Why does so much “modern work” feel hollow, even when the pay is good and the office is polished? In this episode of The Long Game: Civilization & Work, Gregory Sparzo explores why contemporary workplaces so often drain meaning and agency out of people’s lives. Drawing on decades of experience in consulting, governance, and institutional design, he looks beneath surface fixes like perks and engagement programs to the deeper structures that make work feel existentially vacant. Along the way, he connects this emptiness to how boards govern, how leaders frame purpose, and how our economic systems define value—laying groundwork for the Humane Universe series and a different way of designing work.