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Antiwork

What are examples of authoritarian rules or behaviors companies utilize to keep workers deliberately poor, miserable, and overqualified?

I can think of a few: Declaring that employees can't moonlight or have secondary employment. Requiring written permission for secondary employment. Forcing staff to sign Non-Compete Agreements (NCA) but failing to explain what the dense legalese means, leaving broad statements inside of the NCA deliberately unclarified. Monitoring whether or not you have your “searching for employment” turned on on LinkedIn. Screen (stalk) social media to ensure compliance with expectations. Disallowing employees from calling back to the company for use as reference, not as a matter of punishment but as a matter of policy. Declaring either in handbook or NCA that employee has to get permission from the current employer to apply for the new employer (as in, you have to tell them who you are applying for and they can say no or fire you if they don't appreciate your aptitude to search for a better job). Declaring in a…


I can think of a few:

  1. Declaring that employees can't moonlight or have secondary employment.

  2. Requiring written permission for secondary employment.

  3. Forcing staff to sign Non-Compete Agreements (NCA) but failing to explain what the dense legalese means, leaving broad statements inside of the NCA deliberately unclarified.

  4. Monitoring whether or not you have your “searching for employment” turned on on LinkedIn.

  5. Screen (stalk) social media to ensure compliance with expectations.

  6. Disallowing employees from calling back to the company for use as reference, not as a matter of punishment but as a matter of policy.

  7. Declaring either in handbook or NCA that employee has to get permission from the current employer to apply for the new employer (as in, you have to tell them who you are applying for and they can say no or fire you if they don't appreciate your aptitude to search for a better job).

  8. Declaring in a NCA that all legal costs incurred by both parties by going through a legal proceeding will be paid for by the employee (seriously this is nuts but I've once seen it in one of my old employers).

  9. Instead of giving a perfect employee review for perfect/stellar performance, the manager has deliberately “find” something wrong to work on, even if there isn't really anything wrong. — funny note I had an employer once where my manager had to come up with “something” negative to put on my annual review but could find anything other than saying he heard rumors that certain executives “didn't like the way my face looked when I was serious and focused on the task at hand” and therefore to fake smile more when fixing computers for customers. (I have Ron Swanson kind of face when I'm being serious).

  10. Creating new job duties and expectations that weren't in the job description, specifically harder to measure expectations like perceived drive, and using those expectations as reasons why they can't promote you even though you met all the original duties and expectations.

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