The popular adage that you'll never work a day in your life if you find a job you love is facing a serious challenge. New academic research suggests this well-meaning ideal can backfire, creating a culture of guilt, burnout, and moral judgement in the workplace.
The Moral Burden of Passion
Mijeong Kwon, an assistant professor of management at Rice University in Texas, has warned that the dream of loving your career has become a compulsive expectation for many. In an article for The Conversation, she explained that working for traditional reasons like money, prestige, or family obligation is now often viewed as less admirable, or even suspect.
Her research, which surveyed 1,200 employees, found a troubling trend. Those who work primarily for the love of their job were significantly more likely to believe everyone else should share their motivation. They also tended to see other motives, such as working for pay or recognition, as morally inferior.
"At first glance, treating love for work as a virtue seems to offer nothing but benefits," Kwon said. "If a job's mission is personally meaningful, you may persist through challenges because quitting could feel like betraying an ideal."
From Joy to Duty: The Path to Burnout
However, this virtuous outlook carries a hidden cost. Kwon argues that when intrinsic motivation morphs from a joy into a moral duty, workers can feel profound guilt for not constantly adoring their work.
Normal workplace emotions like boredom, fatigue, or temporary disengagement can prompt feelings of moral failure and self-blame. Over time, this internal pressure can directly contribute to burnout, as employees remain in unsustainable roles out of a sense of guilt rather than genuine fulfilment.
This mindset also distorts career decisions. By idealising the concept of a 'dream job' during applications, candidates may overlook crucial practical needs like job security, stability, and a healthy work-life balance. Conversely, an unrealistic standard can cause people to leave a position too hastily when the initial passion fades or reality fails to meet expectations.
Creating Workplace Division and AI's Looming Shadow
The moralisation of work passion doesn't just affect individuals; it can fracture teams. "While inspiring on the surface, this approach can alienate employees who work for more pragmatic reasons," Kwon added. She warns that over time, this breeds tension and conflict, as some team members are celebrated as "true believers" while others are quietly marginalised. Expressing love for one's work can become a strategic commodity—another way to get ahead.
"In a culture where 'do what you love' has become a moral commandment, remembering that it's not the be-all and end-all reason to work may be the most moral stance of all," she concluded.
This research intersects with broader anxieties about the future of work. In a separate warning, leading AI expert Kai-Fu Lee stated that half of all current jobs could be taken over by artificial intelligence within the next 15 years, a crisis he compares to the displacement of farmers during the industrial revolution. While AI excels in many areas, Lee notes it cannot replicate human creativity, complex strategic planning, empathy, or compassion—traits that may become even more valuable.
The pressure to love one's work is further compounded by another phenomenon: career embeddedness. A previous study found that people who hate their jobs but feel unable to leave become too 'embedded' due to perks, community ties, and a sense of obligation. This often leads them to prioritise group interests over their own happiness, a situation some employers may exploit to retain staff.
