Poll of the Day > Our work culture is a scam

(+) Yeah! (+)

Let's put everything we have into our soul suckling job and leave little for everything else.

I for one will not take it anymore!

I am now semi retired!

I'm transitionally employed rn

I agree. If I could talk to someone from 200 years ago and tell them I worked from 9-5 in a central location and that even if there was zero work to be done I was still contractually obligated to stay in the office until the workday is complete theyd think I was insane. Of course they wouldnt believe other things I would tell them, but they would certainly think that trading your time for money like that is a massive scam and it makes absolutely no sense to work 40 hours a week in a standardized fashion even when the amount of work that needs to be done will naturally wax and wane. Its obvious that what SHOULD matter is how competently you can complete a project, not the time spent working on the job. Modern work culture rewards dragging your feet and slowly getting things done while appearing to be busy in a clusterfuck of meetings, administrative nonsense, bureaucracy, and 20% meaningful work.

I would have no problem if it was normalized again to just get paid for a job well done and NOT for working X number of hours every week. A scam indeed.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/1/6/AACE4xAADOf4.jpg

St_Kevin posted...

Let's put everything we have into our soul suckling job and leave little for everything else.

For starters, most people barely put anything in -- at most, they put in their 40 hours (some a bit more, some a bit less). Second, most jobs aren't soul-sucking, let alone "soul suckling"

And if you don't want to work very long or very hard, move to Denmark. However, the US's work week is already below the global average.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-work-week-by-country

Look at that, USA doing better than Authoritarian regimes and third world nations!

Very nice!

zues you arent fooling anyone who has actually had a job

You reactionaries keep speaking like this and I'll report it to Chairman Biden. It is your pleasure to serve the state with your blood sweat and tears. Only the helmsman knows the way!

https://youtu.be/8c4LU-eVPwo

St_Kevin posted...

Look at that, USA doing better than Authoritarian regimes and third world nations!

Very nice!

Kevin thinks New Zealand, Poland, Ireland, and even GREECE are authoritarian regimes and third-word nations... jfc...

The USA is on the low-end for work weeks, although it's probably on the highest end for complaining about work weeks...

The_Viscount posted...

For starters, most people barely put anything in -- at most, they put in their 40 hours (some a bit more, some a bit less).

>a third of your day
>barely anything

stop it

True unless you are doing a useful trade you love.
It's not work, it's survival.

RedSox342 posted...

>a third of your day
>barely anything

stop it

lolwut? If you're looking it as 8 hours/day, that's a third of a day FIVE DAYS out of the week. However, not every job is 8 hours. You can work 10-hour shifts then get 3 days off, which can then be used productively elsewhere -- a second job, a side-hustle, continuing your education, etc.

But 40 hours a week isn't much, no. It's insane to hear people bitch about just working 40. Like wtf? Do you have a 3-hour commute or something? Because 40 by itself isn't much at all.

The_Viscount posted...

You can work 10-hour shifts then get 3 days off, which can then be used productively elsewhere -- a second job, a side-hustle

Ah yes, work longer hours so you can fit in an extra day of... working.

If everybody didnt want everything and they just lived within their means, we could all live happily and barely work at all

The_Viscount posted...

Kevin thinks New Zealand, Poland, Ireland, and even GREECE are authoritarian regimes and third-word nations... jfc...

The USA is on the low-end for work weeks, although it's probably on the highest end for complaining about work weeks...

That because Wal-Mart is a part time job you love!

I just found out I gotta work 68 hours next week

I want to freeload all day in a mansion a bunch of low wage workers built

joemodda posted...

I want to freeload all day in a mansion a bunch of low wage workers built

Well, I presume you did not force them. As long as you're not stepping on anyone's toes, I fail to see anything wrong with this.

I couldn't quite stay still though. Ehh, I'd probably live on a boat in a river (like the Great Ouse) or something. At least part of the time... Doesn't sound too compatible with gaming.

RedSox342 posted...

If I could talk to someone from 200 years ago and tell them I worked from 9-5 in a central location and that even if there was zero work to be done I was still contractually obligated to stay in the office until the workday is complete theyd think I was insane. Of course they wouldnt believe other things I would tell them, but they would certainly think that trading your time for money like that is a massive scam

someone seriously failed history class if you seriously think MFers from 200 years ago would have any sympathy for people working 40 hours a week at a job

Yeah what exactly is that guy complaining about? Working in an office 40 hours a week?

I get it - there are a lot of jobs out there people don't want to do. I happen to be one of the lucky people that loves my job. I would do my job if I weren't getting paid for fun. (At home as a hobby - not for other people) It doesn't happen instantly, I went through several careers before finding the job I enjoy.

I've worked in many different fields at many different jobs and you will only get out of a job what you put in. If you aren't trying to get better and be good at your job you aren't going to learn anything and probably won't move up the ladder. Every job you do teaches you some skills. Some relate to other careers and some don't.

VampireCoyote posted...

someone seriously failed history class if you seriously think MFers from 200 years ago would have any sympathy for people working 40 hours a week at a job

es289408 posted...

Yeah what exactly is that guy complaining about? Working in an office 40 hours a week?

