Early in my career, I never worked at a place for more than two years. I usually quit my job because of the ‘bullshit’ at work. You know, the office politics, the poor management, the idiotic people, the lame office culture etc. I would be relieved to find a new job. After a few months, I’d get pissed off with the same bullshit, then I’d find another job. After a few jobs I noticed a trend – same bullshit at different workplace. Who knew? It doesn’t matter if it is for profit, non-profit, small or big organizations, as long as there are two people working there, bullshit will surface.
In recognizing and accepting this sad, but honest truth, I was able to develop great management/coping skills. Now I quit my jobs for the right reasons – to move into better opportunities; rather than, running away from a ‘presumably’ bad situation. And by better opportunities, I mean ones that move me closer to my family’s Vision.
Here is my workplace bullshit survival guide. The goal is to help with minimizing stress so you can have a better work life balance, or should I say work life separation. There will always be a bit of stress from work, but if you are taking it home with you and losing sleep over it or letting it affect other parts of your life, then that is not in my opinion, healthy.
1. Keep work in perspective. Our culture defines us by what we do and as a result, determines our worth. When we meet new people for the first time, one of the first questions will be “what do you do for a living?” Our identity has become attached to what we do. This is probably one of the reasons why people are constantly working. Here’s the truth. Your job is what you do and NOT who you are. Like most people, work is one part of one’s life. Even if it is a big part, it is nevertheless, ONE part. When you clock out at quitting time, you’ve got other things to do.
2. Balance the bad with the good. When we dislike a job, we constantly think of the bad and how it affects us. This is what eats us up inside and takes over our thoughts. Seldom do we think of the good. It is important to take stock of the good. If you were to put the good and the bad on a scale, how balanced is it? How important are the good things to you? The bad? Are the bad things bad enough for you to quit your job? And will you get what you want in a new employer? Keep in mind the grass is not always greener on the other side.
3. Don’t feed the bullshit and give it life. There are people at work who are consumed by negativity and constantly want to talk/vent about problems at work. Don’t engage! The more you talk about it or hear about it, the more life you give it and the more it will bother you.
4. Keep good company and stay away from the drama queens/kings. There are people at work who make mountains out of everything. What’s worst, they feel obligated to share their thoughts with everyone. Keep these people away. They are life suckers. If these drama queens/kings happen to be a work friend, just let them know you’d rather not talk about work BS and change the subject. If they are friends, they should understand. Talk to people who are light and have shared interests.
5. Stay low key and off the radar. In the case of your boss, it is irrelevant whether you like/dislike or get along with him or her. The important thing to remember is that he/she is your BOSS. It is always to your advantage to stay on this person’s good side. Remember this person has the power to fire your ass. Being on the good side doesn’t mean you have to suck up. You just have to not do the things that will piss him/her off; like: complaining all the time, asking for a million and one things that make you more ‘comfortable’ at work, being a loud mouth, and not doing your job. If you do your job, keep to yourself, offer solutions from time to time, don’t ask for too much and be friendly, you will be on the good side. In the case of your colleagues, don’t share too much personal information, be friendly, and don’t draw attention to yourself (like getting drunk and dancing like a stripper at a work function). This way you won’t give them anything to talk about; other than, that guy is quiet.
6. Maintain healthy boundaries. The workplace is definitely a place where you develop relationships with people. I think it’s awesome to make friends and have a social circle. The key thing is to maintain healthy boundaries. Once you cross over to the ‘friendship’ side, then things can get awkward. Make sure you establish clear boundaries with your workplace friends. This means keeping social time social and work time work-related.
7. Have a sense of humour. This is the key to surviving workplace bullshit. I am a bit of a smartass so it’s easy for me to make light of a situation. Some folks are serious. Here’s a suggestion for the serious folks. Read Dilbert comics and make people at work one of the characters, then view all your work situations as though you are in the comic. I’ve checked out on many boring (useless) meetings by doing this. My only caution is to make sure you stop yourself from laughing out too loud in a meeting.
