offers a powerful blueprint for transforming the world of work, family, and community that is the downside of our relentlessly competitive culture. In this much-needed wake-up call to corporate America, Rayman shows why companies must go beyond the bottom line to survive and thrive.

Drawing on her experience as a leading advocate for a more responsive workplace, she demonstrates how companies can organize for profit, productivity, and the desire of workers for a more rewarding quality of life. In a win-win agenda for changing outmoded organizations, she demonstrates convincingly that all successful transformations create workplaces that respect the need for dignity: security, self-respect, and the time and freedom to care for family and community.


About the Author
Paula Rayman is Director of the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute at Harvard University. She is regularly invited to the White House to participate on committes and panels that examine and recommend policy regarding the workplace and family. She is very well connected and experienced with television and radio interviews.



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Rayman analyzes why it's in employers' best interests to look past short-range numbers and provide a workplace that's more responsive to workers as well as their families and communities. Her study discusses the reality of employees' lives behind the facade of the global economy, from deepening wage gaps to 60-hour work weeks to chronic job insecurity and inadequate health care. Through anecdotes and statistics as well as case studies of firms in biotechnology and banking, she provides ideas for creating workplaces where self- respect, security, and social responsibility are seen not as costs, but as fundamental elements of success. Rayman directs the Radcliffe Public Policy Center, Harvard. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)


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