After the insanity I experienced at my job this past week, I've begun to consider the antiwork philosophy seriously. Grab a hot cup cause this is a wild one.
Last Monday, I clocked into work and was immediately greeted by my manager, who wanted me to work double shift. My coworker had called in sick, and, naturally, our understaffed office couldn’t possibly hire or train more people, so the buck stopped at me. I reluctantly agreed, thinking/hoping it'd be a one-off thing.
Come Tue, and the SAME coworker calls in sick. Again, I'm pulled aside and asked to work another double. I was already pretty worn down both mentally and physically. My manager knows my workload but gives me the “You're such a great team player!” spiel. As if I had to much say in this matter. OK, let’s go for round 2.
By Wed, I felt like a zombie. Barely slept, and it showed in my performance. Halfway through the day, I made a minor blunder. Instead of showing some professional empathy, I was reprimanded in front of the entire team. I honestly felt dehumanized. Then it got wilder.
On Thu, I found out from a colleague that the company was planning on “restructuring” – aka laying off a bunch of people to “optimize profit,” and there were rumors that I was on the chopping block. Overworking to the point of breaking, only to be considered expendable?
Next day was the nail in the coffin. I sat down with my manager to discuss my concerns. Instead of showing signs of even a basic understanding, I was met with dismissive comments such as “It’s business, you knew what you signed up for.”
I'm still processing everything, but the whole ordeal made me question the fundamental structure of modern work. Is it all just about squeezing every drop out of employees, with little regard for their well-being? Feels like we’re just cogs in a machine.
I've always believed in the dignity of work and the importance of contributing to society, but not at the expense of one's mental well-being and dignity. This situation kinda opened my eyes to the potential merits of taking the antiwork lifestyle. I dunno, I’ve always had a bit of a gambling streak. Maybe I should just ditch the corporate scene and go for the care-free, play free bingo win real money no deposit lifestyle. The traditional 9-5 grind just sounds too unappealing at this point. And it’s rarely even 9-5 at this point.
TL;DR: Worked double shifts for days, humiliated for a minor mistake, found out about potential layoffs, and realized the toxic nature of corporate employment. Considering the antiwork life and looking for advice.