Asklemmy

The "family" talk is only just talk. If an employer says "we're family here" or some similar nonsense, it's not family as in "we stick together through everything" - what a family actually is or should be.... It's more of a farengi perspective...

Rule of acquisition 111: "Treat people in your debt like family… exploit them."

And rule 6: "Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity." (Which is also cited as "Never allow family to stand in the way of profit")

Fact is, they want you to be family in the way that you'll do anything for them, like you would for your own family. But when it comes time that you need them to help you out like a family would, they'll show you the door very quickly.

Related: if you're hit by a bus tomorrow, your job will be posted before your obituary. You're just a cog in their money printing machine. As soon as you lose your value in that regard, you're gone. If you slow down the machine too much, they'll find a cog that is more easily lubricated (to push the analogy). If you're broken and can't work, they'll replace you without a thought. Management is there to put a nice face on the company (for your benefit) and make it seem less like you're a number; but that's all you are.

The company doesn’t care about you. The company doesn’t care about you. The company doesn’t care about you. The company doesn’t care about you. The company doesn’t care about you. The company doesn’t care about you.

A central purpose of doing your job is to train yourself up to do the job you would prefer - either at the company you are with - or more likely at another.

Spend your time on interesting new skills

The company has an obligation to find workers who don't know their worth and continue to do more work without more compensation. Take the additional work, get them used to doing it, and get that raise at the next annual review, or leave.

You can't get sick

• You are more important than the company, put you and your family first.

• If your company doesn't provide a pension plan you have no reason to be loyal and stay.

• Telework is an excuse for minimal working. Most remote workers schedule emails, get their work done quickly than spend the work day doing personal work on the clock.

• Charisma is more important than performance for career progression.

• Favorite employees are typically the easiest to be manipulated and taken advantage of.

Document absoluely everything. Get every agreement in writing. If someone tells you to do something in a meeting, follow it up with an email response confirming the action. Keep a copy of those emails. If it’s not written, it didn’t happen.

Lots of meta-level comments here so I'll add one that's more in the weeds:

In an office job, it's always good to be friendly with IT and the office manager/administrative assistant.

During covid: the government paid me more than my employer to sit around and do nothing, so I had zero incentive to go back to work.

Lesson learned: Get a better employer

If you get placed on a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan), it's better to resign and look for another job than to fight the process.

Coworkers is not my friend. Someone being so sad when i left and got a better job lol.

If you're doing more than you're supposed to do, or doing things outside of normal work time, no matter what DOCUMENT IT. If they're a good employer, they'll compensate and reward you, if they're a bad employer you can leave and it'll be easier to update your resume by referencing your own documentation

It’s about who you know. Don’t socially isolate your self even when you are great at your job. Being invisible is a sure fire way to be overlooked when it comes to promotions or a raise. Also being likable means your colleagues will more likely have your back and root for you.

A couple of months ago there was a post on Reddit of a Gen Z person who hated when people would say a simple good morning to them. They rather walk into work, sit down, do their work and go home without talking to anyone. And a lot of other Gen Z people agreed with them. Crazy that they don’t understand how the “game” works, nobody is going to root for you when you act like that. Also no wonder Gen Z is struggling with loneliness.

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X post from user The Skinfluencer @angelamavalla: What is the biggest lesson that employment has taught you? Response from user Penunggu ExtraJenaka @Nazafi_Hamid: Efficient workers get punished with more work.

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The way we've structured work in the U.S. is a capitalist farce. We've been duped into working our asses off to make someone else who doesn't care about your well-being a large pile of money. So, I get my work done, I don't slack, but, I'm not going to go out of my way to do things for a company that would replace me tomorrow if I got bit by a bus.

This is why yesterday, after completing double the minimum expected work, I "worked from home" for the last two hours. Meanwhile, there's a senior on the team who did a quarter of the work I did last quarter. And he gets paid more!

Employee : This is the report you asked about

Boss : Good job! Now, I have another task for you..

Employee : ....