Antiwork

a line from a new movie I'm watching. Honestly, I think that encapsulates this entire movement.

Basically my manager wouldn’t give me my vacation request even though I already paid on it and she didn’t start accepting requests for July till March 1. The reason being that another employee changed their dates to my week and requested before me even though she had her request originally in for the last week of July. So now I don’t get the week before or after my birthday off (which is why I was planning on taking it then. I’ll still get my birthday off but my manager also took that day off as the start of her vacation. When asked she said the rule didn’t apply to her as a manager. This is the second year in a row she’s done this too.

I install auto glass and drive around town all day to different jobsites to do work. Back in November, I was headed home from a friend's late one night and a car flying around a corner caused me to swerve and I clipped the fire hydrant. The other car of course did not stop, so I was issued a ticket. I went to court, and had the ticket dismissed. I am 37 years old and this is literally the first accident I have been in since I started driving at 15. I flat out ask the prosecutor when I was at court if being dismissed meant it was off my driving record, he told me yes so I thought everything was fine. Today, my employer informed me they were going to have to let me go because they could no longer keep me on their insurance due to me having…

“One of the sharpest minds, most organized, bla blah he's had the pleasure to work with but really that's worth $.80 an hour you dumb bitch hahaha” -my director I'm going to counter after I sleep on it. He kept me on after a team meeting to discuss “something”. No time to prep or gather my thoughts or proof of contributions to the team. How crappy. At least the offer letter mentions to review and discuss with my supervisor so I'm just going with the mindset that it never hurts to ask. I live in San Diego CA working in tax compliance for an insurance brokerage, for context.

So just finished an interview. Yet again a company offering $30-$45 per hour “DOE.” Going through the motions, waiting to get to the wage discussion part. They ask what I make and I lie, I say $43 per hour. They go into a sales spiel about how they pay $20 an hour, nowhere near the posted wage but offering “an aggressive commission structure” where “earnings are unlimited.” Uh, I didn't apply for a sales job first all, I applied for a Route Supervisor position. Second of all, that isn't what your job listing said. At all.

I'm seeing all these posts about companies forcing you guys back into office after working from home perfectly fine for a year or two. I'm not from the US, so maybe that's why I don't get it, but I'm seriously confused. As far as I understand capitalism, they should pay you a bonus for working from home… They have to rent office space for you, they don't have to pay the electricity bill for your computer and stuff, you'll probably work better because you don't waste energy in commuting … almost everything I can think of makes it look like working from home would save them a lot of money. The only thing I can come up with that necessarily goes down if you're not in the office is control. Not of the results of your work, but basically about every breath you take, every move you make in your…

edit CAN'T say what they mean. My typo literally changed the whole vibe of my post 🥴 I mean the title really says it all. I have my job, I come in, I do my work and that's it. If you want me to take on more work then as a manager delegated to me don't tell me I'm not a “team player” because I don't volunteer to do more. If my job description says I do ABC and D why would I volunteer to do E end F?! “Lack of enthusiasm ” is a real coded way to say we want you do want to do more for no difference in pay.

I'd love to know if anyone has any really good appreciation stories. For my part, we are being treated to..yup you guessed it… PIZZA (if you are lucky enough to work in the office). Otherwise …a virtual Pat on the Back… is once again the status quo. These “leaders” don't get it. Never will. I'd feel more appreciated with a $100 gift card to the grocery store. I can make my own fking pizza.

The local hospitals started bumping up their pay. Work decided that now is the time to match them to retain employees. They worked it out to be a 14% increase in pay which is nice. Except that all raises are given on your anniversary date. The plan was discussed and looked at in December. Those of us that are were hired later in the year just got our 2% raise and now have to wait longer for the 14% while inflation and rent is still going up. Meanwhile my coworker who got hired in the spring and has been here for less time then me gets his big jump next week.