[A Sip of Books] In the Netherlands, They Don’t ‘Work Like Cows’

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

This is a liberation essay aimed at guaranteeing happy labor rights for office workers and improving unfair treatment. It succinctly combines the Netherlands' 'labor standards,' 'work philosophy,' and 'life philosophy,' ranked first in labor satisfaction and sixth in global happiness index. The author, who has seen countless office worker friends suffering from indigestion, gastritis, and migraines, found a clue to end that pain only after going to the Netherlands. Dutch people are the happiest workers in the world, thanks to their 'logical way of thinking' and 'practical attitude.' "Is it okay to work like this?" "Can we work more boldly and more enjoyably?" Though seemingly simple, this book slowly revisits the 'sustainable way of working' that we have so easily overlooked.

From a young age, Dutch people, accustomed to expressing clear opinions, consider debates very natural. What looks like 'quarreling' to my eyes is actually seen by the parties involved as 'discussion.' They simply express their thoughts fully. They constantly debate and express their opinions. Sometimes heated arguments occur, but they respect others' opinions and maintain an open mind, so in the end, most often it concludes with a friendly compromise such as "You are right. I will follow your opinion!" or "I want option A, and you want option B, so let's go with option C."

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Though Dutch people have a straightforward personality, there are things to avoid at work. Especially, showing off status or acting arrogantly is foolish behavior. In Dutch workplaces, being older, having longer experience, or holding a higher position does not grant greater authority. Because the system is simple and flat, and there are no accounting staff who just bring cars or answer phones, regardless of position, everyone pours their own coffee and makes their own copies. <68 pages>

We Don't Work Like Oxen | Written by Lin Zaoyi | Translated by Heo Yuyeong | Happy Book Club | 280 pages | 17,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.