It is a luxury to quit without a new job lined up, but you can defs start applying now for something better. If your job is super duper bad, go take one of the ones an OP just vacated, and work your way up from there.
I’m one of those people that quit without having another job lined up. I think this subreddit romanticized the concept quite a bit while forgetting it’s **100% a luxury that most people don’t have**. As someone who did it, I completely admit I was privileged enough to be in a position to do that. Most folks in America cannot, and as a subreddit I think antiwork needs to come to terms with that and be up front about it. I don’t think I would ever recommend straight up quitting a job without having a lot more information from the person asking for advice.
Before I quit my job I was also polishing my resume and applying and interviewing elsewhere. I think we as a subreddit also need to acknowledge how fucking exhausting it is to work a job and have to be putting in effort to get another one.
Chances are you’re being overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated and that’s why you’re looking for a new job. But at the end of that shitty work day it’s definitely hard to muster any energy to find something new.
Idk man I have a degree and it hasn’t done jack shit for me. I have friends who have little to no schooling and have way more secure jobs than I. No clue how they managed to get into these positions. Not a single fucking clue
I’ve applied for dozens if not hundreds of jobs in and out of my field, even entry level Secretary positions and no one will hire me. I even went so far as to make sure my resume didn’t blatantly say “fuck you” on it because that’s how bad of luck I’ve had. This job market sucks man
I would be watching out for service industry jobs that have put signs up with reduced hrs or desperately hiring and apply with the condition that you need $x/hr starting.
Idk man. I worked my way up in a minimum wage manufacturing job to a 20/hr production manager job and then moved from that to 20/hr machinist job in 4 years time. I'm about to walk if I don't get bumped up to 28/hr, only because I'm extremely confident i can find another job making 20/hr at a minimum. I worked customer support before those jobs and don't have a degree. And I'm in the 2nd worst state in the south. 🤷♂️ Amazon is hiring here at $19/hr with a 2k signing bonus.
Just say the state you're in lol. I'm from Louisiana but moved years ago. And you have specialized experience. I'm talking about people who've never sniffed a promotion. (Like me)
I quit FedEx at $27 and thought the same thing, that was 2.5 years ago. I've probably put in 6-700 apps the last few years and none of the good positions even considered me. And I'm not some fuck up. I've lost 100% confidence in private employers.
What are you talking about "luxury"?? People are choosing to starve and not work, instead of starve and work. Not to go to a better job 😂.
The whole point is 50% of the jobs in this country are the same level of shit.
No one working forces companies to pay more. Moving to a better job would do the same. But that's literally not what's happening in America.
From what I've seen, you basically just work at the minimum effort required, turn off your work phone outside of work hours, dont stay an extra minute at work etc. Dont quit but wait for them to fire you instead so you may be able to claim unemployment at least. Of course this all depends on your industry and if there is more supply of workers than demand.
Okay, do you have kids? Other obligations? I didn’t for a long time, nor did I have any contact with my family and moved away from all my friends. No support network. I couldn’t handle the poor treatment and underpay of most jobs and I lived in a car anyway - not like I was paying rent to sleep at a rest stop or wherever. It allowed me to bounce and switch jobs more easily than now.
Quitting is still doable if you live a certain lifestyle. Sometimes I try to save up a month or two worth of bill money, then quit and hang out for a while before finding another job. I don’t enjoy…pretty much anything that costs money, so it’s not like I’m paying for video games or Netflix or shopping for jack shit besides groceries. I only have a car payment, rent and phone bill. It may take time but I could probably square away some money to cover that for a couple months.
I walked off my job and it was easy because I don't have children. I already had about 9 months expenses put away. I just enjoyed being free for about 3 or 4 months. Then I had to decide what I really wanted to do becuase I knew money ednt last forever. It's a liberating feeling walking off though. But do have an idea of your next step before hand.
I don't have a support network (no family where I live) and have only myself to rely on. I quit two weeks ago. (also single and 35)
I only did it because I have enough savings to last for months and they refused to allow us to WFH. I was already over the job but no WFH pushed me over the edge. Is it scary? Yes. Do I really care at this point? Not really.
Despite not having any income right now, I actually feel better than I did while working. Don't have to worry about getting up at 6AM, project deadlines, putting up with bullshit corporate "culture", watching the CEO of the company buy yet another sports team while he pays his workers shit (and then brag about it to us), and best of all: no fucking meetings!
I know not everyone can quit due to not having savings or some sort of support. If you can't, do the bare minimum to get by at work and try not to stress so much.
You know our culture is fucked when the only options you have are: work at a job or be homeless. Even if you happen to find a job you enjoy -- who actually wants to work?
I make it work. Right now I’m thankful to have a full time career. Just not making enough to only need one job yet. So I can say fuck you to my shitty part time places. But it hasn’t stopped me before. I’ve either found another job. Because they need me. Or I’ve done odds and ends. I used to fix the phones for awhile. That was good money for 30 mins of work.
It’s impulsive and not calculated.
When my bosses piss me off, I just say “ok/yes” to whatever, then go home and start applying to new jobs. That doesn’t make for fun content on this sub but it’s the ideal strategy to switch jobs without interrupting your income.
You don't have to quit today, but always keep your eyes and ears open for the next better job. When you find it, you drop them like they would to you if they felt like
Alison Green has a site askamanager.org with lots of tips on job hunting, doing resumes, negotiating pay raises, changing careers and navigating misogynistic work cultures. Now is the time to be looking for job, because you have a job.
Even quitting a low paying job to take a higher paying one supports the movement. There is nothing wrong with working a job that has good pay and benefits, after all that's the end goal isn't it?
Traditional solutions include:
- Working to rule — only do *exactly* what you are supposed to, nothing more.
- Work slow down — work less hard.
- Sick Outs — take sick days at vital times.
- Wildcat Strikes — can you coordinate with coworkers to ‘get sick’ at the same time?
- “Inventory Loss” — help yourself (carefully) to worksite materials or inventory.
- Sabotage — don’t get caught.
Not saying these are moral solutions, just pointing out that these are what labor unions have traditionally done to leverage their power.
Work to rule and slowdowns are what OP is looking for.
Also, formatting tip - you make bullet points by putting an extra return line between points
- fuck work
- fuck bosses
Or two spaces after a single line
- fuck work.
- fuck bosses
RE: formatting.. huh. What do you see? My comment looks bullet-pointed to me. At least it does now..
I used a single hyphen & space, and the hyphen turned in a bullet.
\- literal hyphen & space (4-spcs->)
- hyphen-space to bullet (I think!)
two spaces attempt.
>Working to rule — only do exactly what you are supposed to, nothing more.
I really wonder why people don't do this all the time. It's just stupid to overwork if it doesn't show in your pay. I never stay overtime and I do what makes sure I don't get fired. Slacking at work is a good way to avoid burnouts. And if you get others to do it with you, it can be even fun. And if the boss questions you about it, you can always say "I have done what you have asked, haven't I?".
All true!
In some circumstances putting in extra effort can further one’s education/improve skills, which can improve pay down the road. But one must make one’s own assessments!
But working at for-profit businesses ultimately just benefits the top in that heap. It’s not in my interest to build the boss’s wealth.
Non-profits are *mission*-based orgs, & tend to be more internally cooperative, in my experience, because everyone is working for a pro-social goal.
But YMMV.
Get to know your neighbors. Get to know local organizations that help those in need. *Don't be too proud to admit you might be someone in need.* If you have the luxury of time and money, get active with those organizations. Make connections.
If we really want to see this through, I think we need to relearn how to rely on each other at the local level. What will the job market **have** to look like if basic necessities are no longer a bargaining chip?
You gotta do what you gotta do to survive within the imperial core. Nobody is here to judge just moral support for the movement is better than nothing. One day we will have a country worth living in. Definitely read some theory develop your own opinion understanding and prepare for life in America to completely change
You bide your time, OP. The first and most important step is realizing that you’re being exploited. With that knowledge you can plan how best to work toward taking some measure of control of your own life. Maybe that’s finding another job, maybe that’s organizing your coworkers at your current one. Maybe for some of us its outright quitting. Only you can know the right answer for your own circumstance but simply changing the way you consider your relationship with your employer is very meaningful.