Im talking about the concept of working 9-5 no matter what even though some days there is no reason to be in the office that long. To stay in an office even when its slow just because you cant punch out until 5 is dumb. If I did absolutely nothing all week because there was no work to do in the office, and next week I diligently worked my 40 hours, I would still get paid the same. Working for a set hourly wage is absurd when we should be rewarded on actually doing the job NOT THE TIME SPENT. Not every hour is equal. Im not complaining about working Im complaining about BS jobs where you pretend to look busy (my personal lived experience)

people who work minimum wage at a McDonalds at 10x more value to peoples lives and provide more of a tangible benefit to other peoples lives then I ever will in a corporate 9-5 office setting

RedSox342 posted...

Im talking about the concept of working 9-5 no matter what even though some days there is no reason to be in the office that long. To stay in an office even when its slow just because you cant punch out until 5 is dumb. If I did absolutely nothing all week because there was no work to do in the office, and next week I diligently worked my 40 hours, I would still get paid the same. Working for a set wage is absurd when we should be rewarded on actually doing the job NOT THE TIME SPENT. Im not complaining about working Im complaining about BS jobs where you pretend to look busy.

people who work minimum wage at a McDonalds at 10x more value to peoples lives and provide a tangible benefit to other people then I ever did in a corporate 9-5 office setting

Yeah see I still dont think people from pre-modern history would relate to that

VampireCoyote posted...

Yeah see I still dont think people from pre-modern history would relate to that

I just discovered that idea from a book. It makes sense to me.

"Feudal lords, insofar as they worked at all, were fighterstheir lives tended to
alternate between dramatic feats of arms and near-total idleness and torpor.
Peasants and servants obviously were expected to work more steadily. But even
so, their work schedule was nothing remotely as regular or disciplined as the
current nine-to-fivethe typical medieval serf, male or female, probably worked
from dawn to dusk for twenty to thirty days out of any year, but just a few hours
a day otherwise, and on feast days, not at all. And feast days were not infrequent."

I'm not saying their lives were so much better and that I would love to be transported to medieval Europe without comforts of modern life. But the concept of trading time for labor, where idleness at a job is a sin and you get rewarded for sitting at your workplace when there isn't even actual work to be done at that moment, is definitely modern.

es289408 posted...

I just found out I gotta work 68 hours next week

Work one extra hour.

RedSox342 posted...

I just discovered that idea from a book. It makes sense to me.

"Feudal lords, insofar as they worked at all, were fighterstheir lives tended to
alternate between dramatic feats of arms and near-total idleness and torpor.
Peasants and servants obviously were expected to work more steadily. But even
so, their work schedule was nothing remotely as regular or disciplined as the
current nine-to-fivethe typical medieval serf, male or female, probably worked
from dawn to dusk for twenty to thirty days out of any year, but just a few hours
a day otherwise, and on feast days, not at all. And feast days were not infrequent."

I'm not saying their lives were so much better and that I would love to be transported to medieval Europe without comforts of modern life. But the concept of trading time for labor, where idleness at a job is a sin and you get rewarded for sitting at your workplace when there isn't even actual work to be done at that moment, is definitely modern.

I don't know what kind of jobs you have worked, but I don't think I have ever worked a job where I was "idle" for any length of time outside of special circumstances. And in 90% of those circumstances I was sent home because no way was any reasonable employer going to pay me to sit on my hands.

Dikitain posted...

I don't know what kind of jobs you have worked, but I don't think I have ever worked a job where I was "idle" for any length of time outside of special circumstances. And in 90% of those circumstances I was sent home because no way was any reasonable employer going to pay me to sit on my hands.

Desktop support and help desk, basically low level IT jobs is what I'm talking about in my own life. If I'm set to work 9-5 then the ticket queue is usually pretty empty by 2pm but everyone has to stay for the next 3 hours even when it's dead af. The bulk of the work is done before lunch and then you just coast until you get to go home

RedSox342 posted...

Desktop support and help desk, basically low level IT jobs is what I'm talking about in my own life. If I'm set to work 9-5 then the ticket queue is usually pretty empty by 2pm but everyone has to stay for the next 3 hours even when it's dead af. The bulk of the work is done before lunch and then you just coast until you get to go home

that sounds kinda rad

i would figure out how to get onto the roof and spend those last few hours there. Thats the key to enjoying your job. Figure out how to get up onto the fucking roof.

I feel like too many people are either too lazy or break their back for a company that doesn't care for them. I work hard, I'm good at my job and I generally will help people in other areas but I'm not gonna break my back for the company or not take my vacation hours.

RedSox342 posted...

Desktop support and help desk, basically low level IT jobs is what I'm talking about in my own life. If I'm set to work 9-5 then the ticket queue is usually pretty empty by 2pm but everyone has to stay for the next 3 hours even when it's dead af. The bulk of the work is done before lunch and then you just coast until you get to go home

I've been in a similar situation before. It can be hard to try and find things to fill the time. I spent time programming at a desk job (for example, Portable Notepad ++ with built in C++ compiler), writing books, etc. Heck - I even started taking calculus and did my homework in the downtime while I was at my job.

Maybe you can't get away with that sort of thing, which would be a total drag, but if you can it is a great way to 'move up' while still working.

We're in the slow season at my office now so I'm usually done with my most pressing work by lunchtime. I spend the rest of the day sitting on my ass or scrambling to find things to work on. And even then I don't work the full day. I leave at 4 when my full day lasts until 5:30. I'm glad my job doesn't seem to care.