A few months ago El País, the most read newspaper of Spain, published a long report on the phenomenon that has been negatively marking the world of work for a few years: burn-out, a term that describes a “burned” person from their work, not a specific professional category, but transversally, various categories, from the architect, to the saleswoman, passing through the worker. A phenomenon that arises from several aspects and does not depend directly on how heavy or not its profession is, because it does not only affect fatigue or stress.
To deepen this aspect, I spoke with two professionals in the sector, Eleonora Caforio, work psychologist and coach, and Sara Labanti, trainer, four -handed authors of “If work steals your soul” (Mimesis, 262 pages € 22), a very complete and interesting essay that he faces, collecting many testimonies, this “illness” that undermines professional lives. And for the occasion I interviewed the two author, in their literal debut who, last May presented their work at the last Salone of the Turin book.
Where does the need to write this book come about?
“It comes from four hands but from a single intention: that of giving voice to a widespread discomfort and, at the same time, open a space for authentic reflection on the sense of work today. Both, as professionals and consultants, have experienced the dysfunctions of the contemporary working system and the malaise that often generates firsthand. And from this shared experience the idea of transforming the questions we wore in, how “what is happening?”, “What are we missing?” And “How can we find balance and meaning?”, In a story capable of involving anyone who works “.
Reading is very smooth and pleasant, it doesn’t look like an essay.
«We didn’t want to write a theoretical essay but build a choral story. For this reason, the book collects true stories, plural voices and different perspectives, restoring complexity and humanity to the theme of work. The preface, entrusted to Davide d’Ambrogio, and the appendix of Luciano Manicardi further enrich this dialogue, intertwining different but complementary visions: the popular and the spiritual one, that of the manager and that of the monk. At the center of the text there is a common urgency: overcome the dominant paradigm made only of performance and productivity, and return to a job that does not empty us, but reflects us.
A job that is space of freedom and growth. It is time to rethink the work, not only as what we do, but as a place to find ourselves, transform and contribute authenticly ».
Why this title?
“When we say that the work” steals the soul “, we do not refer only to stress or tiredness, but to a deeper form of emptying: the one that reduces us to roles, numbers, performance. It is the paradox of a system in which you no longer work to live, but you live to work. In this reversal we lose contact with who we are, confusing our value with what we produce or how visible we are ».
The work, which should be a space of growth, thus risks becoming a place of dehumanization. In the book we explore the multiple forms of work discomfort-burn-out, psychological insecurity, toxic relationships, distorted narratives on success and failure-and the way in which these mechanisms undermine our inner freedom ».
Also face the spiritual side.
“We felt, in fact, the need to return to speak of” soul “, understood as a profound nucleus of the self, what gives meaning and direction to our life. Because in the work we pour dreams, passions, but also fears and fragility. And when the work oppresses us, it is not just the body that gives way: it is the soul that suffers. In the text we recover the original meaning of “cure of the soul”, inspired by the philosophical tradition. In the text, readers are also invited to recognize that there is another type of work: the invisible, slow and non -measurable one. It does not produce profit, but generates meaning. It does not chains us to time, but transforms it. It makes us flourish, not only to work. It is of this work – more human, authentic, transformative – that today we have urgent need. A job that is also cure, relationship and vocation ».
What role does desire play in this book? And why is it so important to return to listen to it, even in the working context?
«Desire is the red thread that crosses the whole book, because it moves the focus of our working life from the theme of performance to that of the meaning. We are not talking about desire as a whim or individualistic ambition, but as a transformative, profound and original force that moves life, it directs the choices, offers direction to acting and allows you to live the work as an expression space and not only of production. In a world of work that often gets used to reactivity, survival or simple adjustment, returning to listen to one’s desire means to regain possession of the direction.
In the book, desire is what allows us to make discernment: it helps us to distinguish what corresponds to us from what has been imposed on us from cultural models, external expectations or predefined roles. It is a call to authenticity, not to settle for working, but to live the work as a space in which to grow, contribute, transform themselves ».
But how do you return the desire to work, reserve of one’s work?
«In the working context, recovering desire is a revolutionary act: it means recognizing that people are not only resources to optimize, but subjects capable of vision and creativity. And it also means remembering that no true innovation was born from sterile duty: it arises from those who are moved by a passion, from an inner urgency, to a desire. With this in mind, desire is not only personal: it is a powerful generator of organizational culture.
Eleonora Caforio and Sara Labanti, authors of the book presented at the last Turin Book Fair.
The companies that know how to cultivate it – through spaces of listening, autonomy, care and trust – are those that allow people to express their best, free and generative way. And right there, where desire can find voice, the future of work is born: more human, more authentic, more alive ».
Why read this book? What kind of change would you like to inspire?
«This book was born with a double purpose: on the one hand, helping people find an authentic balance in their professional life; on the other, offer tools to build a more human work culture, based on the real needs of people. Work and organizations do not exist without people: it is their relationships, emotions and inner resources that give life to everything else.
For this reason, on an individual level, the book invites to exercise discernment, to distinguish what belongs to us from what has been imposed on us, and to rediscover a space of transformation and truth in the work. Even in rigid contexts, there is always a possibility: to choose. And choosing means to remain faithful to what really moves us. On the collective level, we propose a radically human vision of work ».
It would take a little more humanity against the inhumanity of many jobs.
«Humanizing is not a luxury, but an urgent and strategic necessity.
It means creating environments where you can not only produce, but also grow, contribute, feel seen and valued.
It means making concrete values such as inclusion, trust, autonomy and care.
In the book we tell stories of companies that have already taken this path, integrating technology, well -being and active listening.
They are realities that have understood a simple but powerful truth: people’s well -being is the real key to sustainability and success.
As the economist Ha-Joon Chang says, investing in people is a forward-looking, not only ethical strategy. The future of work is human. And those who choose to travel this direction can generate lasting value – for people, for organizations, for the world ».