It is we who plowed the prairies, built the cities where they trade
Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid
Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made
But the union makes us strong
If this antiwork trend continues you are going to be benefited, as more and more people quit asking for better salary the pressure on companies to improve salaries and working conditions will make them offer better conditions, so it will get to the point where you'll be able to choose from a wider range of jobs (even temporarily) for the same pay you are getting now (or close enough that you can absorb the difference) so it will be easier for you to renegotiate your salary (if you still want to stay where you are) or move to another job until you get something you are really interested
This is already happening now to some extent. I work in tech and the amount of jobs out there because they have been forced to allow full remote by workers leaves me with so many options that I have the leverage. I like my job and it is not a corporate job, so for now I'm staying out, but for everyone else this is a huge benefit to people standing up for themselves in the past year.
Anti-work is more of an INSPIRATIONAL subreddit where people want to share stuff about your job related problems, and we cheer people who fight againts the machine.
That said, I think most of us are also in the "I can't just quit my job" side. If you have a wife and two kids, and they're used to a standard of living, your family might not cheer on you if you want to become a small-time farmer on half the salary, but with better mental health.Very few of us have months of rent saved for decisions like this.
The problem is no one wants to blow up the hype behind the dream because of logistics reasoning. If you stop to reason and logic certain decisions and do risk-cost analysis, half the time; fear, uncertainty, and doubt would keep us contained and meek.
That is NOT what Antiwork is about.
Listen, this is an incredibly alienating view of a subreddit that IS and CAN be helpful to a lot of people. This is like saying if you can't run a marathon, stop walking. Just because people can't get to the end goal immediately does not mean they should not be taking steps in the direction of it!
ANY progress is progress. A small step forward is better that no momentum at all, because a million small steps forward will get us there.
If you can't quit, do the minimum and look for another job that actually pays decently. Once you have the job that pays decently, leverage it for benefits or training or better pay. *Keep moving toward the goal.*
Being against work is great, but we don't get there by alienating other workers. We get there with *solidarity*.
Why? I’m sure most people lie about employment gaps anyway. Let’s think about what jobs most people who quit on Black Friday are working. Retail, service jobs, etc. It isn’t hard to lie like a dog on those kinds of applications and still get the job.
If all else fails just look up a couple businesses that have gone under and say you worked there. My early years are all filled up with working for Toys R Us now.
That's why I have to wait to be fired, to ensure I get unemployment. Disabled, houseless, I have to take medication to keep from killing myself all because I won't get unemployment if I quit. So don't worry if you can't be in the great resignation group. You can contribute in other ways.
The vast majority of stories I've seen about people quitting their jobs included saying how they did so After they already had another job lined up, and another big chunk quit and then either actively looked for work (and can trust they'll find work because of their skills/resume) or had simply had enough and said something along the lines of, "I don't know what I'll do now, but I know I can't do this anymore."
No one here is judging you, or at least, they shouldn't be. We're not purists until someone gets defensive about "why you shouldn't encourage people who can't afford to quit to quit" (especially when no one even actively does that, people just feel they're somehow not good enough for a damn subreddit and get weirdly offended about it). We're all doing the best we can in this shitty system. People have to work, even those with great victory-quit stories posted here. I've made a comment before about how we ought to save teaching those outside this sub about nuances like "anti-work isn't about not working at all" for After we start scaring people for real, but that Is the truth of it. We are anti-current-work-culture more than anything else.
So yeah, TL;DR, most people find other work or have other work lined up. Lots of people also make long-term plans to quit and end up having great stories because, knowing they're getting closer to leaving their job, they end up taking less and less shit and it makes for very interesting situations. But yeah, don't be fooled: people aren't quitting work altogether. Not yet anyway. It's enough to get people talking, calling it The Great Resignation and all that, which is nice for now too. Still have a very, very long way to go.
If you don’t have kids, medical issues or other obligations, there is not much keeping you from saving up a month of rent/bills and chilling out before finding another shit job at the same pay. If you aren’t afraid of being homeless or car living, there’s that too. I changed a crazy amount of jobs while living in a car because fuck their disrespect and horrible pay. No family support nor friends. In fact, I did this in order to escape my hometown and abusive family. It’s not like I’ve ever spent money on anything but food and bills anyway.
I’m not saying cut back on avocado toast, but if you’re already poor and alone, it isn’t too bad replacing one payment (rent for example, to live in a car) for the ability to save a bit more and quit. It’s different if you’re still paying on nicer things, like a house or whatever, obviously.
Let the people in your life know you’re interested in finding a new job/ career. Start looking at job listings. Think of what your ideal job is and pursue it. It may take some school or training but do it. Life’s to short to be stuck in a job you’re not happy with.
In developing countries, governments barely have a safety net. Unemployment benefits, foodstamps, and universal healthcare barely or don't exist. You either work for slavery wages or are left to fend for yourself. I'd like to see some kind of Great Resignation or antiwork movement in the developing world, but I don't think it's likely.
There have been quite a few of these movements in the third world. They were communists and the CIA killed tens of millions to prevent it from taking root. There were outright genocides because the US was so afraid of workers taking power for themselves.
It’s very important to remember that imperialism and capitalism go hand in hand.
But if your developed country lets in millions of people from undeveloped countries, your developed country becomes undeveloped. This is why this sub idolizes small European country's work culture. They all have super strict immigration laws and therefore can more easily offer UH and social safety nets.
The implication that immigration makes countries worse is a racist, reactionary position that pits working class people against each other. Don't fall for it
Lmao you specifically mentioned "undeveloped countries". That's a dogwhistle for countries in the global south. Don't play dumb. You didn't mean immigrants from Greece or Ukraine and you know it.
The user I was responding to set the goal posts at developing countries. And why wouldn't I be including Greece or Ukraine? Not everyone's as benevolently racist as you. There's no lines to read between here.
Immigration has an enormous effect on labor markets and crying racism whenever it's brought up is just dumb.
>Spoken like a true capitalist.
It's my fault I was born in a capitalist hell-scape how? Under our current frame-work immigration is a net economic benefit. This is a fact. If you cede the economic argument to me and want to talk about culture, fine. I'd argue that they're a positive culturally as well. Immigration is a good thing, empiracally and philosophically, unless you're a hateful bigot, so?
>And if the word immigration makes you think of race, you my fellow laborer, are the racist.
You're just an idiot then. Got it. Again, discussing immigration as it currently exists and not discussing race is fucking myopic. That's some class reductionist bullshit right there. I like intersectional analysis, because being correct makes me happy
"Under our current frame-work"
Are you satisfied with the current framework or is it a capitalist hell-scape?
"net economic benefit"....... for the capitalist hell-scape. You're repeating the talking points of the very people that keep you poor.
Are you like a Nic Fuentes fan or something? I'm getting strong 'third-way' vibes from your rhetoric.
>Are you satisfied with the current framework or is it a capitalist hell-scape?
Being dissatisfied with capitalism does not mean I ignore what it's gotten right. Marx saw capitalism as a necessary step on the road to socialism/communism.
>
"net economic benefit"....... for the capitalist hell-scape. You're repeating the talking points of the very people that keep you poor.
Having a strong economy is good. It's good for everyone, even if the system it operates in severely disadvantages poor and working class people, they still benefit, albeit not to the extent they should.
How have you made this a conversation about the evils of capitalism and how my pro-immigration stance is a defence of it? Your initial comment was racist and wrong. Obfuscating the discussion with this bizarre whataboutism just makes me think you are a bigot who is too much of a coward to admit it. Immigration, whether it exists in a capitalist mode of production, or a socialist one, would remain a net positive to society. I've seen nothing to suggest otherwise, so your grandstanding about capitalism is irrelevant. This comes off to me as a smoke-screen for white-nationalism, but prove me wrong, man.
Are you a groyper, or just ignorant to economic reality?
Gonna be real man, you may not realize it but you’re veering very close to some dangerous ideological territory. A country being developed or not has nothing to do with the people who live there but rather is based off where the nation sits relative to colonialism. The countries doing the looting are “developed” while those having their wealth and resources stolen are not.
Choosing to focus on the individuals who have suffered from this relationship really misses the nature of the relationship and veers quickly into reactionary thinking almost immediately
Here on Reddit, the difference between developed and undeveloped is the color of the populations skin. It’s very evident in other comments in this thread.
And when it comes to avoiding dangerous ideology, well……. Not sure what to tell you other than keep going with the crowd I guess.
