Working: What We Do All Day

For some, it’s a paycheck. For others, it’s a calling.

Working: What We Do All Day is a docuseries narrated by Barack Obama that explores the meaning of work for modern Americans in a time of rapid change.

One of Obama’s favorite books was Working, written by Studs Terkel in 1974. Terkel did exactly what Obama does in this series: he talks to people about their jobs and how they feel about them. What makes a “good” job good? The show follows workers in home care, tech, and hospitality, giving viewers an inside look at the challenges workers face.

“We may not think about it, but we’re all a part of something larger than any single one of us,” Obama says in the series. “Work is one of the forces that connects us.”

Obama doesn’t shy away from how tough it has been for people to even reach a middle-class existence, given the rising costs of housing, healthcare, food, and other necessities. “As a society, we get to decide what life looks like for working people. He gives an inspiring speech, saying, “We can make those jobs better or we can make them worse. We can give them more dignity or less.”

While Working explores compelling ideas and issues about labor and work, the real heart of the story are the people featured in each episode, their individual motivations for doing the work they do, and their hopes for their futures.

Watch the four-part docuseries on Netflix.