Antiwork

Maaany years ago, because I am old, I was working as an assistant manager in a gas station. The manager and the chain's regional manager were best buds so the RM visited often. I did love my manager dearly, best boss I ever had, and I suspect this made the RM think we were also friends. So one day, I'm on a ladder occupied with cleaning something foul on top of the cigarette racks, when the RM walks in looking up at me and cheerfully asks me if I heard the good news. I half turn around and say 'The union got in?' and she TRIPPED. A rack fell, she didn't fall to the ground but it was close. She laughed at my 'joke' after a minute but I don't think she ever smiled at me again. It was a spontaneous answer, but I've successfully reused it twice since then…

So to keep a very long story short, where I work is a fucking shitshow. We're chronically underpaid, understaffed, under-trained and overworked. The other teams meant to help us sit and do nothing whilst we have to take the shit for their uselessness and we can't dare say anything to them or about them. This job has absolutely wrecked my mental health due to stress and depression of how dead end it is and it has pretty much done the same for almost everyone else who works here. We've had no manager or team lead properly for months, our old manager went on the sick and then got a new job whilst on it (we weren't notified as a team and rather told “oh yeah he'll be back next week”) and the team lead we had was left doing two jobs with no support. Forward through to now, I was…

I just came across an article on a major news network explaining how to tip more effectively. Why do massive companies need to rely on me to subsidize their workforce? I haven't gotten a raise so why should I have to pay more for stuff I need? Whats next tipping my cashier for ringing up my items? Maybe my grocery store should tip me for installing self check out and saving them labor costs by bagging my own crap? It's ridiculous and I don't want to stigmatize the workers who did not ask for this, but I'm just over it. I know this community has talked about this, but I just can't stand it. Why is the media complicit with the big corporate narrative? (Rhetorical, I know why) Can't we just make a decent living and have some dignity in the process? I'm tired, and I am sure you all…

I work at a grocery store and all the managers were worked up today because we were scheduled to have a health and safety inspection. So they are making sure we are all following every silly standard that we typically wink at and questioning employees to make sure we know the answers to questions he might randomly ask employees. I'm stocking some shelves next to the deli while the assistant store manager, customer service manager, and deli manager are escorting the health inspector. The managers seem clearly tense with some nervous small talk and laughter with the guy. The inspector asked the deli manager a food safety question which he struggled to show an answer to. While the deli manager is looking for an answer and I'm a few feet away, I say, “I have a question . . . . What rule are we supposed to follow- the 5…

Two days ago my boss scheduled a last second meeting at the end of the day with me. They told me they were terminating my position, effective immediately. I asked why, as this was unexpected, and they said that my job was at-will so they don't need to explain why. They simultaneously emailed me an official memo of my termination, which was just a few sentences long and reiterated that they could terminate me without cause because my job was at-will. So, ok, I filed for unemployment benefits the very next morning. If approved, I'll get about $400 a week, or $1,600 gross a month. After taxes, I'll end up receiving about $1,328 a month total. I live in a fairly high cost of living area. My rent and utilities total are about $1,400 a month, meaning that if I am approved, my unemployment payments will come just slightly under,…

I came across this bit of a profile on Boomers, and I thought it was interesting. As a younger Boomer, I'm in a pretty good situation, and I think that I'm generally supportive of a lot of things this sub is about. I think that for many here, though, “Boomer” is used the say way that many Boomers use “Millennial”…referring to anyone that is a few years different in age, regardless of their actual age. And, as someone who has prepared for, and is looking forward to retirement, I tend to assume others are like me. However, here is why they are going to be around longer… Health: When I was a kid, you retired a few years (at best) before you kicked the bucket…and jobs in the 50s and 60s tended to be a lot tougher. Boomers have better heath and wellness than earlier generations. Take smoking, for instance….most…