Personal opinions on modern working culture

This is most likely going to be a long one - I've been doing some self-reflection and wrote a journal entry (as journaling helps me get my thoughts and feelings out, especially when depressed) on how I feel about work and life. If you disagree with anything, that is OK. I just wanted to share my own thoughts and see what others think.

I've been listening to some YouTube videos where people have been voicing their concerns about the 9 to 5 grind. It makes me think sometimes: what is the purpose of life? If we were truly free, why do we have to report to employers who take away our time? Why do we have to work?

To put it this way: there are 24 hours in a day. The concept of an ideal life was to have 8 hours divided for sleep, work and recreational time. In reality, this isn't the case. The majority work full-time jobs for 8 hours each day (which rounds up to 40 hours a week). If you consider other factors such as the preparation for work, childcare, household responsibilities and the commute, that is an extra 2 to 3+ hours deducted each day. Then, the unpaid lunch breaks equal a 1 hour deduction. Realistically, most full-timers spend 50 to 60+ hours either being at work or getting ready for work. There is a constant rush; during my journey to work I see people running on the trains, pushing and shoving to get to the next destination as one missed train ruins a whole working day. Life can be too fast paced and things need to slow down but 9 times out of 10, it won't happen.

When returning home, there is a maximum of 3 to 4 hours to decompress. This isn't enough time to really rest and recollect yourself. Most repeat the same routine of showering, eating and sleeping before getting up the next morning to relive the same day. It is worse if you have personal responsibilities like having to support a whole family.

As for weekends, you are lucky if you get them off. Some jobs (such as retail or care) require additional hours on weekends with little time for yourself. If you work in these industries, you are expected to cover or find cover yourself. Management bully you into doing extra work last minute and if you don't accept, you are out of a job. On the weekends, most people are doing chores or errands on Saturdays. Sundays are the same, only difference is people dread the next Monday where it's the same ***, different week. People ruminate over lost time and it is depressing.

When you identify these factors, you begin to realise that most of your time is spent at work with people you barely know. Instead of being with close friends and family that we love and care for, we're putting on plastic smiles, pretending we're so elated to be around people we possibly detest (not to say I hate my colleagues, however some might) whilst doing tedious tasks that produce no value to the world (depending on industry). We are having to engage in small talk, pretending to care about trivial things like weekend plans or the weather. You find that you're acting, playing a role by pretending to be so happy-go-lucky when you're dying inside.

There is no real sense of camaraderie as the modern workplace is a competition, one where people take advantage of your kind nature to get to where they want to be. In other words, it is survival of the fittest - a dog eat dog world where the weak get stomped on and the strong survive.

Although an average shift is 8 hours, most get work done in ½ the time. The remainder of the shift is spent bored, trying to appear busy so management doesn't question our work ethic. You have to slow down the working processes and constantly look like you're concentrating hard on a project.

This is the average life. If you work part-time, there is more time for yourself. Sadly, most part-time positions don't pay much. The same applies to working in a job relating to your passion. There is next to no money when doing your passion.

Money is the main reason as to why people work. To sustain a living, you need money for the basics such as a roof over your head, clothes on your back, food, water, toiletries etc. You also need money to pay rent, bills and council tax. Money is also required to do recreational activities such as travel. The less money you have, the less opportunities you have access to. The majority think that you have to "contribute to society" in order to have a place in the world. That and you have to "earn a living". People should have the right to the basics at least, yet this will never happen as we are surrounded by austerity.

Once you take care of responsibilities, there is nothing left for yourself. Unless you have a family support system, inheritance or some other form of wealth, you are struggling to make ends meet by living paycheck to paycheck. For the majority, they resort to coping mechanisms like excessive spending, recreational drugs or alcohol. Either that or self-harm. Either that or consumption of expensive products that are unaffordable. The majority use credit cards, loans or buy now pay later services to fuel their addictions as a temporary fix.

As negative as this sounds, you can't blame people because work consumes at least ⅓ of their life.

To be completely honest, I don't work because I want to contribute to a cesspool of a "society". The only members of society I'd willingly help are those with autism (or other disabilities) or mental health issues (mainly depression).