work bullshit · work survival guide
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Guest · May 11, 2010 at 1:27 am
Makes sense but to me it takes practice. It’s ulmost like making yourself numb, having no feelings, bullshitting. You are absolutely right though – wherever you go there will always be bullshit – it’s a fake world we live in and jobs are just a part of this fucked up system. We’re not making a difference we’re just peons in a screwed up world. For me it’s hard to deal with. I mean it sucks that some place you spend 90% of your time is – is a bunch of crock. I just wish the world was different and all that stuff but it’s not. For some reason though I haven’t been tamed like you have – I keep wanting something meaningful – I keep wanting to make a difference at work and in turn in the world type of thing. But it’s in vain so I should just turn numb like you and concentrate on what I can control and that is my family, friends, love ext….reaching that ultimate goal of not depending on a job to survive ect…
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Mark Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 8:34 am
I wouldn’t say ‘numb’. It’s about giving it the perspective and time it deserves. It’s about taking control as opposed to having it control you. The shit is gonna be there, mind as well make sure the fan isn’t blowing your way.
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Optimism · July 31, 2010 at 8:45 pm
thank you for the perspective.
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Guest2 · August 2, 2010 at 4:54 am
I think that Guest’s comments are right on regarding the ‘numb’ zombies that inhabit most modern workplaces. A few years ago, PBS had a reality series called “Frontier House” where several families were required to live like the Homesteaders in the mid-nineteenth century. One of the families was very wealthy. After the series, PBS did a follow-up to see how the families were doing after living for several weeks in situation where they had to chop wood, grow and kill food, build cabins, and occasionally do business with other folks sometimes by bartering. The three kids in this wealthy family were sitting around their enormous swimming pool talking about how bored and depressed they were, and how they wished they were back at the frontier house. I do appreciate the innovations and advances in knowledge that modern science and technology have provided since massive industrialization, but I wonder whether something is missing; something that is not being satisfied that is causing us to “die” a bit inside. It seems as though we are glorified peasants tied to organizations for “protection” (health benefits, retirement, income) much those serfs who were tied to landlords in the dark and middle ages. Sometimes it seems better to deal with the insecurity of occasional droughts, bears and attacks by natives.
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Alex · September 1, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Well… amazing how we let work get to us. Thank you for your perspective. I’ll keep practicing staying focus and most of all positive despite all this bullshit.
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Laura · March 15, 2011 at 6:24 pm
I think it has been a little while since this was published, but I think your tips are spot on. I want to really try to do everything that you have listed, and I have had some of the ideas myself. I want to put my all into what I do and feel trampled on when everyone wants to do the mediocre.
Any tips on how you remind yourself to do the average of what is expected of you to keep the boss happy instead of trying to surpass would be great! Need to stop this job ruling my life. Thanks
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Mark Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
I’d love to hear your ideas. On doing the average, I used to have high expectations of myself (and rightly so) and really stress over doing a kickass job. Then at a performance review one time, my boss told me my expectations are too high. I got a real kick of that. Who wouldn’t want an employee who strives high. What I realized was that my ‘bar’ was two feet above my boss’. So, I adjusted. Why would I kill myself and do 120% when 80% is good enough … and truth be told, probably better than good enough. My tip would be for you to determine what your boss’ bar is, then just do what is required. Make sure the info is specific. For example, if the boss says I want my staff to have good attendance, find out what that number is. If you do one day better, then you are golden.
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Deepashri Reply:
February 9th, 2013 at 11:35 am
Dear Mark,
The day i eneterd into this corporate culture right after my Grad. I was of same understanding and there was no one to guide too . Only thing which i missed point no 5 , inspite of doing hard work and taking responsibilty of everythin i do and of clollegeue showing lame attitude ultimately i have to bear balme if anything gone worng .
Still am striving hard to sustain and grow , fundas u said are all true and work gr8 until u follow , nobody dares to talk anything shit abt u . Moment u become open to all people start taking adavantage of u and no doubt ,they enjoy doing so …feels pity about their short sightdness.
Seriously , i wonder why people cannot be honest and sincere to themselve and be involved in valuable stuff , rather than waste their time low standard politics, gossip, and many more shit . This simple thing will not help them to improve but also people around them . All are running behing making their boss happy , but not themselve with what they do .
Considering , Job the only life . I understand its very important have better earnings ,but for that these BS need to understand by palying such tricks will only help them to survive till they die (same as what animals to do )but not Live Life .
