Just a simple question — is there (any more, nowadays) such a thing as a job which CAN actually be performed under normal circumstances? Like, during “regular” work hours with a “normal” level of human effort, can all job-requirements be finished?
I wish this were merely a rhetorical question, but, I have to admit that, for me personally, I've NEVER been able to do my job at all. So, one reason I'm sympathetic with the /r/antiwork movement is simply, that I've never been able to finish. My work has always been like 20 times as much as any normal human could complete. So there's this ridiculous double-bind — either you (a) speed up so much that you do such shoddy work that you're embarrassed by it and your bosses can really honestly say you aren't doing good work, or you (b) skip doing things and your bosses can honestly say you aren't doing all your work. I would like to prioritize, but their method of picking one over the other is always, “do both, to maximum quality, or else you aren't good enough and we can find someone to replace you.”
It's just not DO-able. Every time I've ever left a job (doesn't matter why: whether I got fired; or quit in a huff; quit for less cantankerous reasons; changed careers, locations, life-circumstances; etc.) it's been (1) THANK GOD, now I can actually breathe for forty-five minutes without having to PANIC LIKE HELL from running to put out one fire after another and (2) they either replaced me with three better-paid people, like, literally, or canceled half that job's requirements. Every time I've stayed IN a job, I've been behind-the-eight-ball for 100% of the time.
How does anyone beat this conundrum? How do people get promoted, get good job-reviews, get a chance to “do a really great job” on some important report or project, like, “wrap it up in a little bow” type treatment for the thing that you'll be promoted / not-promoted on the basis of? I never wrap ANY shit up in a “little bow,” I don't even PROOF-read my work, I'm so damned busy doing eight other projects for which I have literally zero time. Everything I've ever done is embarrassingly cruddy. And it has my name on it.
What's the trick? I don't want only the “see, the boss-man is unfair” advice here (though, I do agree with that); I also want the “let me show you a little trick I learned” advice too.
Maybe it's just that I've always had bad employers (I'm in my middle-50s in age, so, I've worked in times and contexts prior to the current occupy-antiwork movements, when things MIGHT have been better for SOME workers?). I dunno. How would I know? One helpful career-counselor lady told me, that you know your job is a bad one if you RESENT the job. Well heck, I've RESENTED every single job I've ever had!! How does this compute? Am I inherently a bad employee? Is this just a pointless rant? I'm sick of it!
Any solutions?