‘My selfish need to do good’: The solutionist work ethic in Czech emerging ethical enterprises

Sociology has long treated the work ethic as a key lens for analysing the ideological shifts of capitalism. Drawing on ethnographic research in emerging ethical enterprises in the Czech Republic, this article explores work subjectivity and attachment to work among novice ethical entrepreneurs and employees, termed the ‘solutionist work ethic’ (Morozov, 2013; Nachtwey & Seidl, 2020). The study examines the internal logics and contradictions of this ethic by analysing how shifting capitalist norms and values are lived and negotiated by working subjects. It further explores the solutionist ethic’s effects on dynamics between employers and employees and on their career trajectories. In particular, it considers the resilience of ethical businesses and the role of the solutionist work ethic in sustaining them in challenging times. While providing insight into the exploitative nature of the solutionist work ethic, the article also challenges the notion that workers can seamlessly transform into capitalists.