Antiwork

I just got a call about a job in a field closely related to my trade. The hiring manager was briefly discussing the type of work and what’s involved, and when I asked about pay scale, he gave me an extremely low number. I told him that with everything going up, that it was way too low. He said that I was the fifth person he’s called today that said the exact same thing. Understandably frustrated, he actually thanked me for saying that, because he’s trying desperately to convince his boss to raise their pay scale. He also said, unprompted, that “It’s not that people don’t want to work, most of ‘em don’t want to work 100 hours a week to make ends meet.” There are some good ones out there.

Just a little context… I have a S.T.E.M. degree and 15 years of experience. I went into this interview after securing a written offer from another company but am seeing a couple other options, still in play, through. Anyway, short and sweet, I put on a tie and drove 15-20 minutes there. The very first thing they want me to do is transfer all of the information on my résumé, to their application, by hand, while they sit there and watch me. The person instructing me to do this must have noticed a little confusion because she asked me if something was wrong. I replied, “I'm sorry, I thought I was here for an interview. I haven't filled out an application since earning minimum wage in high school. I think I'm just going to leave”. I got up and drove home. The recruiter that lined up the interview was furious…

It seems to me C-suite managers and middle managers have convince themselves that the culture at their business is the main thing that attracts employees to the company and think that those employees are missing out by working remotely, which is why management keeps banging the RTO drum. To me, it's like if a hospital starts bragging about how they have great amenities for their patients. That's great and all, but I don't ever really want to be in a hospital. It's the same with work. I don't ever really want to be there, but since it's something I have to do, I'd prefer a good company culture to a bad one. But an employer should never get it in their head that I chose to work for them based solely on “company culture”. ​ edit: typos

My company just cut off the VPN and forced us back to office. I had a coworker who lives 1.5 hours commute each away. She refused to come back to office and she was fired. It is outrageous that the gas price is so high now and they are forcing us to come back to office fully. I am not able to afford rent soon if this continues.

Mobile yadda yadda. Look, I'm one of you guys. Up until recently, I'd been working in the PM industry for years and I understand the ins and outs of renting from both sides. I understand the necessity of keeping up with market values so homeowners can afford the increased cost of maintenance, taxes, etc. But here's the thing: landlords are CHOOSING to raise the cost of living to pad their bottom line. I've seen it time and time again where a homeowner wants to raise rent so they have a bigger profit margin to live on. Countless clients were subsisting entirely on the income they were earning from a rental, for a home that is already paid off, just so they can live comfortably while the rest of us have to struggle to qualify for a mediocre house that costs more than it's worth. Just today, I emailed a private…