I work because I need money to support myself. My job is a means to an end to fund the lifestyle I want, ideally being early retirement. There is more to me than being a receptionist and let's face it, if I was really passionate about my job maybe I'd be hooked up on cocaine or something. I find it strange when people actually love coming to work. Don't get me wrong, my job is alright and I would say it is manageable, especially in terms of workload. I just don't want to be tied down to offices forever. Still, it could be worse. I could be in a similar environment to my previous job where a manager is breathing down my neck.

The hustle culture mentality has been integrated into many workplaces. Employers constantly expect employees to dedicate 24/7 of their life to a job, even though they could be let go or fired at any given time. On the Internet, hustle culture "gurus" promote the idea of working constantly in order to be productive and ambitious. You are automatically deemed lazy for not doing so.

The majority of employees work hard, assuming they'll get a raise or a promotion. Employers only reward the hard workers with more work and desire instant results. Slackers get promoted and the majority who land a better position are those who go the extra mile by kissing up to managers or attending social activities. If an employee fails to deliver, they are given warnings and later get dismissed. If an employee overworks themselves, they develop long-term medical problems which affect their physical and mental health or die. If such a thing occurred at work, the employer will simply advertise for the next replacement without a care. To most employers, we are not human beings: we are numbers on a payroll spreadsheet, disposable pieces of trash. In certain cultures, the term overwork has become widespread. If you look at Japan for example, there is a word for this called Karoshi - meaning overworked death. Medical causes for this include heart attacks, stress or undereating.

To add to this, a lot of workplaces fail to instill a proper work/life balance. The distinction between work and personal life no longer exists as work itself is embedded into the home.

There is more to life than wasting away in a concrete building and completing monotonous tasks that you don't give two shits about. Besides, why should anybody overstress about a company, especially one they don't even own?

This is normal in many workplaces. Managers treat you like cattle, whipping you into submission as you spend your precious time producing, producing, producing. The majority don't get much pay out of their hard labour; for those in essential industries like healthcare, retail, education (to name a few), all they get is minimum wage and nothing more - stretching themselves thin to meet the unrealistic expectations weighing down on them. If you are someone who works too hard, you can forget negotiating a pay increase as most employers won't budge. They will either refuse to give one or lowball you, knowing that they can just continue to get an experienced employee on the cheap.

If you are doing a customer facing role/front facing role, you aren't human. You're an emotional punching bag for all the assholes known as "the general public", entitled "people" who love to take out their issues on you. You suffer of course but your manager doesn't give a *** as they don't back you up. Instead, they let you be abused. In hybrid/WFH environments, some managers go as far as using movement software to track if you are working. There is a lack of trust for employees and they are treated like children. And God forbid you take time off for personal reasons. It is fine for management to go on lavish holidays every month, taking weeks off at a time. Yet in most workplaces, you are given crumbs and expected to accept it.

The loss of 3rd places can somewhat contribute to the issues with modern workplaces/working culture. At one point, you could go and meet a friend for a meal after work, knowing you could have the chance to unwind and catch up. Nowadays (unless your job allows you to), people are often too exhausted and just go home, preparing to repeat the workday again. To add to this, most don't have the luxury to go somewhere after work as most 3rd places (i.e. cafes) involve spending money. Either that or childcare gets in the way as your life isn't about your needs anymore. The amount of technology we have access to doesn't help at times as we are more contactable than ever.

In this world, people base your worth on jobs and earnings. You are told to follow the traditional path to success. You have to go to school, college and university. After obtaining all the necessary GCSE's, A-Levels/BTECs and a prestigious degree, you are on your way to a promising career. This isn't the case.

The majority who graduate from university find that they cannot secure a job in their field. There are more graduates than jobs; the problem is that many don't have the required work experience employers want hence they become long-term unemployed. Most graduates either end up on benefits, working minimum wage jobs (mostly retail) or a job with no relevance to what they studied. Worst case scenario, they end up teaching, repeating the same process to a future generation of students who will most likely waste their precious years studying for a degree that provides no value. If you studied a specific subject such as the arts, there is next to no money therefore you have to retrain in something else. The debt from student loans accumulates and you spend the next 30+ years repaying a graduate tax that gets deducted from your wages before taking the rest home (that is after tax).