Thank You Very Much for the Article
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Mike · May 11, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Very well put, fantastic article. I would ass “cover your ass”, “know who is real and who is fake”, and “watch out for people who won’t put stuff in writing”. Be especially cautious around the fakers; the ones who have no knowledge or skills for their jobs. They survive off of creating BS to make themselves look important and busy. When they can’t do that they survive by passing the buck and/or going to great lengths to make it look like their incompetence is someone else’s fault. These are also generally the same people who will respond to your email with a phone call so none of their BS is on record and they can’t be held accountable for anything they tell you.
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anonymous · June 15, 2011 at 9:46 am
I know what you mean. But, unfortunately, the people that you you are describing are practically every human being I’ve ever encountered in the workplace. Especially in Texas. And, especially in engineering.
By the way, you should also beware of the asshole who asks to have it put into writing. They, invariably, stall like an MF. Nobody is really “real.” And, covering ass, results in absolutely nothing getting done because everyone is too busy covering their ass. While the guy actually trying to get things done faces the liability of all of the blame if anything goes wrong.
Now that I think about it, nobody really wins no matter how hard you try…this article sucks.
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Heba · June 23, 2011 at 6:00 am
First of all, this article is bullshit. Giving us ideas on how to cope with bullshit is basically telling us to accept it! Instead of telling people to find a more meaningful job, or to do something they care about, you are telling those people to tolerate the bullshit because it is a fact of life! Well I refuse to accept this at all! I work in such an environment where I am surrounded by bloodsuckers and ass kissers, and yes, my boss wants me to put EVERYTHING in writing and guess what: NOTHING gets done. Right now I am looking for a new job, and as soon as I find one, I’m outta here! Why should I spend half my day putting up with bullshit? Is this really what life is about? Tolerating bullshit? Why? For what purpose? Many people have found their passions in life and are pursuing them–so can everyone reading this bloody post! I would rather die hungry, lonely, and crippled before working in a bullshit corporate environment ever again. The reason I am still here is because first, I’m saving up enough money to stay self-sufficient for a while and second, until I find something better to move on to. Never accept being miserable and never live your life “tolerating” bullshit because that’s no life; that’s hell!
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Mark Reply:
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:43 am
Please share when you find that work Nirvana. Good Luck.
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Robing Hood · August 6, 2011 at 2:56 am
As human creatures we have 2 main duties: 1-Survival of self & immediate family and 2-Taking care of community / society/ country / tribe /clan. Mark only addressed #1 just as being currently emphasized by our more encompassing corporate culture. Big efforts like propaganda, spin and disinformation are being spent making sure everyone just saves his own ass. In the workplace these are selfish, workaholic and overcompetitive creatures perfectly numb to society’s ills. When I look at an outstanding CV, I see a guy/gal who never grabs a book, who never understands the news, who barely has an idea of being team player. In fact, ‘team player’ these days means ‘going with the flow’. These are the kind of people who would kill each other just to have the chance to put another brick in Egypts pyramids or appear as ‘employee of the month’. These are our modern day slaves, ready to work themselves to death in exchange of some abstract token and a handful of dollars.
I liked comments by Gest1/2 and Heba’s.
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Mark Reply:
August 6th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Robing Hood, Guest 1/2 and Heba appeared to focus solely on just the work aspect. My point is about putting one’s work life in check. Work is only one part of our TOTAL life or at least it should be. I think if you read closer, the article is more than about strictly survival or covering one’s ass. It is about not letting the shitty work life roll over into the other parts of your life. We’ve all been there … have a bad day at work, you are ‘short’ with your family. So, by keeping your work crap in check, you are, as Robing suggests, taking care of your ‘clan’ (thus serving our other duty). If you don’t take care of yourself, you can not take care of others! Don’t mistake surviving as submitting to corporate culture. It’s about not putting to much emphasis on a negative situation and redirecting positive energy to other things in your life that you value.
As I mentioned in the article … ” The goal is to help with minimizing stress so you can have a better work life balance, or should I say work life separation. There will always be a bit of stress from work, but if you are taking it home with you and losing sleep over it or letting it affect other parts of your life, then that is not in my opinion, healthy.”
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Cody · August 28, 2011 at 11:34 pm
I have to agree that the shelf life of any job is about 2 years before you feel the need to move on to less bullshit. One trend I have noticed is the larger the company, the more bullshit you endure. I’ve been at my current company nearly 5 years mainly because I was tired of constantly interviewing every couple years. I have to admit – I think this company has more bullshit than my last 3 companies combined. This week I have a 3 hour meeting with management to discuss with a group the results of the company culture survey. I had to do a double take when I saw it pop up on my calendar – 3 hrs – seriously? I think I’ll be looking for that next bullshit job soon.
