Antiwork movement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a millennial in my mid 30’s and support it. I’ve watched my (almost all male) friends who went to Silicon Valley or hedge funds get absurdly rich (like $1mil+ annual salary in your late 20’s rich), and everyone else struggle no matter how hard they work. People who work 50 hour weeks, who have graduate degrees from good schools, should NOT be struggling to buy a modest starter home in their mid-30’s. Then even if you do, childcare costs more than a mortgage. Enough!

Hedge funds are fairly merit based, you generate return vs you don’t generate return.

Try some of the old boys club F500 companies, if you are 6’5” and male, you are the golden boy, everyone else is there go do the work but never the recognition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the antiwork movement is for a very specific subset of people who are able to depend on others, usually parents, to provide their basic needs.

I honestly haven’t heard about it other than on Reddit, where it’s clearly mostly college-aged people still living at home.

…or their spouse is supporting them.

I know several women who recently quit when their offices announced a return to office date. Must be nice to not have to earn a living.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I joined this movement, but I call it 'retirement'.

I too retired at 45 with 3M in the bank. Got really, really bored and so back to work now at 48. It's great working when you DGAS and make money that you don't need. In fairness my kids are too young for a real retirment which might be why mine is not as good as yours.

[Anonymous]

"Why do you want to end work?
Because the modern day workplace is one where you are expected to work despite your own individual needs or desires. Work puts the needs and desires of managers and corporations above and beyond workers, often to the point of abuse through being overworked and underpaid."

I fully support reforms. But this sort of statement indicates that the movement is for white collar employees who have options. There is a lot about American industry that requires schedules and showing up in person for designated periods. Even in some white collar professions, such as education, the needs of society require set hours regardless of your personal needs or desires.

It has been interesting to see how flexible jobs have become as a result of the pandemic. But people working at the grocery store or operating trains and buses or fixing your vehicles still have to show up in person at the appointed time in order to make the world go round. There hasnt been any change for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

"Why do you want to end work?
Because the modern day workplace is one where you are expected to work despite your own individual needs or desires. Work puts the needs and desires of managers and corporations above and beyond workers, often to the point of abuse through being overworked and underpaid."

I fully support reforms. But this sort of statement indicates that the movement is for white collar employees who have options. There is a lot about American industry that requires schedules and showing up in person for designated periods. Even in some white collar professions, such as education, the needs of society require set hours regardless of your personal needs or desires.

It has been interesting to see how flexible jobs have become as a result of the pandemic. But people working at the grocery store or operating trains and buses or fixing your vehicles still have to show up in person at the appointed time in order to make the world go round. There hasnt been any change for them.

While that's true there are a lot of service sector jobs that require you to be "on call" on your days off. It's a totally sh*t practice where you're expected to be available to come in if they need you but you're not guaranteed a shift that day. I don't know how employers get away with this practice of requiring employees to be available but not paying them for that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 37, make over 200K a year, and have worked since I was 16 with the longest break being 2 weeks for my wedding and honeymoon. I've managed teams as large as 18.

I find many of the anti-work points compelling. At a minimum, I think a lot more people should be unionizing.

I am 43, work in health care, married, and we make a decent living as a family. I used to scroll past the anti-work stuff on Reddit because the idea of not working is just absurd. But then I started to read some of the threads. It shouldn't be called anti-work just workers' rights/work-life balance. It calls out how lots of people-even college educated ones-can barely make it in many places, how the minimum wage is a joke, lack of sick leave/vacation time/PTO in many places/unreasonable expectations of bosses. It also questions Americans' veneration of workaholism. I have heard of it outside of Reddit like on podcasts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 37, make over 200K a year, and have worked since I was 16 with the longest break being 2 weeks for my wedding and honeymoon. I've managed teams as large as 18.

I find many of the anti-work points compelling. At a minimum, I think a lot more people should be unionizing.

I am 43, work in health care, married, and we make a decent living as a family. I used to scroll past the anti-work stuff on Reddit because the idea of not working is just absurd. But then I started to read some of the threads. It shouldn't be called anti-work just workers' rights/work-life balance. It calls out how lots of people-even college educated ones-can barely make it in many places, how the minimum wage is a joke, lack of sick leave/vacation time/PTO in many places/unreasonable expectations of bosses. It also questions Americans' veneration of workaholism. I have heard of it outside of Reddit like on podcasts.

