Wilson’s The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Do you ever feel like your job isn’t as fulfilling as you thought it would be? Maybe you feel undervalued/underpaid by your boss? Or maybe you wish you worked at a place where you could express your opinions, inputs and disagreements without fear of judgement or repercussions? 

If you’ve felt like this, then we have the book for you. 

Published in 1955, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit explores the personal and professional life of Tom Rath. Back from fighting a world war, Tom quits his rewarding job at an NGO for a better paying corporate one in New York City.

Although motivated by his desire to provide for his family, he soon starts to regret this decision. He begins to grapple with the unreasonable demands of his new position; where blind ambition, social expectations, self-censorship and performing menial tasks don’t sit well with his sense of morality and his need for fulfilling work.

And it’s in the midst of this conflict between financial security and personal-fulfillment that the book explores how much we pay for a better pay.  

Whether it’s the overbearing boss, the unstimulating workload or the consequences of nonconformity, Tom’s experience is one that’s as relatable as it’s familiar. For his is the type of work life that has couched itself comfortably between job dissatisfaction, career insecurity and performed gratitude.

Where the employee’s self-esteem and success aren’t tied to their actual performance of meaningful work. Instead, they’re determined by how much the employee appears to conform to the immediate needs, contradictory values and unrelenting hierarchy of their organization. 

To that end, Wilson’s clarity and creativity when engaging with these themes makes this book a must read for us Ethiopians. For our desire for financial security comes at a hefty price. Especially since we continue to equate education with financial security, success with external validation and independence with borderline insubordination. 

And given that we’re in the midst of a national unemployment crisis, we’re routinely discouraged from voicing our occupational discontents. Instead, we’re asked questions like: 

Isn’t being underemployed much better than not being employed at all? Isn’t having a controlling and insensitive boss better than not earning a living? Isn’t having an unstimulating workload better than not working? 

And it’s because of this fear of losing what we already have that we do what we do. We give in.

We cover our career insecurities and personal dissatisfaction with the compliant smile, the feigned agreeability and the performative gratitude that is expected of an up-and-coming employee. 

Which is why The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is not only a must-read for the Ethiopian professional; it’s also a befitting metaphor. For what better way is there to mask our dissatisfaction than to put on our well-tailored symbol for success, respectability and stoic professionalism?