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Guest · October 1, 2011 at 6:38 am
The thing about bullshit is it sinks to the bottom but it can also take you down with it. Leaving is always a good solution. Nothing beats leaving bullshit before it gets attached. A group of bullshit stuck together will sink any ship given enough time. Why be stuck on a sinking ship. The alternative solution is to pinch the nose like the author while ignoring the bullshit and trying not to get a piece attached. But what if a piece of bullshit is attached, what do you do? Common sense tells you if you got a piece of shit stuck to you, better fling it off and wash yourself off quickly. Don’t want to be smelling like a piece of shit all day. If that shit is firmly attached, well get used to that smell for awhile until you find a stick to pry it off. Using your hands right now to remove it will get shit everywhere. Better a clean break than getting shit everywhere. In the meantime, you’ll have to carry double the weight to prevent yourself from going down with the bullshit.
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Joe · October 5, 2011 at 10:41 am
First, I have to laugh because I found my way to this thread by Googling “right to work is bull….”.
That being explained first, I did read the Original Thread and responses all the way through and both the OP and the responses all have a major thread of truth in them. In defense of the OP, YES, you do have to leave the BS behind when you come home at night, and NO, our jobs DO NOT define us. And, yes, I can see why you (the figurative…) only get about two year’s mileage out of any particular job these days because of the nonsense (politics, idiots, management, lameness, etc.). For me, that length of time-in-job is about 4-6 months…
As for finding some simple guide or pathway through the job BS that will allow a well-intentioned seasoned worker to survive in this world of nonsense-slinging idiots that permeate the typical (US) workplace in this 21st century, I don’t hold out much hope. You (the figurative again…) can hit on a few of the points and give a few good ideas, but you cannot stop the machine that gives rise & rights to idiots that refuse to do their jobs. It seems like this has now become the GLUE that binds us. Call it racism, sexism, PC, or whatever, but this gel that is stuck in the workplace is gonna ruin this country for sure.
I just suffered through 6 months working for the Physical Plant Division in the largest university in Tampa and can’t believe how things turned out. Granted, I ran my own business for 20 years, so my perspective is probably very skewed, but these (supervisory-type) people spent all of their time trying to figure out how NOT to support the hard working individuals they had in their crews, instead catering to the moronic bums that managed to make it through the interview & background-check process. In my case, the hiring manager (head of maintenance) managed to hire 2 of eight people that were qualified for the position, and 6 people that should have stayed as greeters at Wal-Mart where they would not have been challenged quite so much by the job. My legitimate complaints that were made about the wise-ass antics of the 6 fell upon deaf ears, even though everyone KNEW what they WEREN’T doing (their jobs) and everyone KNEW what they WERE DOING (kissing ass & f’ing off). It’s no wonder we, as a people, are finding ourselves stuck in pool of mediocrity, ever spiraling downward, with no end in sight except turning over our past greatness to others on the planet that have been subjugated for years and are finally finding their new freedoms (China). We’ve lost the edge in the United States of America. We hire (& retain) our workers based on race, gender, cronyism and politically correct BS, as opposed to finding people that can get the job done right the first time. We toss money at past problems by endorsing this type of system, and we’re completely unable to reverse the process.
So, back to my original Google search: “right to work”. What does that mean anymore? I have a right to work, too, but not if I can’t fit into that mold of idiocy that is the fabric of our current worker’s society; not if I won’t eat poo and kiss ass, ignoring those that laugh and do nothing. One of the kings of those new hires told me right off “I know how to work the system”, and so he did. He quickly assembled his own new group of idiots out of the other 5, and, well, you know where that went… While I and the other great hire were busy working, the group of chimps played with their clubs and drove around in the golf carts with the blessings of management. I didn’t understand his original idiotic statement then, but I do now.
We’re in trouble America. Face it. This isn’t turning around anytime soon, and your kids and mine are gonna inherit this cesspool of mediocrity. It’s so sad.
Sorry son…
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Joe · October 5, 2011 at 2:54 pm
BTW, I should have mentioned that I met many great people (& especially vendors) while working at the university, too. To them I hope for the best. They have learned how to navigate their way through muddy & mucky waters, in a way I probably never will.
