What Is Anti-work All About? Exploring the Meanings Behind Hostility towards Work

The growing disenchantment with working careers – commonly referred to as the ‘anti-work’ sentiment – has emerged as a form of critique of the current economic system. However, this phenomenon remains under-explored, particularly with regard to the subjective meaning of hostility towards work. This article proposes a conceptual map of the themes related to anti-work from the workers’ perspective, drawing on an empirical study of content posted within the most prominent virtual community discussing anti-work. The findings reveal that a complex network of themes underpins the idea of anti-work. They also highlight that a significant portion of these themes reflects workers’ perceived need for recognition – not only through a fair wage but also through meaningful acknowledgement in the workplace – rather than an idealistic notion of being ‘liberated’ from work.