In most institutes, teachers hardly mention alternatives to higher education. From an early age, university is drilled into students; teachers always say that without a degree, you will end up in low-paid work. In turn, students waste years of money that could've been invested into something useful such as early retirement, stocks and shares or even a house. The education system doesn't allow students to thrive and develop. The education system instills conformity, teaching students how to be obedient wage slaves. Creativity and true learning is stifled, replaced with a "one-size fits all" approach and standardised tests which categorise students as either an academic prodigy or an underachiever. You can't challenge teachers as they are a form of authority, you are made to stay in your place as you are a child, someone with no understanding of the "real world". This translates into work as being outspoken is a problem. Managers prefer subordinate employees who say yes to any demand. If you are asked to jump, the expected response is how high?

The job hunting process can be humiliating at times. Nowadays, you can't walk into a business and hope to hand in a CV let alone talk to a manager. You have to apply online. The online process often involves having to create an account for ONE application. You have to spend hours parsing your CV to fit the right sections and also create a perfect personal statement/cover letter which details why you're great for the job. If you have a disability (i.e. dyslexia) it can be difficult to navigate a website. When sending an application online, nobody gets back to you - this is because HR/recruiters have too many applications to process and don't have time. You either get a generic rejection e-mail or nothing.

Even the interview process is humiliating. You have to try to impress the potential employer by using corporate terminology - answering questions by providing hypothetical scenarios you solved so you seem competent at the job. In some cases, you don't get interviewed by a human being. You get a one-way interview which you are talking to a CAMERA. Other interviews that can occur include panel/group interviews which can add to the stress and anxiety.

For certain interview questions, you can't be honest. You have to lie and bullshit your way through. If for example an employer asks you why you want a job, you can't say because you need money. You have to say that you are looking for an opportunity to be challenged whilst developing a career in the industry through continued learning, that kind of stuff. Personally, I find the "where do you see yourself in X years" question the most annoying as I can't determine how my life will play out. That and STAR questions where I have to formulate a perfect answer to a scenario that never happened.

Strangers often become invasive; they like to figure out what kind of job you have to see if you are "good enough" to be in their social circles. When two strangers meet for the first time, one asks the other "what do you do?". This question correlates to job titles and nothing else. If someone worked in a white collar profession such as a corporate office role, they are immediately respected (especially if they are in the private sector) as these jobs pay well. If someone worked in a blue collar profession, say an engineer or a plumber, they are met with judgement as these jobs are considered "dirty". The shame multiplies if someone worked in a minimum wage role as they aren't earning enough. Either that or if you are working in certain industries - mainly retail, care work, fast food or warehousing.

The majority of people have no personality outside of their job which defines them. All most talk about is work, not hobbies or in-depth topics, just work. The job makes a person a shell of their former self.

In workplaces, colleagues also like to pry into your personal life. If for example you live at home with your parents, they shame you and say things such as: "when I was 18, I moved out and bought my own place. Why can't you do that? Does your mother do everything for you?"

They patronise you if you are young, same applies if you have a disability. People assume that if you are disabled or neurodivergent, you can't produce at the same level as everyone else. Also, those who apply to either category are only hired as a diversity quota, this way employers can tick boxes and make it look as if they are inclusive. They want to increase reputation, simply by treating minority groups like props. As an autistic individual, I don't want an employer to hire me because of a hidden disability. I want to be hired because of my skills, experience and ideas I can offer. Sadly to say, it is hard.

If you are struggling with mental health, you are faced with harsh judgement and told to stop being so weak. This is why people mask, acting like everything is fine.

If anyone questions why working is something that needs to be done in life, the default answer is: "because you HAVE to." The same applies to education, you HAVE to attend school. You HAVE to go to college. You HAVE to go to university. In other words, you HAVE to slave away for 30+ years until you approach death's door. Another default answer is that this is "life." An in-depth explanation isn't provided as most people cannot form a proper answer as to why life has to be this way.