So, to all of those guys that might happen across this little expose in coming years, and you know who you are, you have my undying admiration for tolerating an environment so full of waste, political bullshit and abuse.
For the rest of you… …well you know where you can stick it.
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Matt · November 6, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Screw the American workplace. Full of misery, lies, long hours, kiss asses, do gooders, back stabbers, slackers, and jerks. And that’s just management I’m referring to.
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Vishal · January 12, 2012 at 4:48 am
A BOSS should also realise that you’re an EMPLOYEE and a valuable part of the organisation. It’s a two-way street and there’s no excuse for treating a ‘worker’ like crap.
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Howie · January 16, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Love it!
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DonDWest · June 16, 2012 at 10:13 am
“5. Stay low key and off the radar.”
That works great if you want to KEEP your job, however when it comes time to applying for that enw management position, I’m aftaid that slacker, upbeat personality, mediocre at best, political gamsemanship person will beat you out every time!
So working hard, well, and keeping to yourself is good enough to keep that entry level jobs, but that’s it. I’ve been passed up for promotion routinely by people who only show up half the time because they engage in the bullshit that I refuse to engage into.
Now, I face a different problem, because I’ve applied for promotion up to 5 times already this past year (yes the corporation has burned through 5 managers in a year) the bullshit is now “attached” to me. I can no longer escape it. . . And I’m starting to realize now much like you, moving corporations is never a solution. In this service orientated economy of “soft skills”, us practical, dedicated, and hard working individuals are being constantly left behind. Stuck in low wage jobs well below our capabilities.
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Just Trying · August 11, 2012 at 7:26 pm
As I read these comments I finally relize what is happening to myself in the workplace. And I see what the end will be like for America a few hard workers surviving while the rest are dying. In my workplace its the same its not who u know its who u blow to move ahead and out absolutely infuriates me cause I try hard at work but to no avail. I am almost to the point of if u can’t beat em join em im just gonna sit on my butt do nothing like the rest and see where it goes.
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Lou · September 14, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Corporations are messed up. Anything that threatens the relationship between effort and reward breeds failure. Thus, they incentivize failure and laziness and deceit and obfuscation. Gay team-building exercises and platitudes and crowd-sourcing and corporate bromides from an HR team that is a metaphor for modern apathy.
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Matt · November 12, 2012 at 11:25 am
I cover four job descriptions for a small company that are all rather complex. Engineering design work, IT/networking support, Patent Trademark maintenance, and other work..
The owner (duo-proprietorship) has no clue as to what I do, the complexity, or its value. If it looks easy, it couldnt possibly be that you are actually “good” at what you do.. If it looks like skinning a fish, then brain surgery should be paid like skinning a fish…
Morons.
today, I had a lot on my plate. The CEO comes in and wants me to design a logo for his shirts he is having printed on for a fucking auto show..
Absolutely nothing business related.
Imagine having to fight for years to have the work you do appreciated by someone completely unfamiliar with it or its place in business…
to only be asked for bullshit like this on a regular basis..
I work for a moron.
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Malefactory · November 14, 2012 at 2:58 pm
The fact that this thread is still drawing attention, in a low-key way, suggests the writer has touched something quite important about the way we see work in the Great Recession.
A shelf-life of two years in internet-time is like 20 in the library.
Are we becoming more pragmatic, yet developing an awareness that things are a confused mess in the world of earning a living?
Or that the option of “dropping-out” was a monstrous conceit that only existed (if ever) for about 18 months in the late 1960s – and just happened to coincide with much of the Vietnam draft?
The fact is that most of us have no alternative to showing up to a place we’d rather avoid to earn a buck, and indeed that many in this era would be grateful to have that opportunity.
It seems more intelligent, self-aware and honest to face the reality that for the majority our work is further away from being enjoyable and intellectually fulfilling than ever.
Let’s imagine we tried to make the best of things for the eight or nine hours work a day – but not be wracked with guilt or disappointment if it’s not the happy little hive of self-development that we might have been told to expect.
How did we ever get to the point that if our work is not the highlight of our lives that we see ourselves as failures?
For the past thirty years a line of spruikers and con-artists have insisted this is there in reach for all of us. Was it just that selling us on the idea of “fulfilment” meant those who run the system could pay us less?
