Way OT: Funemployment
Happy Sunday, everyone. Ever been "funemployed?"
https://www.vox.com/money/23733244/bullshit-jobs-work-employment-lazy-jobless-employed-nothing-to-do
I have no personal experience with what's described there, but I've observed it several times at multiple employers. This includes one with a total headcount of < 100. I agree with the author that incompetent management is often to blame. (I don't think it has ever occurred under my watch.) I also agree that it's independent of WFH. The best (or, maybe, worst) examples I've ever seen had the perpetrators funemployed in plain sight (open workspace, line of sight from the boss, something plausible up on the screen at all times).
Even if you've never been funemployed, I'd be interested to hear about examples you've seen.
I suppose so. I've run divisions at a Fortune 50 company and we never tolerated low effort contributors. Granted this was a while ago but still, how is this any way to manage an org?
I have to ask you, in your experience, is there any resentment voiced from coworkers who have to pick up the slack?
My younger son, I'll use his exact words, "completely lost his shit" at one of his junior associates recently when a scheduled transaction got delayed for poor effort. The ranking Managing Director said, "I will let you guys work this out", left the meeting, and then asked, upon his delayed return, "anything I need to do". The answer was, "side car that guy, we want nothing to do with him" and it became the MD's problem.
No more transaction problems ... 🤨
Good to hear that things work appropriately sometimes! :)
At UMH the funemployed (plural) were eventually noticed and dispatched. The person at the consultancy was dug in well politically, though, and survived long enough to make a graceful hop somewhere else. (No clue how that next gig went ...)
2 decades ago, I worked with a guy who “supervised” testing of integrated circuits. This amounted to watching CNN/Fox News while a technician set up the work station, performed the test, and recorded the data. About once an hour, the “supervisor” would take a minute and check the data, and then return to browsing the internet.
Eventually, his lack of productivity was discovered and he was strongly encouraged to find another job. He’s been job hopping every couple years ever since.
Similar, but not quite the same, you have subreddits like Overemployed. Where people know their day job is far less than a 40 hour work week, so they get multiple jobs and maximize their income for the time they work. I have a girl friend who is doing this right now. She's an Epic Analyst for a hospital system in California but also an Epic Analyst Manager for a system in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, as a director of IT, my calendar can't possibly give me enough breathing room to even think about a second job. That said, it seem like quite a few people are doing jobs as technical writers and the sort that have easily reached goals. I may be able to do that and sit on meetings, but I really don't want to do that nor do I want to potentially lose my job for a few extra bucks.
I've known a few people in I.T. over the years that have juggled multiple jobs. Never anything crazy, though, where they had to often switch between calendars in the middle of the day and be in two meetings simultaneously. Rather, the positions tended to be "lone wolf" in nature without many required meetings, where a bunch of work was tossed over the wall and could be done at whatever time during the day.
These also tended to be younger people working 70-80 hours a week. I never got the sense that they were ripping anyone off.
I recently switched jobs because a general lack of professionalism was sapping my motivation and standards. I could've stayed and dumbed myself down, lowering my standards in the process, and conformed to my companies laxity, but after fighting it for a few years instead I moved up to a place that was more challenging and demanding, and rewarded competence.
Had to look around for it for a few months, but I'm much happier in the new environment, and I feel I'm leveling up instead of being funemployed. It's a personal decision, and I wouldn't judge anybody for choosing what suits them best, though. Poor management, or lack of management, was 100% to blame. 3/4 of the company was perpetually funemployed, and only a handful of us actually produced anything.
Never accept a counter offer, btw. Leave on good terms, then come back later if the offer still stands. Let them miss you.
From my experience, the whole “use it or lose it” budgeting approach can lead to a lot of wasted resource time. I worked for a major management consulting firm out of Ross and there was definitely 1 project with a fortune 50 company where they had some consulting dollars to spend (or they lose it next during next year’s budgeting cycle), so they hired us to “do something” for 6 months.
A few of my friends called their unemployment for a summer funemployment. They went to bars every night and slept all day
I get angry at these types, but mostly from being envious. I tend to try to take on a lot of work. My philosophy (as was described) is that if you work hard, you will be rewarded. My older co-workers used to laugh at us young enthusiastic engineers, taking on as much as we thought we could handle to get recognition in our Monday morning meetings, when in actuality, we were only creating targets for ourselves by our old ex navy boss. In reality, I feel Office Space got a lot right about corporate culture. You work hard, you usually don't see a dime. You make a mistake, you hear about it from 8 different people. So the more you take on, the more mistakes you possibly expose yourself to. Where's the motivation Bob?
I still have a ton on my plate, and see coworkers have time to chat with each other and seem to be less stressed and happier, which probably also gives them a leg up in appearances in the office. Happy destressed workers always look good.
If you can enjoy work life balance, good on you. Maybe I need to visit some hypnotherapist haha.