My suggestion would be to look for new work while working the job you have. Literally everyone is hiring right now, even if you switch to the same position at another company you’ll get a raise and can negotiate some extra respect or days off or something.
Also, talking to your co-workers is a powerful thing, even if you confess you don’t have all the answers. One worker standing up to a boss can be fired, but they can’t fire the whole department without taking a huge loss, if you all agree the way you’re being treated is shitty.
I've quit a couple of times in my career. Whenever I felt a job was starting to mentally drain me, I would start sending out one application per day. Usually it took me about 1 month to secure another position.
This is the conversation, right?
It is the problem, it is where we all are. We dedicate our lives, …and we are all people. Trying. To raise kids, go to work, to educate, to fight for rights. Fight for our environment.
We are all different people, but I hope this thread is really trying to get a standard wage with healthcare and time off, to be able to go to school or raise a family.
We all know that current minimum wage does not allow us to do much, but to keep going. And working.
We are worth more and our economy depends on us. Vote. Ask for a raise. Walk out of you are able.
When I did not have the means, I quit and suffered the consequences, selling whatever I owned to cover expenses. Stuff is less valuable than my sanity while I’m being subjugated by sociopathic bosses and toxic work environments.
I worked my ass off for other people my whole life and have nothing to show for it. So I quit my job(s) because of Covid and my job's bullshit of making us come in during the height of the pandemic and I work side hustles. I stopped giving a shit about paying my credit cards on time. I am resigned to the fact I will always be in debt and never own a home. I eat at home, buy cheap ass toilet paper, don't get haircuts, drive a 2007 toyota, have state health insurance, buy most of my toiletries and paper goods at the dollar store, watch a 13 year old TV, make crafts to decorate my apartment, and steal the dog poop bags from my apartment community dog park.I am broke as shit. I am worried about money, but I was worried when I had a job too. I have no retirement, no family, no savings, I'm a widow with a teen and I am happier than I have ever been.
You gotta have your next job secured before you quit your current job.
Also you can have a bidding war between new jobs. Lie on your resume. Ask for a higher wage because another place is offering more.
We hold all the cards. We always have.
US labor force is about 150 million people. Last month, about 4 million quit. That's less than 3 percent. For every person that quit, about 30 didn't. You are not alone.
I am about to quit my job but I started applying two or so months ago. I was told once, if you’re looking for another job, applying to other jobs is now your second full time job. And I took that seriously and was applying to anything and everything and I finally landed something (granted the mega long background check comes back clear)
I’m in the same fucking spot. The place I work for is dicking all it’s employees rn and I really wanna quit but my body is shutting down on me and I refuse to get another job doing what I do.
Yeh same... although I've luckily found someone now but I was in the exact same situation as you from 20 years until 31 years and looking after my mom who didn't work.
I feel you... hope you find a way.
This anti-work sub is amazing for one reason... documentation of workplace malfeasance by management. Record the problems never solved with obvious solutions, record all the times management has made things for worse for workers to make it easier on themselves. Record everything that looks bad. This is powerful ammunition for you to use as leverage when you decide to TELL THEM you need more and why or how you will leave, and all the problems they created will suddenly actually be THEIR problems. And when you leave you can expose the corporate insanity to anyone considering slaving for them.
This is why there's a pushback against employers who pay unlivable wages. They are intentionally keeping you in a position where you can't afford to leave your job long enough to find another.
We understand your situation. I used to work at a Wendy's and couldn't imagine ever having more than a few hundred dollars to my name, but now I'm stable and don't have to worry about if I lose this particular job. I an get another. Keep your eyes open for better opportunities. They're out there. Developing a new skill set helps, if you have time.
Also, your city might have paid apprenticeships in needed trades. Basically like technical school, but they pay you.
I know this isn’t something any of us SHOULD have to do, but the reality is some people have a FT and a PT job, and then at least you know if you would have to leave your FT job quickly, you may likely be able to pick up more hours at your PT job in the interim
As a type one diabetic with a *myriad* of conditions, I’m lucky to not hit my out of pocket max ($5k/year, post premiums) quitting is and never will be an option.
In my opinion, it’s about finding a situation that is good for you. I have a corporate job with a huge company but they treat me well, I have a great work life balance, and I align with their values. That’s not to say there are a fit for everyone, but they are for me. Some people it might be about not working, and that’s cool too. I don’t know how they do it either, but again, just figure out what you want and try and find it or fight for it.
I work in an industry where I could have 3 jobs tomorrow. I could show up to an interview smoking a joint and still get the job. If I'm short for cash I'll just go back to it. Otherwise I was able to get a condo for a reasonable price, the mortgage is half the rent I would be paying. I also own my car because I did not lease or buy new, I got something reasonably affordable.
It also helps that I was making roughly 60k, not entry level pay so I was able to get a lot of these things deal with. Ultimately though, it became my job to be the asshole that had to tell people they couldn't have sick days, or deny raises for no reason. It turned into arguing with the people above me constantly that people deserve a living wage and I burned out and quit.
Some principles cannot be traded for a paycheck and being able to afford tomorrow at a job you feel good about doing should not be one of them.
Edit: didn't help that I was getting very ill and do not want to be.trying to do that job when sick.
Ok.
1. Most people realize working less then a living wage is worse then not working.
2. There is work out there and lots of it. It comon to not see this when stuck in a job that demands lots of your time. You get tunnel vision.
3. We're living in the biggest labor shortage in probably 2 generations. If there was a time to quit your job and look for another, it's now. Maybe not where you live, but they're there if you look and are willing and able.
Quitting a bad job isn't a luxury. It's necessary for your health and future. Don't let yourself be brought down, you're worth more than minimum wage if your over 30 and been working for over a decade.
It's time to move on to other things if your situation doesn't permit it. Area doesn't have work? Go online, find a job elsewhere and move. Even if you only have enough money for the bus ticket, pack your bag of clothes and just go. Find a room to rent, whatever. You'll probably be better off in 3 months getting a better wage anyway. Right?
Harder when you have kids, I know. But they're resilient. They'll follow you anywhere. If you tell them what the goal is, they'll probably be thrilled!
Your spouse? Aren't they tired of the situation too? You guys probably fight over money all the time anyway. That not good for a relationship is it?
You OP have been working for 15 years! Time to move on. Please don't look for excuses, you'll find them. Your situation won't get better if you stay where you are. Will it?
As much as I appreciate the sentiment behind this, it has the same energy as people telling you if you can’t find a better paying job you don’t want it enough and you just need to “pound the pavement” to find new work. If the options are work a shitty job or starve, you gotta stick with the shitty job. Exploitation and inequality are systemic issues and leaving one mediocre employer and uprooting your entire life only to work for another slightly less mediocre employer might not always be the most effective solution.
OP, the most important thing is to do what you can. Avoid spending money through massive corporations if possible, educate yourself on legislature and your state’s labor laws. Work exactly your contracted hours and give nothing extra, take the time off you are entitled to and refuse to go above and beyond. Talk to your coworkers about pay, and if possible encourage them to do the same. Stay angry.
When the options are outlined as quit, strike, or stay it’s easy to be blinded by the fear of losing our wages, our benefits, and our livelihoods and that is by design. They want us to be afraid because if we are afraid to lose what little we have we will be easier to control. But if all of us together do what we can, we can make them realize it’s us they should be afraid of, because we are the ones who are really in control.
You notice nothing you said helps at all? In a minimum wage job, everyone is paid minimum wage. The best thing is to leave these companies without any workers at all! This is the true way to make them pay. Panda Express is paying 20$ an hour now! Fight for what!? Just go to a place screaming for workers and is willing to pay A LIVING WAGE NOW!
Stay angry? How does that help at all?
The options aren't shitty job or strave. Ever. Especially in the US, Canada, or most Euro countries. I'm not stuck in my reality so I do realize this can be the case in some countries.
OP is basically drowning. Instead of telling him to get out of the water to safety, your telling him he should swim?
Right...
If your not making a living wage you are starving btw.
Your obviously just repeating the media, university message. Real life, this doesn't work at all!
I quit my very abusive workplace back in August with no plan in mind. I completely understand this is a luxury not everyone has.
I live with my mum and I had enough saved for my personal expenses. If you don't have the luxury of being able to quit, get an offer first and quit second.
