In economic theory, the relationship between working/earning decisions and consumption/lifestyle decisions has been conceptualised in an almost entirely unidirectional manner: income from work taken as a given governs consumption and so lifestyle. This involves a narrowly inaccurate view of the consumption–work interaction. The purpose of this paper is to argue that this economist’s way of thinking about consumption and work needs to be replaced by a conception in which not only does realised income determine one’s consumption possibilities but also the desired level of consumption is itself a choice and a key determinant of how and how much one decides to work.,The paper is designed as a conceptual contribution in which the above insight is linked to the extensive literature on sustainability.,When consumption is no longer thought of as determined by a given income constraint, it becomes possible to consider how people by modifying their consumption aspirations may be led not only to work less or differently but also to live and consume in a more sustainable manner. As a result of lesser pressure to work ever more, they may also be led to an ethical reappraisal of the way they work.,The conceptualisation suggested is rich in implications for future research, for example, on links between consumerism and corruption; and on the impact of more ethical work choices on well-being. There is an implicit critique of much of HRM theory and practice which tends to instrumentalise work. The implications of artificial intelligence for future work are noted and, in this context, are surprisingly positive. The macro level implication of the need to move away from gross domestic product to more appropriate measures of socio-economic performance and well-being such as Social Progress Index (SPI) are noted.,The link between this widened conceptualisation of the consumption–work decision and the notion of voluntary simplicity is explored in detail and the latter is shown to apply also to the types of work/job chosen. This in turn is shown to have implications for management (especially HR) practice and for government policies both at micro and macro levels.,This carries clear implications for work-life balance in people’s daily lives; and by choosing more ethical ways of working or types of job, there may be a significant pro-social impact.,This paper points to a widening of the notion of voluntary simplicity beyond merely consumption choices to apply also to work choices. In the discussion of moral philosophical underpinning of voluntary simplicity, the link is made with Buddhist wisdom of the Middle Way and sufficiency economy and with the Golden Mean of Stoicism.

中文翻译：

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你赚到你的生活，你的价值

在经济理论中，工作/收入决定和消费/生活方式决定之间的关系几乎完全以单向方式概念化：工作收入作为既定条件决定消费和生活方式。这涉及对消费-工作相互作用的狭隘不准确的看法。本文的目的是论证这位经济学家关于消费和工作的思考方式需要被一种观念所取代，在这种观念中，实现收入不仅决定了一个人的消费可能性，而且期望的消费水平本身就是一种选择和关键。决定工作方式和工作量的决定因素。这篇论文被设计为一种概念性贡献，其中上述见解与关于可持续性的广泛文献相关联。当消费不再被认为是由给定的收入限制决定时，就有可能考虑如何通过改变人们的消费愿望不仅可以减少工作或以不同的方式工作，而且可以以更可持续的方式生活和消费。由于工作压力越来越小，他们也可能会重新评估他们的工作方式。所建议的概念化对未来的研究具有丰富的意义，例如，消费主义与腐败之间的联系；以及更合乎道德的工作选择对幸福感的影响。对许多倾向于工具化工作的 HRM 理论和实践存在隐含的批评。人工智能对未来工作的影响得到了关注，在这种情况下，它出人意料地积极。注意到需要从国内生产总值转向更合适的社会经济绩效和福祉指标（例如社会进步指数（SPI））的宏观层面含义。这种扩大的消费-工作概念化之间的联系详细探讨了自愿简单的概念，并表明后者也适用于所选择的工作/工作类型。这反过来又被证明对管理（尤其是人力资源）实践以及微观和宏观层面的政府政策都有影响。这对人们日常生活中的工作与生活平衡具有明显的影响；通过选择更合乎道德的工作方式或工作类型，可能会产生重大的亲社会影响。这篇论文指出，自愿简单的概念从单纯的消费选择扩展到也适用于工作选择。在关于自律的道德哲学基础的讨论中，与佛教的中道和充足经济的智慧以及斯多葛主义的中庸之道建立了联系。