Work Ethic: An interpretation no one will share publicly but that many relate to
By: Jane Doe
Tags: Work Life Balance, Capitalism, Work, Work Ethic

I have always been baffled by people who put their all into a company that treats them as if they are disposable.

This post is not about people who feel like they have no choice but to function on 10,000 due to financial hardship or who have immigrated to the USA for a better life after experiencing hardship in their country of origin.

This post is for those of us who have a choice which, I believe, is way more than one would think. To put it differently, this post is for those of us that have enough privilege to change the way we work in this country, especially for those who don’t have a choice. If we work collectively, it’s definitely possible.

This post is for the many of us who work at companies that give a false sense of value — frivolous perks like ping pong tables, flashy baristas or movie nights. Companies that will give you a laundry list of reasons why you shouldn’t get that raise or promotion even though you know you’re qualified. Companies that make millions or even billions each year in profit, yet while the C-suite gets a holiday or yearly bonus, you get nothing. Companies that make you feel like you should just be grateful to be there.

Back to work ethic.

Despite the reasons stated above, I see many a people complain about these situations and still put their all into their job by working super long hours, skipping lunch breaks and in extreme cases working on weekends.

Why?

Do they believe in the company’s vision that much? Perhaps. Maybe they even have their own agenda around career growth, (Ex: Leading this project has been draining what little energy I have left but it’s going to look GREAT on my resume. This can be the topic of multiple posts but we’ll try and stay focused here.) Should that warrant unfair compensation or treatment? Absolutely not.

I’m baffled by the blind trust I’ve seen colleagues and others have in their companies when at the end of the day, most, if not all of them, could be easily replaced (and many of us have seen it happen). Some companies will go so far as to let you know this fact explicitly.

I don’t believe in bending over backwards for any company. I do enough to fulfill my job requirements at a level that I find on par with both what I and the company deems acceptable and will not make any extra accommodations to compensate for the lack of a resource that is the company’s responsibility to provide. Some examples of this I’ve seen in the wild are people who wear “multiple hats” that weren’t defined in their original job description: BIPOC who suddenly become diversity experts because they are one of a few, managers who suddenly manage more teams than they can take on, etc.

I’m also sick and tired of seeing countless people working on the bottom like dogs trying to make ends meet only to see them make a low salary or minimum wage and given zero equity. The bulk of this post was not about these people but they are the ones most impacted by these toxic structures in place. They are also not in a position to fight back (especially during a pandemic) because they are literally just trying to survive. It’s on the people with privilege to do the heavy lifting of pushing back against these companies. All of us would benefit in the end.

This rant could go in multiple directions: a critique of capitalism and what it has morphed into today, a critique of companies that are turning into corporate monsters, etc.

I’m going to end it here by saying: know your worth outside of the context of the capitalist system that has scorned all of us. You are a human first. You are not your career.

For those whose identities are tied to “what they do”, have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “Who am I without this career path?”

This is a hot take which is why I published this anonymously. I’m sure there will be a lot of disagreement but the goal of this is to start a conversation around how we can actively start pursuing a better life for all of us.

Corporate greed is simply out of control and if we don’t reign it in, who will?