Work is a strange and paradoxical thing. We need it, we are afraid of losing it, yet it has become more demanding and its future appears uncertain. Is this inevitable? Can our current experience of work and perceptions of the future of work get any better? Werner Eichhorst provides a fresh view on the conditions of employment and working environments, investigating the evolution of paid work and mapping out ways it may develop in the future, considering what more liveable and productive working habitats for individuals could look like. He takes a comparative perspective on job quality and quantity and labour market institutions across Europe, offering a particular focus on the Rhenish countries. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, he brings together insights from the fields of economics, sociology, political economy and psychology, alongside everyday observations to discuss the key mechanisms behind paid work. This book also demonstrates the important contribution of individuals, public policies, and firm-level HR management to encourage productive and sustainable working environments. Students and scholars of labour policy and economics, the sociology of work and organisations and political economy will greatly benefit from this incisive book. This accessible book also provides thought-provoking impulses to anyone concerned with the future of work and the individual situation at work.