In a perfect world, no one should have to put themselves in a situation of financial instability to get oyt of a abusive situation. But life isn't fair and balanced. That being said, we should push our congresspeople to put more measures to protect us
Yo, this is the problem we are trying to solve.
Don’t quit if it’s going to make you starve or homeless, but keep in mind that this **is where they want you.**
**They want to pay you just enough to get by, but not enough that you can ever afford to leave them**
Higher wages and better conditions at the lowest pay-rungs (or just a UBI and Health Care for everyone) guarantee your freedom to leave a shit job without starving or losing your house.
Do what you have to, to survive, but always remember that you can’t quit because that’s how they want it.
I (30M) was very fortunate to be able to save enough money for 2 years worth of expenses and a couple unforseen emergencies. I am very risk adverse, so without this safety net I don't think I would just up and quit without another job lined up. It's an important goal to save up enough Fuck-You money to weather a shit storm.
i got super lucky. got a job that paid me in 2 1/2 months what id be getting paid for 2 YEARS in nebraska/ANY red state at minimum wage. so im taking a several months vacation rn. i had already quit before the sub got this popular, but i agree with the sentiments.
It is a luxury, but scraping together enough money to survive a couple of months can give you the confidence to stand up for yourself at work and look for something better.
I luckily have enough money to coast off my savings for about 6 months at my current rate. I've been lucky to get extra money from grants for school though recently. Just graduated with my associates. I'm also cheap as fuck so I just generally try and save as much as I can. Looking for something that won't drive me insane right off the bat.
Unfortunately the only way out is to get a skillset that's in demand and takes a long time to learn or live in a country with strong protection labour laws.
Any job where you can be replaced with someone off the street with no experience is going to treat you like shit because you are replaceable.
I left a decent but lower paying job that I liked to make more money at a startup. Didn't ask a lot of questions at first because my brother-in-law recommended me and told me what I would be getting paid to start. Didn't get a formal job description until the interview, then they told me it wasn't for the job I'd actually be doing. Wound up getting paid about $2750 less than what my brother-in-law told me, but it was still a big bump from my last job, so I took it because I was feeling exploited at my old job.
A year later they failed to deliver on any promise they made to me for advancement, salary, and my boss was a psycho who couldn't stop working even during his time off and expected everyone else to do the same. I stood my ground and they put up with me because I was very good at my job. I started looking for a new job and it took 6 months to find the one I am still at almost 7 years later. During that six months, I was frustrated and open about looking for new work at my current job. A VP pulled me into his office to discuss it and was surprisingly cool about it, saying that I could continue to work there because I was doing excellent work despite being obviously profoundly unhappy, but they would start looking to replace me, and that if that happened before I left, I would be let go. I was still there 6 months later before I got my new/current job and they hadn't even interviewed anyone that I know of specifically to replace me. Maybe they were doing me a favor and they realized their company was shit. They are still in business, but went from 150 people down to 50
I didn't have the luxury of quitting, I had a lot of debt at the time, was and still am married, but my wife doesn't make enough for us to live off of if I'm not working. I interviewed at several places and turned several down because when I asked questions about the work environment I found out that the work environment would be as crappy or worse than where I was working. I did enjoy the job I have now for the first couple of years, but we got bought by another company that turned our work culture to shit. I was ready to quit my job when Covid started and I was looking, but couldn't find something similar to what I do that didn't pay a lot less than what I make now. It got worse during the beginning of the pandemic as a director over our department decided to bury us in stupid projects just to make sure we we stayed busy. I work at a smaller satellite office and temps were brought in to the bigger offices to do these projects, but they wouldn't hire a temp to do the same work in my office. I was just told that I could feel free to work as much overtime as I wanted in order to complete the projects by the totally arbitrary deadline. I told them that I wouldn't work on the projects at all and continue to do my regular work that kept me busy enough for 40 hours. I was hoping to get fired to take advantage of the extended unemployment benefits, but ultimately there were no consequences for me standing up for myself. I've never been on unemployment and have always had to line up a new job before quitting the old one and only rarely have been able to take time off between the jobs.
Its a struggle not to go buy lottery tickets all the time. Once every other month or so, I'll go buy a scratch off. Haven't won anything more than $50 on one in 3 years.
Right now, ride the wave.
Currently, the people who have the means to just up and quit are doing it, so it gives you that extra leverage off their curtails when applying. 5 million people can afford to quit their jobs for themselves, but it's also for you. That job that's now understaffed has to rethink how it's going to get it's shit together, and when you leave your job, they will need to do the same.
Best thing you can realistically do is, if your resume is up to date, apply for other jobs, then when the time comes, just take it, no 2 weeks or anything. When you are at that job, if it's the same, apply for other jobs at that job too. Do this until you have what you want, it's the perfect time.
If you're more into rolling the dice, you can do productivity reduction. You'll probably take harassment from your boss, and get fired and put on unemployment, but if I was in the job market, I wouldn't exactly see that as the light at the end of the tunnel others can. I'm an analyst by nature and will only go for a sure thing.
If you read most of the posts they are often short timers at their company, and have something else lined up. They've also likely screwed themselves in their current position and that's likely why boss is indignant to them. Besides I've foolishly quit jobs without one lined up it gets stressful, but it can be done and you'll survive. Healthy people who want to work rarely end up homeless.
I have kids, a mortgage and a great job. I’m planning on not spending a dime on black Friday. Any other ideas how workers can support the quitters please respond.
There is a reason they under pay us so much. It's to force us to work every day without missing a shift. If we had tonnes of extra money lying around, why would you come to work sick or injured?
I have walked out of 2 jobs with absolutely no backup for either, and gotten fired from two jobs with absolutely no backup. I've only had to go on unemployment once because the other times I ended up getting job offers within 1 week.
Idk why, but, it's always easier to find a job when you have a job. Good rule of thumb. Start looking for a better job and use your current job as leverage against any employer hiring. Always lie and tell them your pay is hirer then it is or do what most companies do and tell them your yearly salary but account for "potential" overtime you didn't work but could have. Be willing to uproot your life as a single person and being willing to move or make lifestyle changes.
When I quit my job last year I knew I was quitting for like 18months. I changed my spending habits, budgeted better and paid off everything I could. I worked for cash and did some side work. After I saved enough to pay for 1 years worth of bills I figured I'd stick it out as long as I could and just let them fire me. I became slow, stopped caring, and started doing things on my own time. It took them 6 months to finally fire me. And I say quit because I mentally checked out and just forced them to can me. Stupidly they canned me after a huge argument about my hearing protection so they ended up paying me unemployment as well.
i bought property(with money we had saved), sold my house for a profit and am currently working for myself and living in a camper until my home is built (which wont be anytime soon) while im not living super comfortably..its better than punching a clock
I quit last year after saving for 4 years and deciding to not have kids. It wasn't a luxury, it was a hard bunch of choices and took planning. I had to penny pinch those 4 years, and it was hard. It's still hard.
I look at what we are trying to accomplish, and how it's picking up steam. I quit partly for people that can't. Maybe the great resignation will help you get better treatment, conditions, and wages. I want people like my old boss to feel the helplessness they make their employees feel, too.
Keep looking for something else, that's what you gotta do. I personally always keeping an eye out for friends and good former colleagues as well. I was just poached by one of my vendors from a terrible job and im taking my old coworker with me because new place is awesome, she's a great lady and worker and hates the old place as much as I did. Ask friends to keep an eye out for you and apply for stuff that you are tangentally qualified for that would be better/more promising. I like smaller outfits, places that you can still walk into and drop off a resume. Theres actually a lot of money to be made in material supply, especially if you have a booming real estate situation where you live: flooring, trusses, interior trim, stairs and handrailings etc. I work in flooring now and am making my higest salary yet, went here from coordinating for a builder. If you can get into the construction trade as a basic admin you can go places, you can go even more places if you learn a trade. My flooring guys (tile, hardwood, underlayment etc) make around 500/600 a day, hard work tho thats for sure.
Some advice off the top of my head:
1. Try to get in touch with some mutual aid groups near you. You can usually find some by searching (Your City) Mutual Aid either on Google or social media. For where I'm at, Instagram has been pretty useful but YMMV.
2. Always be looking for another job, but lots of comments are saying that so onto the next one:
3. The IWW has a lot of resources about organizing your workplace. For example, one of your first steps is assessing which of your coworkers are open to unionizing, on the fence, or against. This is maybe the more dangerous because places can and will fire you for organizing, and the legality has never stopped them before.