Maybe the faster each of us investigates and possibly accepts this was mostly self-serving bullshit, then the sooner we can learn to respect ourselves as adults. But there’s more: We might even start to focus on those parts of our own lives we can make a lot better. Letting go of the “concept” that work is what makes us free could lead to some seriously positive personal changes. Maybe each of us could spend some of the time we used to give to the office thinking of ways we could help those who don’t have a job.
I expect a lot of people who could take back one day a fortnight or a month from their work, and use it helping out at a homeless kitchen or something similar, would find life suddenly got lighter and brighter.
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StillShoveling · January 16, 2013 at 12:37 am
Malefactory,
“How did we ever get to the point that if our work is not the highlight of our lives that we see ourselves as failures?”
It’s both better and worse than you think. The good news is, we’re more self-aware as a civilization than you’re giving us credit for. We’re up to our asses in cliches to the effect that work makes life fulfilling about as well as a toaster makes bathtime fun. Garfield’s running Monday gag and TGI Fridays’ acronym and blah blah blah…is there anyone who hasn’t gotten the news by now that being disillusioned with your job is perfectly normal?
The bad news is, we can’t just shrug off that disillusionment because those 8 or 9 hours are half our waking time in any given workday. There’s a word for accepting that half your life is doomed to be ruined by forces beyond your control – we call it going postal. I don’t think this guide is about resignation but about taking back enough control to put off that doom for a little while longer.
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Suziboo · January 31, 2013 at 9:18 pm
Thank you for this post. I was just looking around for sites on surviving the work place when I saw bullshit, and knew I was in the right place. I was amazed to read your history of moving on every two years. I have left nearly every work place after two-three years. I’m a social worker and I’ve worked with some of the most difficult and aggressive client groups but that’s hasn’t been the problem with the job. I love the clients. It’s the coworkers and management who are the problem. I currently work in a max security prison and have been there nearly twelve months. As usual the clients are fantastic. I love the actual work but here we go again with the office politics! My boss’s boss, who is at a different site, emails me to book a meeting next week. Here’s what the email said,
Hi Suzi,
Can we meet next Wednesday. I need to talk to you about some inappropriate comments you were overheard making. I will be in at lunchtime, how’s 3:30?
Ok fantastic. It’s Thursday afternoon when I get this. So someone, a coworker, has heard me talking to someone else and rang the boss and secretly repeated my comments! Great. Now I have to wait five days to find out. I’m not the kind of person to talk about sex, religion or politics at the lunch table but I know I’ve complained about the conditions. After a year, I don’t have a desk, computer or phone and I have to overhear a coworker saying I won’t get one. I have to bring all my own resources in and sometimes have to sit at the kitchen table.
Obviously I’ve opened my big mouth not expecting a eaves dropper would run back to the boss. I know I have apologise and promise it won’t happen again when I want to throw my resignation in her face. Unfortunately I’ve got two kids to support on and no savings. I’ll find another job but I wish my skin was thicker. I feel like other people don’t have these problems. As it is I feel like curbing my personality has left me fading away. How did I end up feeling like my workplace is a communist dictator ship?
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Leena · February 22, 2013 at 11:44 am
@Heba: Trust the man on this one! I have been through all of this BS too & found that ‘accepting’ BS & ‘separating’ it from your own universe works better than ‘trying’ to create your own! What you seek is Utopia. Nevertheless, if you do find it, you know whom to contact first!
all the best 
@Mark: Practical Wisdom. Thanks!
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Merit Coba · March 6, 2013 at 10:36 am
It might be an older article, but I still find it has relevance to todays world.. it probably will always be relevant. I can imagine the sentiment of Heba: if you don’t like it, just quit and move on.
Unfortunately it’s not easy to quit a job when you have a family who depends on your income: quitting has consequences for them as well. And not only family. I know someone who finances an art place, if she would quit her job she would probably have to stop supporting the art place.
For those who can’t just leave their job(or don’t want to, despite the bullshit), some of Mark’s tips are handy. I have a little bit of a problem with it, as i think it’s a bit more negative then it should be..
In fact it is my observation that most work gets done because a lot of people like to work around the bullshit, instead of against it or with it, in a positive way.
