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From the Greeks to H. Arendt, work is seen as an alienating submission to necessity, whether natural or social. But this is true for S. Weil only if work, paradoxically, is denied in its truth, which consists in an act of revelation of the reality of the world, of the creative power of the subject, and of cooperation between human beings. This prohibits its reduction to a set of means opposed to ends, and thus makes it possible to integrate work into what the ancients called “primary philosophy.” From the anthropology of giving to “critical studies” in management, this perspective links up with many dimensions of contemporary thinking in ergonomics, economics, and social sciences. It breaks away from the opposition between “private” and “public” or “work” and “action,” and pays attention to the many current actions and strategies for the co-construction of the common good, often based on partnerships between companies and their territories.