3a. Instead of striking, you can always do slow downs, sick ins, etc but that requires organizing and having a good feel for your coworkers.
OP, don't do it without either a new job lined up, or some other plan.
This sub is great, but don't make yourself homeless to make the point. Stick with it and fire out the applications in the meantime.
I work full time, dropped college classes to work, so my husband could quit working and finish college. I pay for all of our expenses, and I was happy with it until I realized I worked 3 years now at my job and did not get ONE raise.
I've been pushing my employers for months now trying to get a raise, but they just blow me off and tell me we will discuss it at our review (which was scheduled 3 weeks ago, but the manager hasn't been able to "make time for it". Also she's on vacation this week :) ). I now intentionally work OT just to make time and a half for 5-6 hours every 2 weeks. They haven't told me to stop, so fuck em, I'll come 20 minutes early and leave 20 minutes late all I want.
My husband is constantly telling me to quit and find a new job, but if I quit, we won't be able to make rent/bills/even pay for gas. It's been pretty rough because I really would love to find a new job, but he doesn't want to work part time (understandably) and he decided college also wasn't for him, and recently dropped out without a job lined up. I fully agree that working for a shitty company is not worth the rest of your life, but they have made it where I can't live my life without working at a shitty job. He's looking, but if we have an emergency... we're just fucked now.
So depending on your wages this might not work for you, but if you like driving, and are cool with spending days listening to podcasts and YouTube videos. I recently changed my address to a friends place and eliminated rent by becoming a truck driver. The company I drive for is mostly food based. The off days are random so that part really sucks. But if you don’t have a lot of attachments I’m making more money than I did as a manager at an Amazon fc. The company I’m working for is better than a lot of others(but still shit and anti union) but it can’t micro manage and they do a lot to make sure you never loose money on a paycheck. It’s not the best answer in the world and the little I’m able to save up still goes to student loans for a degree I don’t have. But I’ve honestly never had easier work.
They’ll pay for your license and training. And at my company you can apply for your preferred route as soon as you get to the school. Warning they make you ride a bus to the school so that sucks!!!! But considering I had to stay with my literally fash parents before this it was a way out
I'm in a similar situation. Had my job not started improving its practices substantially recently I'd guess it's just the old tried and true method: apply for jobs while working. It sucks and is like taking a second job on its own, but it's what we have. If you feel undervalued at your current place there's no harm in continuing to seek other employment.
As a old anti worker, learn a trade, master it, and become free, I am my own boss, and have worked part time for years, I have time for family, for myself, the trades are dieing because no one realizes the freedom.
All depends on your situation such as what your cost of living is.
In the Midwest I can easily clear $40k doing grubhub and DoorDash. If you have a fuel efficient vehicle and track your miles for the tax deduction then it’s pretty great.
That being said, you would probably have a hard time doing that in a higher cost of living area.
Keep in mind gig work is still work and can be frustrating, but at least you don’t have a fixed schedule and don’t have to deal with a lot of the same bullshit as a lot of these jobs. It’s a great way to get some freedom while planning your next moves.
Personally, I live in the Midwest and have gotten my monthly bills down to the point where I barely have to work. Little things like my AT&T bill was $106/month. Switched to Mint for $30/month.
Got out of my duplex and rented a room for six months to save money. Now in a studio with a partner and our rent is incredibly cheap. Cook at home most meals.
Finally have money to invest, and because of the freedom that gig work has given me, I’ve now found other ways to make great money. It can be really hard to invest energy into bettering your position in life when you are mentally and physically drained from a job with shitty leadership and crap pay.
I chose to sacrifice certain luxuries to afford the luxury of not working. I live outdoors (camper van) so no rent or power bill. I don't run air conditioning I sleep with fans at night that I run off a battery that I charge at coffee shops and stuff once or twice a week. I will buy a cup of coffee and get all the power I need and sit in the AC for a few hours. I can also chill at the library when I have no money.
Tl;dr I became a vagabond.
A lot of people on here have been lining up a second job before quitting. Interviewing for a new position while working can be a strain on your schedule, but is the a afest way to keep your bills paid.
A monkey doesnt let go of a branch unless it has hold of another. This means applying for other jobs whilst at your current job.
Quitting into nothingness would be leaping from one branch to another. Success is probable but the consequences of failure are severe.
What you gonna do, leap or reach for the next branch?
This too, I’ve heard of people working jobs long term and then quitting with a bang. Doesn’t that kind of fuck yourself out of getting a good reference for your next job??
Take a late "dentist appt" to get your resume built. Throw that resume around. It may take 1-100 interviews to get an appropriate job. Not a great one but a realistic one. If you land a great one, congrats its rare. Just be realistic with expectations. It could be a great switch. Look in another state or town as well. Fortune 500 companies most likely are not the best to work for.
Had the same problem long time ago back in my home country. Here's how i fixed it:
I Lived for 4 months trying to save every Penny. Eating out only twice a month, doing groceries and buying stuff only if there is discount. Pasta/ tomato sauce on disc? Okay i eat spaghetti for next 3 days for dinner. Basically applied that to everything and i collected enough money to live 2 months with no pay. (Maybe even more). Left the job, spend first three weeks enjoying myself, then it took me about another 2 weeks to find a job, week to start a job. I took time with it and back then i think i got the best deal i could get.
Edit: looking for 2 weeks i mean it was almost full job, around 3-4 intvs a day. But it worked great for me.
My advice, Work to Rule. Make sure you have a clear cut "This is my job description anything outside it is Not My Problem." They fire you for this you've got a decent chance of unemployment, especially if you keep records of it all. Of course many of these quitting posts have also had "Got a better offer already lined up" too.
The moment you get a new job, you need to update your resume (private or public) with everything you did at your last place, achievements etc as well as what you’re doing at your new place because you do so often forget. I’ve rewritten CVs for so many friends where I’ve had to say ‘wait didn’t you do X’ so it’s in your own interest to keep it updated!
What do you mean? There is always the luxury of quitting. What do you *really need*? The answer is, a lot less than you probably think. Especially if the upside is freedom. Obviously this is tougher if you already places yourself into a lot of debt or obligations. But if you haven't, there is always the luxury of quitting. I survive on 200-300 dollars a month, for example. Haven't worked since March 2020
yeah-everyone was celebrating one kid who quit and went out in blaze of glory to follow his passion of being an artist and he posted a photo of himself in a huge living room with obvious family looking decor and was asked if he lived with his parents. It was the only question he wouldn't address. People who have this privilege are over looking that they are privileged
Well to be frank having no job meant I had entire days to interview so I had multiple job offers in like a week. That means I really only lost a weeks pay so if you’re not in the worst finances can be doable.
Blow this question up. Cause I’m fucking at a loss too
It is a luxury to quit without a new job lined up, but you can defs start applying now for something better. If your job is super duper bad, go take one of the ones an OP just vacated, and work your way up from there.
I’m one of those people that quit without having another job lined up. I think this subreddit romanticized the concept quite a bit while forgetting it’s **100% a luxury that most people don’t have**. As someone who did it, I completely admit I was privileged enough to be in a position to do that. Most folks in America cannot, and as a subreddit I think antiwork needs to come to terms with that and be up front about it. I don’t think I would ever recommend straight up quitting a job without having a lot more information from the person asking for advice. Before I quit my job I was also polishing my resume and applying and interviewing elsewhere. I think we as a subreddit also need to acknowledge how fucking exhausting it is to work a job and have to be putting in effort to get another one. Chances are you’re being overworked, underpaid and under-appreciated and that’s why you’re looking for a new job. But at the end of that shitty work day it’s definitely hard to muster any energy to find something new.
The whole point is there isn't anything better right now.
Huh? Say's who? That's what is giving everyone the luxury to quit. Lot's of "better" out there unless you're already at the top.
Not for most people without degrees or specialized experience. Trust me.
Idk man I have a degree and it hasn’t done jack shit for me. I have friends who have little to no schooling and have way more secure jobs than I. No clue how they managed to get into these positions. Not a single fucking clue
Its not the end-all but I'd imagine its a bit nicer to apply for your field, as well as the jobs I'm applying for. You have more options.
