There was a piece on the Guardian recently that suggested that we’d all be happier if we cared less about our jobs.

I can see the logic: clock in, do as much as it takes to get by, don’t let the work get to you, clock out and don’t give it another thought. You’ll be less stressed, ergo you’ll be happier.

Except: bollocks.

A lot of us spend a lot of our lives at work. It seems deeply odd to me that you’d choose not to care about something that you do for eight, 10, 14 hours a day (although I imagine if you don’t care about what you’re doing, you’re probably not spending 14 hours in the office, somehow).

In an office where you get on with the people you’re working with, it seems odd to me that you’d do your colleagues, your boss and your team the disservice of not caring about what you’re doing. If everyone else does care, and is putting in their best to win the new business, to get the project off the ground, to provide the best service, then you’re letting everyone down by not pulling your weight. I sure as hell wouldn’t want you on my team - in any capacity.

And it certainly seems odd to me that we wouldn’t want people to care about what they do. I want my firefighters to care about whether they get the family out of the burning house; my Government ministers to care about the real-world effects of their polices; my surgeons to care whether they save the lives of the people on their tables.

I care deeply about my job. I care about my colleagues. I care about my performance and whether I’m doing my best - because I care about the outcomes. I’m also lucky enough to love my job. I know that I’m spending my working hours doing something that’s important to me - and that makes me pretty happy.

Yes, I find it stressful - consciously, in the moments I’m under pressure, and at an unconscious level, as I find it increasingly difficult to properly detach. But I’d far rather be in that situation, surrounded by colleagues who also all care about what we’re doing - and try to find ways to manage the stress.

Life isn’t about apathy. What you put in, you get back out. Don’t half-arse it.