dubious
Work is becoming too important for it to be of dubious quality. Work is a community, the place where we meet friends and form relationships, a provider of our social as well as our work life.
Noun
a sign that shows the condition or existence of something
indicator
One in three of us meets most of our friends through work, two-thirds of us have dated someone at work, and a quarter of us meet our life partners there. Work is also becoming a more important indicator of identity.
robust
Family, class, region, and religion are now less robust indicators, and work is filling the gap, making it the most important fact about ourselves we mention when we meet people.
futility
'Work,' as Albert Einstein said, 'is the only thing that gives substance to life.' The shift of work towards the centre of our lives demonstrates the futility of much of the current debates about 'work/life balance'.
reflect
The people who work more than sixty hours a week are the ones who say they like their jobs the most. This may seem surprising, until you reflect that people who like something might do more of it than people who do not.
Verb
to use or give something for a specific purpose
invest
Of course, this leaves open the question of who keeps the home fires burning and of the impact on children especially. It may be that people are choosing to invest less time and energy at home than others think they should.
valid
If certain people get more out of their work than they do out of their home, then perhaps this is a clear and valid choice for people to be making.