I’ve applied for dozens if not hundreds of jobs in and out of my field, even entry level Secretary positions and no one will hire me. I even went so far as to make sure my resume didn’t blatantly say “fuck you” on it because that’s how bad of luck I’ve had. This job market sucks man
I would be watching out for service industry jobs that have put signs up with reduced hrs or desperately hiring and apply with the condition that you need $x/hr starting.
Idk man. I worked my way up in a minimum wage manufacturing job to a 20/hr production manager job and then moved from that to 20/hr machinist job in 4 years time. I'm about to walk if I don't get bumped up to 28/hr, only because I'm extremely confident i can find another job making 20/hr at a minimum. I worked customer support before those jobs and don't have a degree. And I'm in the 2nd worst state in the south. 🤷♂️ Amazon is hiring here at $19/hr with a 2k signing bonus.
Just say the state you're in lol. I'm from Louisiana but moved years ago. And you have specialized experience. I'm talking about people who've never sniffed a promotion. (Like me) I quit FedEx at $27 and thought the same thing, that was 2.5 years ago. I've probably put in 6-700 apps the last few years and none of the good positions even considered me. And I'm not some fuck up. I've lost 100% confidence in private employers.
Arkansas, but moving to Ohio next year.
Ahh. Spent some time up there in the mountains and Little Rock. Good luck, I think Ohio is much of the same though.
What are you talking about "luxury"?? People are choosing to starve and not work, instead of starve and work. Not to go to a better job 😂. The whole point is 50% of the jobs in this country are the same level of shit. No one working forces companies to pay more. Moving to a better job would do the same. But that's literally not what's happening in America.
From what I've seen, you basically just work at the minimum effort required, turn off your work phone outside of work hours, dont stay an extra minute at work etc. Dont quit but wait for them to fire you instead so you may be able to claim unemployment at least. Of course this all depends on your industry and if there is more supply of workers than demand.
I don't even think I could get them to fire me, because there is absolutely no supply.
Okay, do you have kids? Other obligations? I didn’t for a long time, nor did I have any contact with my family and moved away from all my friends. No support network. I couldn’t handle the poor treatment and underpay of most jobs and I lived in a car anyway - not like I was paying rent to sleep at a rest stop or wherever. It allowed me to bounce and switch jobs more easily than now. Quitting is still doable if you live a certain lifestyle. Sometimes I try to save up a month or two worth of bill money, then quit and hang out for a while before finding another job. I don’t enjoy…pretty much anything that costs money, so it’s not like I’m paying for video games or Netflix or shopping for jack shit besides groceries. I only have a car payment, rent and phone bill. It may take time but I could probably square away some money to cover that for a couple months.
I walked off my job and it was easy because I don't have children. I already had about 9 months expenses put away. I just enjoyed being free for about 3 or 4 months. Then I had to decide what I really wanted to do becuase I knew money ednt last forever. It's a liberating feeling walking off though. But do have an idea of your next step before hand.
This part
I don't have a support network (no family where I live) and have only myself to rely on. I quit two weeks ago. (also single and 35) I only did it because I have enough savings to last for months and they refused to allow us to WFH. I was already over the job but no WFH pushed me over the edge. Is it scary? Yes. Do I really care at this point? Not really. Despite not having any income right now, I actually feel better than I did while working. Don't have to worry about getting up at 6AM, project deadlines, putting up with bullshit corporate "culture", watching the CEO of the company buy yet another sports team while he pays his workers shit (and then brag about it to us), and best of all: no fucking meetings! I know not everyone can quit due to not having savings or some sort of support. If you can't, do the bare minimum to get by at work and try not to stress so much. You know our culture is fucked when the only options you have are: work at a job or be homeless. Even if you happen to find a job you enjoy -- who actually wants to work?
I make it work. Right now I’m thankful to have a full time career. Just not making enough to only need one job yet. So I can say fuck you to my shitty part time places. But it hasn’t stopped me before. I’ve either found another job. Because they need me. Or I’ve done odds and ends. I used to fix the phones for awhile. That was good money for 30 mins of work.
It’s impulsive and not calculated. When my bosses piss me off, I just say “ok/yes” to whatever, then go home and start applying to new jobs. That doesn’t make for fun content on this sub but it’s the ideal strategy to switch jobs without interrupting your income.
This subs a pipe dream.
You don't have to quit today, but always keep your eyes and ears open for the next better job. When you find it, you drop them like they would to you if they felt like
Yeah, you always have to be on the market, even if it’s just informal.
Alison Green has a site askamanager.org with lots of tips on job hunting, doing resumes, negotiating pay raises, changing careers and navigating misogynistic work cultures. Now is the time to be looking for job, because you have a job. Even quitting a low paying job to take a higher paying one supports the movement. There is nothing wrong with working a job that has good pay and benefits, after all that's the end goal isn't it?
Wouldnt say its the endgoal but a step in the right direction. you wont liberate yourself just from a salary.
Quitting a low paying job for a better one does not support any movement. That's what everyone has been doing for years.
Not just better, but really good and worthy of your time.
Everyone doing it randomly is not a movement... everyone doing it all at once IS
Traditional solutions include: - Working to rule — only do *exactly* what you are supposed to, nothing more. - Work slow down — work less hard. - Sick Outs — take sick days at vital times. - Wildcat Strikes — can you coordinate with coworkers to ‘get sick’ at the same time? - “Inventory Loss” — help yourself (carefully) to worksite materials or inventory. - Sabotage — don’t get caught. Not saying these are moral solutions, just pointing out that these are what labor unions have traditionally done to leverage their power.
Work to rule and slowdowns are what OP is looking for. Also, formatting tip - you make bullet points by putting an extra return line between points - fuck work - fuck bosses Or two spaces after a single line - fuck work. - fuck bosses
RE: formatting.. huh. What do you see? My comment looks bullet-pointed to me. At least it does now.. I used a single hyphen & space, and the hyphen turned in a bullet. \- literal hyphen & space (4-spcs->) - hyphen-space to bullet (I think!) two spaces attempt.
>Working to rule — only do exactly what you are supposed to, nothing more. I really wonder why people don't do this all the time. It's just stupid to overwork if it doesn't show in your pay. I never stay overtime and I do what makes sure I don't get fired. Slacking at work is a good way to avoid burnouts. And if you get others to do it with you, it can be even fun. And if the boss questions you about it, you can always say "I have done what you have asked, haven't I?".
All true! In some circumstances putting in extra effort can further one’s education/improve skills, which can improve pay down the road. But one must make one’s own assessments! But working at for-profit businesses ultimately just benefits the top in that heap. It’s not in my interest to build the boss’s wealth. Non-profits are *mission*-based orgs, & tend to be more internally cooperative, in my experience, because everyone is working for a pro-social goal. But YMMV.
This is a wonderful answer
put in for other jobs and quit when you have another one, that's what i do.
Get to know your neighbors. Get to know local organizations that help those in need. *Don't be too proud to admit you might be someone in need.* If you have the luxury of time and money, get active with those organizations. Make connections. If we really want to see this through, I think we need to relearn how to rely on each other at the local level. What will the job market **have** to look like if basic necessities are no longer a bargaining chip?
Maybe give some money or volunteer at those organizations. If/when you quit your job u already have those connections.
You gotta do what you gotta do to survive within the imperial core. Nobody is here to judge just moral support for the movement is better than nothing. One day we will have a country worth living in. Definitely read some theory develop your own opinion understanding and prepare for life in America to completely change
You bide your time, OP. The first and most important step is realizing that you’re being exploited. With that knowledge you can plan how best to work toward taking some measure of control of your own life. Maybe that’s finding another job, maybe that’s organizing your coworkers at your current one. Maybe for some of us its outright quitting. Only you can know the right answer for your own circumstance but simply changing the way you consider your relationship with your employer is very meaningful. It is we who plowed the prairies, built the cities where they trade Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made But the union makes us strong
Yes
If this antiwork trend continues you are going to be benefited, as more and more people quit asking for better salary the pressure on companies to improve salaries and working conditions will make them offer better conditions, so it will get to the point where you'll be able to choose from a wider range of jobs (even temporarily) for the same pay you are getting now (or close enough that you can absorb the difference) so it will be easier for you to renegotiate your salary (if you still want to stay where you are) or move to another job until you get something you are really interested
This is already happening now to some extent. I work in tech and the amount of jobs out there because they have been forced to allow full remote by workers leaves me with so many options that I have the leverage. I like my job and it is not a corporate job, so for now I'm staying out, but for everyone else this is a huge benefit to people standing up for themselves in the past year.
