Antiwork

I have been at my current retail employer for nearly four years now as an AM. The job itself is so damn easy and with the exception of some pain in the asses, the customers are easy to deal with. Pay isn’t bad either. I have always been a hard worker who follows the rules and gets things done the right way (even when this Sub has taught me that it’s not worth it). The problem is upper level management and some really shitty coworkers. One of my coworkers, let’s call him Jim, is an absolute train wreck. He’s been with this company as an AM for over six months and still needs help completing the most basic tasks. He won’t do what is expected of him unless told to. He calls out sick at least once a week. The biggest issue for me is how unhygienic, disorganized, and outright…

You need more money? Ask, they say no? make sure that every time you talk about money they know you need more money. Every time you do something extra remind them you need more money, they talk about their kids you tell them you want kids but you need more money. When you interview and they say they pay X you tell them that your expenses are Y and you need X+ W to make that work. You don;t leave any openings you need X + W and god damnit that's it. If it makes them uncomfortable, good. If they fire you, collect unemployment and do a side job till you get what you NEED. Stop accepting less and they will stop offering it. Or at least they wont be fucking you with your permission.

I have such disdain for all the extra happy mofos that come in. They're like guests on a game show. Same meaningless, self-important small talk, and I'll be kissing ass all night in the hopes it'll pay the bills. Is this purgatory or hell?

So here I am, I’ve completed 3 interviews and been offered 2. All have offered me a good package, but there has been a common thread throughout all of them that has really irked me somewhat. Let me tell you, when I go into an interview, I try to impress, I state my shortcomings and weaknesses early on to set the stage, and then try to sell myself. That’s the hardest part, but there are small things that you can do that require almost no effort that can go a long way. Things such as: Not using profanity Not wearing an iron maiden tshirt and a baseball cap, instead dressing smart and looking clean. Not showing up to the interview 15 minutes late Bad mouthing previous candidates. So why is it so hard for interviewers / C Levels / Managers / Team leaders to follow these very basic unwritten rules?…

Our designated Human Resources is on maternity leave for a few months, and it's coinciding with a stressful transition period of Return to Office. One of my bosses, very high up in the company has taken it upon himself to be interim HR. Is this ethical? This person obviously has a totally different set of obligations to the company and has so far just been shutting down very reasonable grievances and I fear that this person would retaliate if I brought anything up. Can anyone just decide to be HR?

I was 19 and didn't understand how big of a red flag this was (stupidly) until I became a full time employee. Staff were hired in February and then a second batch in July. The July employees were making $300 more and someone found out and there were quiet complaints in the office. This manager gathered us together (interns and new associates) and told us that because our salary information was outlined in our contract it was considered confidential and we were effectively breaching contract by disclosing our pay and we could lose our jobs. The February employees didn't get the raise until a year later even though they had 6 months more experience.