The Crisis of Work

Work is shaping not only our livelihoods but also our identities, relationships, and place in society. Yet the ways we work, the value we attach to work, and the conditions under which we work are undergoing profound change. This project explores the crisis of work as a challenge that reaches across all areas of life, affecting individuals and societies alike. By examining its underlying causes, consequences, and emerging responses, it seeks to make sense of these transformations, highlight the challenges they pose, and open up new perspectives on how we might rethink work and its role in our lives.

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Trust has been exhausted | Multi-level marketing and relationships © Tetiana Kostyk

Trust has been exhausted | Multi-level marketing and relationships

Would you like to be your own boss? Escape the rat race? Set your own hours, earn passive income and finally own your dream car? The path to achieving this is very simple. It’ll only cost you a few contacts – and some broken friendships. JÁDU writer Ariana Emminghaus on her encounters with a dubious business model.

  • Author: Ariana Emminghaus
  • Medium: JÁDU
  • Original title: Vertrauensvorschuss verbraucht: Multi-Level-Marketing und Beziehungen
  • Culture and Identity

A protest © Andrea Kalinová

Anger and frustration won’t be enough

The article reflects on precarious work in Slovak theatres and asks whether artistic labour still offers basic dignity. It traces the rise and decline of theatre unions after 1989, describing strikes, failed reforms, and shrinking collective bargaining power. The author argues that only renewed union organizing—including freelancers—can resist layoffs, exploitation, and worsening conditions.

  • Author: Jakub Molnár
  • Medium: Kapitál
  • Original title: Nebude stačiť nasrdenosť a frustrácia
  • Culture and Identity

Protest © Andrea Kalinová

The Theater Artist as a Laboratory for the New Economy of Work

This essay examines how theatre has become a testing ground for today’s precarious labour economy. It argues that artistic freedom has been reshaped into self-exploitation through freelancing, constant availability, and neoliberal work ideals. Combining philosophy, labour history, and contemporary examples, it calls for fairer working conditions, stronger collective action, and sustainable cultural policies.

  • Author: Jakub Molnár
  • Medium: Kapitál
  • Original title: Divadelník ako laboratórium novej ekonomiky práce
  • Culture and Identity

Theatre workers on a stage © Marek Jančúch

Care as a New Labor Policy

The article argues that better working conditions in European theatre require a culture of care, shared responsibility and institutional change. It proposes four steps: protecting workers’ wellbeing, redistributing power, increasing transparency and building shared sector-wide institutions, presenting theatre as a possible model for fairer work practices.

  • Author: Jakub Molnár
  • Medium: Kapitál
  • Original title: Starostlivosť ako nová politika práce
  • Culture and Identity

Food © Maria Lin Kim via Unsplash | CC0 1.0

Speed at any cost?

What defines the modern way of grocery shopping through delivery services? The story of the Czech online supermarket Rohlík.cz explores the fine line between rapid success, bold expansion, and justified criticism from its employees.

  • Author: Tereza Chaloupková
  • Medium: Jádu
  • Original title: Rychlost za každou cenu?
  • Global Social Transformations

A Dj working Koncert v Hideparku, Nitra | © Peter Bednár

“We Create Value, and the State Doesn’t Care”

In Slovakia, a unique local phenomenon had emerged: independent cultural centres bringing art and diverse, cross-genre programmes to even small towns. Their work was made possible in part by a functioning system of public funding. Today, however, they are fighting for survival.

  • Author: Jana Čavojská
  • Medium: Jádu
  • Original title: „Vytvárame hodnoty. A štát to nezaujíma.“
  • Culture and Identity