The moment, where asking people to work in exchange for money is called punishment, we have failed as a society.

People that are for a long time on unemployment have a hard time to get back on the market. By forcing them to work few hours here and there in exchange for benefits forces them to leave houses and actually do something instead of sitting in front of TV. It mobilizes them. And it serves public as they will work jobs that benefit everyone. So instead of taxing rich and giving handouts, rich could see this as an investment in better tomorrow and be more willing to pay up.