Hey hey hey now don't sound too aggressive. You could get fired by said boss if they overhear you. Keep sucking up and brown nosing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm 37, make over 200K a year, and have worked since I was 16 with the longest break being 2 weeks for my wedding and honeymoon. I've managed teams as large as 18.

I find many of the anti-work points compelling. At a minimum, I think a lot more people should be unionizing.

I am 43, work in health care, married, and we make a decent living as a family. I used to scroll past the anti-work stuff on Reddit because the idea of not working is just absurd. But then I started to read some of the threads. It shouldn't be called anti-work just workers' rights/work-life balance. It calls out how lots of people-even college educated ones-can barely make it in many places, how the minimum wage is a joke, lack of sick leave/vacation time/PTO in many places/unreasonable expectations of bosses. It also questions Americans' veneration of workaholism. I have heard of it outside of Reddit like on podcasts.

+1. I'm also age 43 and I'm glad people are finally calling out these abusive practices.

[Anonymous]

The labor participation rate for 25-54 year olds is 81.8%. About the same as 2018, so I call this a non movement probably made up by someone needing to talk about something. The highest the rate has ever been is about 84%, we are 2 points from that and trending up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

"Why do you want to end work?
Because the modern day workplace is one where you are expected to work despite your own individual needs or desires. Work puts the needs and desires of managers and corporations above and beyond workers, often to the point of abuse through being overworked and underpaid."

I fully support reforms. But this sort of statement indicates that the movement is for white collar employees who have options. There is a lot about American industry that requires schedules and showing up in person for designated periods. Even in some white collar professions, such as education, the needs of society require set hours regardless of your personal needs or desires.

It has been interesting to see how flexible jobs have become as a result of the pandemic. But people working at the grocery store or operating trains and buses or fixing your vehicles still have to show up in person at the appointed time in order to make the world go round. There hasnt been any change for them.

While that's true there are a lot of service sector jobs that require you to be "on call" on your days off. It's a totally sh*t practice where you're expected to be available to come in if they need you but you're not guaranteed a shift that day. I don't know how employers get away with this practice of requiring employees to be available but not paying them for that time.

Exactly. There are ways to have a store or service be open whatever set hours it needs to be, without exploiting workers. Business are run such that if one person is not able to show up, it is a disaster. Building in some "margin" for operations eats into profits, so it isn't done. And reasonable vacation/sick time is another way of treating people with dignity, or even just not fighting people when they want to take time off for an unpaid vacation.

And maybe business don't need to bend to the will of the consumer. There is this local co-op owned sandwich place where I live that is constantly (it seems) randomly closed for 1-2 weeks at a time because the owners/staff decide to give themselves the time off. Go to many tourists places in Europe in August and find many popular spots shuttered for holidays. It's fine. People cna get their sandwhich elsewhere for a week.

The movement is for everyone, and particularly NOT for white collar jobs. All jobs deserve dignity. The modern day work place treats workers very poorly, and answers to shareholders above all else. I don't know if it is even fixable.

Gov't jobs are often much more humane, because they answer to society instead of profits.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes junior staff are abusive to their team leads. When you agree to work but refuse to work, usually one person is left doing the work of 3 people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes junior staff are abusive to their team leads. When you agree to work but refuse to work, usually one person is left doing the work of 3 people.

This doesn't get talked about enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes junior staff are abusive to their team leads. When you agree to work but refuse to work, usually one person is left doing the work of 3 people.

This doesn't get talked about enough.

well yes I agree but that has nothing to do with this topic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The labor participation rate for 25-54 year olds is 81.8%. About the same as 2018, so I call this a non movement probably made up by someone needing to talk about something. The highest the rate has ever been is about 84%, we are 2 points from that and trending up.

Haha I love you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes junior staff are abusive to their team leads. When you agree to work but refuse to work, usually one person is left doing the work of 3 people.

This doesn't get talked about enough.

well yes I agree but that has nothing to do with this topic?

You are not sticking it to greedy Wall Streeters. You are sticking it to the other people on your team when you agree to work, collect a paycheck, and then don't work.