Column Saskia Stender: Working without fuss

They were just there, back in the day. The men with rolled-up sleeves and the women who kept everything running without complaint. No working from home, no coaching sessions, no talk of balance or purpose. They worked because they had to. Because food had to be put on the table—and that table was often hand-made too.

At the Open Air Museum on May 22, you’ll get a glimpse of how things used to be. No health and safety advice, no ergonomic chairs, no Friday drinks. Just work. Show up on time, get the job done, no fuss. Sure, it had its downsides. No safety net, no say in decision-making, little appreciation. But there was a kind of pride in the trade. In finishing what you started.

Now we see something different. Generations negotiating time off before they’ve even started. Looking for work that ‘fits who they are.’ And that’s a good thing, of course. Who wants unhappy colleagues? But it can rub the wrong way. Like when someone describes a deadline as ‘more of a suggestion.’ Or when a meeting takes longer than the actual work it was meant to generate.

Still, it’s not just nostalgia. We’ve grown more aware of people—what they need to do their jobs well. But… have we lost it a little along the way? The sense that work is also just something you do. Not something to endlessly discuss or pile conditions on.

Maybe this May, we shouldn’t only be looking at the old clotheslines and steam engines. But also at that quiet, steady work ethic you’ll never find in a job ad—but everyone recognises when they see it.

Saskia Stender
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