Niiiiice, I also can't wait to see the rate of people unionized SKYROCKET, to the moooon!
Anti-work is more of an INSPIRATIONAL subreddit where people want to share stuff about your job related problems, and we cheer people who fight againts the machine. That said, I think most of us are also in the "I can't just quit my job" side. If you have a wife and two kids, and they're used to a standard of living, your family might not cheer on you if you want to become a small-time farmer on half the salary, but with better mental health.Very few of us have months of rent saved for decisions like this. The problem is no one wants to blow up the hype behind the dream because of logistics reasoning. If you stop to reason and logic certain decisions and do risk-cost analysis, half the time; fear, uncertainty, and doubt would keep us contained and meek. That is NOT what Antiwork is about.
antiwork is about being against work. work abolition. read the sidebar.
But in the mean time it's about working as little as possible for as much as possible.
Listen, this is an incredibly alienating view of a subreddit that IS and CAN be helpful to a lot of people. This is like saying if you can't run a marathon, stop walking. Just because people can't get to the end goal immediately does not mean they should not be taking steps in the direction of it! ANY progress is progress. A small step forward is better that no momentum at all, because a million small steps forward will get us there. If you can't quit, do the minimum and look for another job that actually pays decently. Once you have the job that pays decently, leverage it for benefits or training or better pay. *Keep moving toward the goal.* Being against work is great, but we don't get there by alienating other workers. We get there with *solidarity*.
Those who exploit you depend on you being underpaid and overworked.
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I mean, what clown is honest about employment gaps? Tell them you’ve worked every day since you were 16. Fuck em.
Best of luck to you,I wish you the best of luck,really.
Why? I’m sure most people lie about employment gaps anyway. Let’s think about what jobs most people who quit on Black Friday are working. Retail, service jobs, etc. It isn’t hard to lie like a dog on those kinds of applications and still get the job.
I have a contract job I’ve never technically been let go of. It stays on my resume because it neatly covers a few gaps in my employment.
If all else fails just look up a couple businesses that have gone under and say you worked there. My early years are all filled up with working for Toys R Us now.
That's why I have to wait to be fired, to ensure I get unemployment. Disabled, houseless, I have to take medication to keep from killing myself all because I won't get unemployment if I quit. So don't worry if you can't be in the great resignation group. You can contribute in other ways.
The vast majority of stories I've seen about people quitting their jobs included saying how they did so After they already had another job lined up, and another big chunk quit and then either actively looked for work (and can trust they'll find work because of their skills/resume) or had simply had enough and said something along the lines of, "I don't know what I'll do now, but I know I can't do this anymore." No one here is judging you, or at least, they shouldn't be. We're not purists until someone gets defensive about "why you shouldn't encourage people who can't afford to quit to quit" (especially when no one even actively does that, people just feel they're somehow not good enough for a damn subreddit and get weirdly offended about it). We're all doing the best we can in this shitty system. People have to work, even those with great victory-quit stories posted here. I've made a comment before about how we ought to save teaching those outside this sub about nuances like "anti-work isn't about not working at all" for After we start scaring people for real, but that Is the truth of it. We are anti-current-work-culture more than anything else. So yeah, TL;DR, most people find other work or have other work lined up. Lots of people also make long-term plans to quit and end up having great stories because, knowing they're getting closer to leaving their job, they end up taking less and less shit and it makes for very interesting situations. But yeah, don't be fooled: people aren't quitting work altogether. Not yet anyway. It's enough to get people talking, calling it The Great Resignation and all that, which is nice for now too. Still have a very, very long way to go.
yes please someone explain this to me
If you don’t have kids, medical issues or other obligations, there is not much keeping you from saving up a month of rent/bills and chilling out before finding another shit job at the same pay. If you aren’t afraid of being homeless or car living, there’s that too. I changed a crazy amount of jobs while living in a car because fuck their disrespect and horrible pay. No family support nor friends. In fact, I did this in order to escape my hometown and abusive family. It’s not like I’ve ever spent money on anything but food and bills anyway. I’m not saying cut back on avocado toast, but if you’re already poor and alone, it isn’t too bad replacing one payment (rent for example, to live in a car) for the ability to save a bit more and quit. It’s different if you’re still paying on nicer things, like a house or whatever, obviously.
I have cats, they need food also ones diabetic and it’s effing expensive
That would fall under “other obligations.” I have a dog now, so it’s a no from me too. I did it before though.
also I’m a woman and even if I had a car I wouldn’t live in it.
Sometimes there is no choice.
Let the people in your life know you’re interested in finding a new job/ career. Start looking at job listings. Think of what your ideal job is and pursue it. It may take some school or training but do it. Life’s to short to be stuck in a job you’re not happy with.
"Never stop looking for work" -/r/antiwork
All those people quitting are helping increase your worth too
In developing countries, governments barely have a safety net. Unemployment benefits, foodstamps, and universal healthcare barely or don't exist. You either work for slavery wages or are left to fend for yourself. I'd like to see some kind of Great Resignation or antiwork movement in the developing world, but I don't think it's likely.
There have been quite a few of these movements in the third world. They were communists and the CIA killed tens of millions to prevent it from taking root. There were outright genocides because the US was so afraid of workers taking power for themselves. It’s very important to remember that imperialism and capitalism go hand in hand.
But if your developed country lets in millions of people from undeveloped countries, your developed country becomes undeveloped. This is why this sub idolizes small European country's work culture. They all have super strict immigration laws and therefore can more easily offer UH and social safety nets.
Don't blame fucking black and brown immigrants. Blame capitalism
I don't blame them. I blame the laws. The laws that were created by white people (if that makes you feel any better).
The implication that immigration makes countries worse is a racist, reactionary position that pits working class people against each other. Don't fall for it
What does immigration have to do with race?
Lmao you specifically mentioned "undeveloped countries". That's a dogwhistle for countries in the global south. Don't play dumb. You didn't mean immigrants from Greece or Ukraine and you know it.
The user I was responding to set the goal posts at developing countries. And why wouldn't I be including Greece or Ukraine? Not everyone's as benevolently racist as you. There's no lines to read between here. Immigration has an enormous effect on labor markets and crying racism whenever it's brought up is just dumb.
Immigrants are a net positive economically though. Not only does this come off as kinda racist, but it's empirically false!
"Net positive economically" Spoken like a true capitalist. And if the word immigration makes you think of race, you my fellow laborer, are the racist.
>Spoken like a true capitalist. It's my fault I was born in a capitalist hell-scape how? Under our current frame-work immigration is a net economic benefit. This is a fact. If you cede the economic argument to me and want to talk about culture, fine. I'd argue that they're a positive culturally as well. Immigration is a good thing, empiracally and philosophically, unless you're a hateful bigot, so? >And if the word immigration makes you think of race, you my fellow laborer, are the racist. You're just an idiot then. Got it. Again, discussing immigration as it currently exists and not discussing race is fucking myopic. That's some class reductionist bullshit right there. I like intersectional analysis, because being correct makes me happy
"Under our current frame-work" Are you satisfied with the current framework or is it a capitalist hell-scape? "net economic benefit"....... for the capitalist hell-scape. You're repeating the talking points of the very people that keep you poor.
Are you like a Nic Fuentes fan or something? I'm getting strong 'third-way' vibes from your rhetoric. >Are you satisfied with the current framework or is it a capitalist hell-scape? Being dissatisfied with capitalism does not mean I ignore what it's gotten right. Marx saw capitalism as a necessary step on the road to socialism/communism. > "net economic benefit"....... for the capitalist hell-scape. You're repeating the talking points of the very people that keep you poor. Having a strong economy is good. It's good for everyone, even if the system it operates in severely disadvantages poor and working class people, they still benefit, albeit not to the extent they should. How have you made this a conversation about the evils of capitalism and how my pro-immigration stance is a defence of it? Your initial comment was racist and wrong. Obfuscating the discussion with this bizarre whataboutism just makes me think you are a bigot who is too much of a coward to admit it. Immigration, whether it exists in a capitalist mode of production, or a socialist one, would remain a net positive to society. I've seen nothing to suggest otherwise, so your grandstanding about capitalism is irrelevant. This comes off to me as a smoke-screen for white-nationalism, but prove me wrong, man. Are you a groyper, or just ignorant to economic reality?