What I find amazing is the totally wacky world of higher management. I am an employee of a large firm that has recently introduced a new ‘performance management’ process. During a presentation essentials values are named and being hammered upon: we are to be open, fair, honest and trustful. We are to adhere to high moral values and ethical standards. Then we are presented an instructional movie in which we we see how one (higher) manager conducts an appraisal interview with a (lower) manager. And a large part of the interview is about whether cost savings have been achieved. Cost savings is one of the most important sermons in the world of management. We are to cut cost, lower cost.. do more with less people, keep on working with old machines. No manager can guarantee people will work harder, more, better and smarter.. but they can cut costs.
And thus we, the workforce, are expected to be open and honest to managers, while these same managers are increasing our workload or considering to outsource our jobs, because we are too expensive.
‘To lead by example’ is mentioned at times, yet few managers actually lead that way. CEO’s tell a lot but never show.. They seldom mention that cost savings is so much on their mind and that it has become the measure of a man.
They seldom practice what they preach..they preach regardless of their practice: they lie where they call for honesty. They expect loyalty were they give none.
Are they expecting that people ignore that? It’s feels like they think that the workforce is ultimately stupid and will swallow whatever nonsense streams downward.
The workforce here does what Mark already suggested. They listen to the sermons, nod and go back to work: they don’t care about these people whom they never see or speak and who live in a cuckoo world that they don’t care about.
It is a pity these managers waste so much of the companies resources on this. I made a simple calcuation by estimating how many hours from the workforce the presentation will cost the company. We are speaking millions here..
Millions invested into a performance management concept that died in infancy.
You might say: if you wanted to save cost, you could have started with stopping the performance management process..
But that doesn’t really matter.. does it now? For reason has long since been replaced by belief and conviction. It has become a religion that works according to its own internal logic. You shall submit to it’s teaching and you will be branded as a heretic if you go against it.
Ultimately the performance management process denies itself. Everyone here, even the line managers, feel it’s a bullshit process that adds nothing.
And as such it is partly suffered and partly ignored.
And as such it fits right in with Mark’s tips.
[Reply]
Richard · March 14, 2013 at 9:35 pm
Very interesting, I have worked in office for the last eight years and I now work for myself for nearly a year now, I have never felt so liberated from the “Office” oh my goodness I am free seriously and it feels great – my interpretation of life is to break away from the system in which we are enslaved to then we can be happy genuinely! When I were young I was told to work hard at school, get my ass to uni, get a high paid job but the truth of the matter after going to uni and into my first job in an office doing payroll things over time became apparent…the office bullshite dribble, basically this is what I experienced all through those office jobs from one job to the next full of bull all my goals achievements were drawn out of my soul. Merit Coba explained exactly what it’s like in the office work that I had, and inline with the article I was already applying all those good points to avoid the bullshit but in fact I was using bullshit to fight bull shit and that’s just an act and didnt want to know about it anymore…in my last job I knew I was doing well but the manager decided to extend my probationary period as if I needed to work on a few things (bull) I was expected to work overtime and not be paid (as written in the contract; I can’t argue with that can I? Pshh) I felt low, my 2 weeks hol was comin up and I was told bout workin overtime to get the work in a position so it’s easy for manger to do was the final straw! I did not want to go back so my 2 weeks hol turned into forever
and boy I was more happier never goin back and solved one problem and created another? I have a wife and now a baby on the way…so I decided to work for myself as a window cleaner…people laughed etc but I’m laughing every day knowing I can get to work 5, 10, whenever how late cos I’m my own boss, I have no horrid manager on my case nor back biting bunch of vipers when you go out the office for a piss! I am making twice as much per hour doing window cleaning and I’m out and about in all weathers, meeting different people instead of the same old tired faces in the office, I went to uni and the smartest thing I did was to start living a simple life, it’s so true in psalms keep your eye simple and your whole body will be bright…I have time to do more things than work 8:30am-5:00pm. I felt like a robot before but now I feel like a man at last. I do know what it’s like for people who feel trapped at the office…I walked out at a bad time (financially speaking) but for me my health and well being takes priority and I felt it was the best thing to do and I am so glad I did what I did and what I am doing now. I still managed to get by without all the stress and now I’m building my round up with the windows now and seriously I’m not just saying it I am earning more money now, it is harder work but I feel good after the end of a hard day using my hands instead of a pen or computer.
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
March 15th, 2013 at 10:49 pm
that’s really awesome and encouraging. good for you! way to take control of your life.
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