Ten years out from “The Problem With Work,” the theorist Kathi Weeks considers the current labor crisis, “essential” jobs, and post-pandemic futures

You might think I work outside the U.S., beyond the reach of our labor laws. You’d be wrong.

We live in a work-obsessed country that, at least according to the film and television we binge, hates work more than anything.

An exploration of how we work, why we work, and when we might stop

Imagine a version of the U.S. that is not a global destabilizer and coercive magnet for those fleeing that destabilization. Imagine a world of movement for pleasure.

Why are workers being called back for nonessential work in the middle of a pandemic? Because their bosses can get away with it.

Rather than focus on normalizing weeping on the job, why not just make jobs suck less?

If the company wants to make good on its long-abandoned motto, it may have to rely on its workers.

What the troubled history of telecommuting tells us about its future

In the face of a nonexistent safety net and bleak future prospects, the F.I.R.E movement and other individualized paths to financial mastery offer a specific brand of fantasy.

During the pandemic, a broken system for migrant laborers turned even more deadly.

How to fix a country that was already cracking up before Trump came along

As economies crater in the pandemic recession, the call to buy “handmade” local goods has gained new force. It’s not that simple.

Covid-19 rates are spiking, debts are mounting, and workers and owners are trapped in a hell of Congress’s making.

Hospital laundry workers and other nonmedical staff are facing the same dangers during the pandemic, with little recognition. It’s been a radicalizing experience.

Don’t ignore that Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation! The company’s 365 software now rates worker performance.

Covid-19 cases are surging, but enhanced compensation for frontline workers has all but dried up. Giants like Walmart and Amazon got the reputation bump; now they’ve moved on.

The ongoing national nightmare makes it clear that we need to disentangle work from basic needs like health care and housing—and then do way, way less of it.

Can the retail and service workers who have kept the country running during the pandemic remake our politics?

In a Queens plaza, food vendors talk about survival in a crisis, state neglect, and the meaning of community care.