It is clear that most accept life as is, hesitant to changing things for the better. In technical terms, we have improved technology that could help make work easier for ourselves (for example: using AI systems like Copilot and such to form e-mails without typing or transcripts for meetings). But, work is only harder. There are more hours, less pay/benefits and more expectations. Managers operate companies using skeleton crews, having 2 or 3 people doing the work of 5 or more. They know it is cheaper to do so as they don't have to fork out money to pay for an extra body. If one team member leaves, the rest get dumped with their workload on top of their primary duties.

Instead, technology is erasing essential jobs. When I go to a fast food establishment or a supermarket for example, I notice less tills with staff and more machines to order food or scan items. There is next to no human interaction and instead of allowing customers to have options for payment, it is card only. Jobs are slowly being automated, mostly the essential ones which keep the world going.

People always think that it is so easy to save money in order to have a better quality of life. Not to say this can't be done, however it is only possible if your job pays well or you have alternate forms of wealth. Considering the cost of living/inflation, wages remain stagnant and it is harder to make ends meet. Some people find they cannot buy a house, they end up living with parents or roommates in rented accommodation - using 2 salaries to get by. Others resort to working multiple jobs.

For those on benefits or are NEET, Hiki or struggling with disabilities/mental health the situation worsens. In the UK, there is a classist view in which people who are from low-income backgrounds deserve nothing. According to the government and mainstream media, being on benefits makes you a lazy scrounger who steals from the state. Whilst some people do take advantage of the system, others who have genuine needs find it difficult to get by.

There is not enough support or resources for these groups; job centres are out of touch with the reality of the job market. They try to place people into jobs which aren't appropriate - zero-hour jobs (minimum wage) in retail/care/fast food/warehousing. You can't find a decent paying job with a great benefits package unless you have connections. This is because employers expect you to jump through obstacles to get even a slither of a chance at an interview. There is no point in trying to get a job using the honest approach - hence why most lie in CV's and job interviews.

The aim of job centres is to reduce their caseloads by meeting targets; like employers, the work coaches see benefit claimants as "customers". I find the term "customer" derogatory when describing a benefit claimant. A customer is a person who purchases products or services. Not someone who has no choice but to claim government assistance. People on Universal Credit are seen as sub-human, work coaches constantly ridicule claimants to the point where they either give up on their job search or commit suicide. There are many cases where work coaches are to blame for a claimant's mental wellbeing deteriorating.

The dynamics in modern workplaces are awful. Toxic behaviour is rampant, often encouraged or ignored by managers. A workplace is the equivalent of a high-school setting for grown adults. Instead of just getting on with your work, you are expected to play the social game by doing everything possible to impress management so you can get ahead. This kind of setting is hard to navigate, particularly for those who are neurodivergent (like myself) or others who were formerly NEET/Hiki.

For people who fall under these categories, the mental health issues and added social anxiety creates a concoction nobody wants. Introverted people have a hard time establishing strong connections in the workplace as colleagues often come across abrasive or abusive, having toxic traits like backstabbing and two-faced behaviour. Favouritism is also normalised; managers often have their preferred employees who get away with everything. Those same employees gang up on an individual to drive them out of the workplace, causing them to lose their job as-well as self-esteem. If you don't participate in social activities in or out of work, you are not seen as a "team-player" and get shunned because you have no interest in being around people you don't care for. If forced into social activity outside of work, people resort to drinking as the alcohol gives a boost of confidence (albeit temporary). The same applies if you don't speak often as you try to do your work.

It is hard to say what alternatives there are to the 9-5 grind. Of course, many suggest starting a business but this requires savings and a drive for entrepreneurship. That and actual knowledge of how to run a business properly. Some people turn to social media. However, getting paid for being viral is also difficult as you have to establish an audience and relevancy. Others even resort to illegal tactics. You can't blame those who hit rock bottom as most jobs don't give you much money for an ideal quality of life.