I need to share a story that epitomizes the injustices rampant in our modern work culture and highlights the importance of standing up against exploitation. This is a tale of reclaiming what's rightfully ours and dealing a blow to a company that undervalued my efforts and treated me as a mere cog in their profit machine.
Three years ago, I found myself trapped in a soul-crushing job working for a seven-figure company. I was paid barely above minimum wage while enduring an absurd workload. Day after day, I toiled away, trying to meet the demands of my employer. How I managed to sustain that level of productivity for six long months still baffles me, considering the meager compensation I received.
The office environment was toxic, filled with bitter and snide individuals. It was evident that management thrived on creating conflicts among the staff for their own twisted amusement. I consciously distanced myself from this toxicity, but the constant tension added immense stress to my already overwhelming workload.
After half a year of giving my all to the company, I decided it was time to assert my worth. Armed with concrete evidence, including graphs illustrating the positive impact of my work on sales and direct links to website interactions, I mustered the courage to ask for a raise. I compared my ideal salary to industry standards, emphasizing my dedication and willingness to continue working for them, even if it meant settling for less than I deserved. To my disbelief, I was fired mere hours later for absurd reasons like “not pulling my weight” and failing to meet their undefined expectations for social media success.
The news left me fuming, and I found myself unemployed, struggling for months to secure another job. It was a challenging period of my life, filled with frustration and financial uncertainty.
But today, as I was browsing through an old Google Drive account, I stumbled upon something that reignited the fire within me. The company I once slaved for was still utilizing a folder I had created and owned. Within that folder, they were actively using templates, adjustment layers, presets, and other resources I had painstakingly crafted. Over 18 people were relying on my work daily to continue their social media campaigns. The catch? I had been paying a monthly fee to maintain that cloud service, seeking extra storage space for my own work.
That realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. It was my drive, my work, my intellectual property. So, without hesitation, I made local copies of the files for myself and then deleted the online versions. Tomorrow, they will wake up to a rude awakening, finding themselves devoid of the very assets they depended on, including ongoing projects.
This act was not merely an act of revenge. It was an act of defiance against a system that continuously exploits workers like myself. It was a reminder that our labor is valuable, and we have the right to own and control it.
Fuck them and their exploitative practices. It's time for us to reclaim our power and fight for a future where our work is respected and rewarded fairly. Solidarity, my friends.