Antiwork

Literally just heard the CTO of my company, on a call with hundreds of people in our division, justify asking us to come back to the office was so we can “accelerate watercooler conversations.” What the fuck is that? Does the value of our company from forced pleasentries between people whose work has nothing to do with each other? These executives just love talking about making “data-driven decisions” – where's the data to show the value of talking around a fucking watercooler? Spoiler, there probably is none and this is really about suppression and control.

I don’t have a degree because I’d have to pay for it and i’m not looking to go into debt any time soon. I’m willing to do some courses, get a certificate or something, i’m not against doing work to get where I want to be, but i know that most industries are going to drain my life force out. I don’t want to work for my entire life, I want to have time for me and my family, but, other than being a millionaire, i don’t really see how I can do that. It’s frustrating and discouraging to look at what “the plan” for life is and see nothing even remotely achievable for most people. Idk honestly, is there anything i can do that would give me time but also money? or is work literally just a rat race that never ends?

HR emailed me this a few years ago: “Dear Mr [Me], Please find the attached complete breakdown of all of your checks for the full year. The total net amount overpaid that is owed [school] is $10,859 As previously discussed your ageed upon salay was $36,822. You can find your original signed offer letter attached. What was paid out to you was a salary of $52,895.67. Cheers, [HR Bitch]” I never payed them back. I told them that I would pay them back at $1 a pay period and they never got back to me. Idk if it matters but I’m a HS teacher at a charter school in Arizona. This happened my first year teaching, right after I graduated from college, while the pandemic was starting in 2020.

Since people enjoy working remote and want us back. They don't want employees to start improving themselves and looking for ways that they could make their lives better if they are all working from home.

Many school districts have cut back to 4-day weeks because of staffing shortages and available staff are burned out, as well as to cut transportation costs due to the increased fuel costs for busses. My local school district is considering cutting back to just a 4 1/2 day week and even that is throwing parents into a tizzy about how to have childcare for their kids on one early release day each week Not to mention that many districts have cut a full day. The labor shortage surely has not made it any easier to find childcare. A 4-day work week would perfectly remedy this. Both schools and offices operate monday-thursday. All the more reason to cut work to 4 days.

How much is 'enough'? Okay, Mr. Rich guy. You made $200M this year (a drop in the bucket for Musk/Bezos/etc) and you feel good about yourself. Wonderful. But, let me pose a question. If you had $199M, for all intents and purposes, you're the exactly same amount of rich. You can do all of the same things and that $1M doesn't hurt you. Yet, it would help your employees a whole hell of a lot. In turn, they'd be more inclined to turn in better work (even though it's still ridiculously lopsided in your favor) and chances are, you're gonna rake in better profits because of the better work. If you don't, you're at least winning PR points to improve the public opinion of you and can make more money additionally that way too. It's almost like spending a million to make five, but you're doing something positive at least.…

So, I work for a cellphone provider as a seller, the one that claims it's number one in america. I was JUST told, no joke, to threaten customers with loss of promotions if they don't take them in my chat, and to subsequently REMOVE that promotion from their account. I will NOT be doing this, but that is SUCH a vile and predatory tactic, and a lot of my co-workers are actually EXCITED for being able to do this. This is such a blatant example of blackmail, I don't even understand how they can get away with that. The excuse is “well they didn't take it, and you offered, so they declined the offer. So you're allowed to take it away.”

The US and Canada have “Teeth Falling Out” as the most searched google terms for dream interpretation. The meaning of this dream is something like “you are feeling like you have no bite, no say, being overlooked, considered toothless, harmless, of little consequence”. Of course there are other interpretations but when a whole continent has the feeling they are toothless it is more than a passing fad. Think about it. We ask for money, get nothing. Expected to do the work of two. Denied holidays. Yelled at… Now the whole continent wonders why we dream of our teeth falling out?!!! Time to unionize.