a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by tacocat

I have very specific skills that aren't very marketable. Not in a Liam Neeson from Taken way. My reaction has generally been that if I'm disposable as an employee then you're disposable as an employer. I'll give you what I think you deserve for what I earn and you can go fuck yourself after many minor transgressions. Basically grief your low wage employer to exert power. It sucks and doesn't change anything and an honest CV from me would be really, really long but if I value my own free time higher than you're willing to pay me, I might up and quit because a customer was a dick in this job I don't actually want or I might be incredibly unreliable if I detect that I'm worth keeping more than I'm worth dismissing and replacing

It's a really fucked up game and no one ends up winning.

That's not very clear. But fuck it. It's late. How today build a thirty job resume in twenty years due in part to right to work laws and leverage your own unreliability as an asset isn't a point worth expanding on as a viable job market strategy





kleinbl00  ·  2329 days ago  ·  link  ·  

It's perfectly clear: there are no opportunities available to you that incentivize loyalty and pursuit of advancement. Coupland popularized the term "McJob" nearly 30 years ago but it was 5 years old when he used it.

tacocat  ·  2329 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I know. But I react by standing up for my value as a worker which involves a "fuck this and fuck you" sometimes. I know plenty of people who are so demoralized on multiple fronts they just accept being shit on.

You can incentivize loyalty within that pay range by treating your employees with respect. But if I'm right to work garbage I'm going to leverage that however I can. One time it involved being hours late every day after I realized my value as an employee was greater than the cost to fire me for blatant disrespect.