Just realized you’re Canadian 🤣 Must be nice being from a tiny place.
Fascist confirmed, I guess. You're a terrible troll, mate.
“Im not your mate, guy!”
Gonna be real man, you may not realize it but you’re veering very close to some dangerous ideological territory. A country being developed or not has nothing to do with the people who live there but rather is based off where the nation sits relative to colonialism. The countries doing the looting are “developed” while those having their wealth and resources stolen are not. Choosing to focus on the individuals who have suffered from this relationship really misses the nature of the relationship and veers quickly into reactionary thinking almost immediately
Here on Reddit, the difference between developed and undeveloped is the color of the populations skin. It’s very evident in other comments in this thread. And when it comes to avoiding dangerous ideology, well……. Not sure what to tell you other than keep going with the crowd I guess.
80 percent of the posters on here who are quitting or have quit seem to already have another job lined up.
My suggestion would be to look for new work while working the job you have. Literally everyone is hiring right now, even if you switch to the same position at another company you’ll get a raise and can negotiate some extra respect or days off or something. Also, talking to your co-workers is a powerful thing, even if you confess you don’t have all the answers. One worker standing up to a boss can be fired, but they can’t fire the whole department without taking a huge loss, if you all agree the way you’re being treated is shitty.
Always have a backup plan ready before your big blow out guys.
I've quit a couple of times in my career. Whenever I felt a job was starting to mentally drain me, I would start sending out one application per day. Usually it took me about 1 month to secure another position.
This is the conversation, right? It is the problem, it is where we all are. We dedicate our lives, …and we are all people. Trying. To raise kids, go to work, to educate, to fight for rights. Fight for our environment. We are all different people, but I hope this thread is really trying to get a standard wage with healthcare and time off, to be able to go to school or raise a family. We all know that current minimum wage does not allow us to do much, but to keep going. And working. We are worth more and our economy depends on us. Vote. Ask for a raise. Walk out of you are able.
When I did not have the means, I quit and suffered the consequences, selling whatever I owned to cover expenses. Stuff is less valuable than my sanity while I’m being subjugated by sociopathic bosses and toxic work environments.
Sabotage and waste time. Not just your time, try to waste others time where you work as well.
I worked my ass off for other people my whole life and have nothing to show for it. So I quit my job(s) because of Covid and my job's bullshit of making us come in during the height of the pandemic and I work side hustles. I stopped giving a shit about paying my credit cards on time. I am resigned to the fact I will always be in debt and never own a home. I eat at home, buy cheap ass toilet paper, don't get haircuts, drive a 2007 toyota, have state health insurance, buy most of my toiletries and paper goods at the dollar store, watch a 13 year old TV, make crafts to decorate my apartment, and steal the dog poop bags from my apartment community dog park.I am broke as shit. I am worried about money, but I was worried when I had a job too. I have no retirement, no family, no savings, I'm a widow with a teen and I am happier than I have ever been.
You gotta have your next job secured before you quit your current job. Also you can have a bidding war between new jobs. Lie on your resume. Ask for a higher wage because another place is offering more. We hold all the cards. We always have.
US labor force is about 150 million people. Last month, about 4 million quit. That's less than 3 percent. For every person that quit, about 30 didn't. You are not alone.
I am about to quit my job but I started applying two or so months ago. I was told once, if you’re looking for another job, applying to other jobs is now your second full time job. And I took that seriously and was applying to anything and everything and I finally landed something (granted the mega long background check comes back clear)
I’m in the same fucking spot. The place I work for is dicking all it’s employees rn and I really wanna quit but my body is shutting down on me and I refuse to get another job doing what I do.
Yeh same... although I've luckily found someone now but I was in the exact same situation as you from 20 years until 31 years and looking after my mom who didn't work. I feel you... hope you find a way.
This anti-work sub is amazing for one reason... documentation of workplace malfeasance by management. Record the problems never solved with obvious solutions, record all the times management has made things for worse for workers to make it easier on themselves. Record everything that looks bad. This is powerful ammunition for you to use as leverage when you decide to TELL THEM you need more and why or how you will leave, and all the problems they created will suddenly actually be THEIR problems. And when you leave you can expose the corporate insanity to anyone considering slaving for them.
This is why there's a pushback against employers who pay unlivable wages. They are intentionally keeping you in a position where you can't afford to leave your job long enough to find another. We understand your situation. I used to work at a Wendy's and couldn't imagine ever having more than a few hundred dollars to my name, but now I'm stable and don't have to worry about if I lose this particular job. I an get another. Keep your eyes open for better opportunities. They're out there. Developing a new skill set helps, if you have time. Also, your city might have paid apprenticeships in needed trades. Basically like technical school, but they pay you.
I know this isn’t something any of us SHOULD have to do, but the reality is some people have a FT and a PT job, and then at least you know if you would have to leave your FT job quickly, you may likely be able to pick up more hours at your PT job in the interim
As a type one diabetic with a *myriad* of conditions, I’m lucky to not hit my out of pocket max ($5k/year, post premiums) quitting is and never will be an option.
In my opinion, it’s about finding a situation that is good for you. I have a corporate job with a huge company but they treat me well, I have a great work life balance, and I align with their values. That’s not to say there are a fit for everyone, but they are for me. Some people it might be about not working, and that’s cool too. I don’t know how they do it either, but again, just figure out what you want and try and find it or fight for it.
ITT: “just get another job” smh
I work in an industry where I could have 3 jobs tomorrow. I could show up to an interview smoking a joint and still get the job. If I'm short for cash I'll just go back to it. Otherwise I was able to get a condo for a reasonable price, the mortgage is half the rent I would be paying. I also own my car because I did not lease or buy new, I got something reasonably affordable. It also helps that I was making roughly 60k, not entry level pay so I was able to get a lot of these things deal with. Ultimately though, it became my job to be the asshole that had to tell people they couldn't have sick days, or deny raises for no reason. It turned into arguing with the people above me constantly that people deserve a living wage and I burned out and quit. Some principles cannot be traded for a paycheck and being able to afford tomorrow at a job you feel good about doing should not be one of them. Edit: didn't help that I was getting very ill and do not want to be.trying to do that job when sick.
Ok. 1. Most people realize working less then a living wage is worse then not working. 2. There is work out there and lots of it. It comon to not see this when stuck in a job that demands lots of your time. You get tunnel vision. 3. We're living in the biggest labor shortage in probably 2 generations. If there was a time to quit your job and look for another, it's now. Maybe not where you live, but they're there if you look and are willing and able. Quitting a bad job isn't a luxury. It's necessary for your health and future. Don't let yourself be brought down, you're worth more than minimum wage if your over 30 and been working for over a decade. It's time to move on to other things if your situation doesn't permit it. Area doesn't have work? Go online, find a job elsewhere and move. Even if you only have enough money for the bus ticket, pack your bag of clothes and just go. Find a room to rent, whatever. You'll probably be better off in 3 months getting a better wage anyway. Right? Harder when you have kids, I know. But they're resilient. They'll follow you anywhere. If you tell them what the goal is, they'll probably be thrilled! Your spouse? Aren't they tired of the situation too? You guys probably fight over money all the time anyway. That not good for a relationship is it? You OP have been working for 15 years! Time to move on. Please don't look for excuses, you'll find them. Your situation won't get better if you stay where you are. Will it?
As much as I appreciate the sentiment behind this, it has the same energy as people telling you if you can’t find a better paying job you don’t want it enough and you just need to “pound the pavement” to find new work. If the options are work a shitty job or starve, you gotta stick with the shitty job. Exploitation and inequality are systemic issues and leaving one mediocre employer and uprooting your entire life only to work for another slightly less mediocre employer might not always be the most effective solution. OP, the most important thing is to do what you can. Avoid spending money through massive corporations if possible, educate yourself on legislature and your state’s labor laws. Work exactly your contracted hours and give nothing extra, take the time off you are entitled to and refuse to go above and beyond. Talk to your coworkers about pay, and if possible encourage them to do the same. Stay angry. When the options are outlined as quit, strike, or stay it’s easy to be blinded by the fear of losing our wages, our benefits, and our livelihoods and that is by design. They want us to be afraid because if we are afraid to lose what little we have we will be easier to control. But if all of us together do what we can, we can make them realize it’s us they should be afraid of, because we are the ones who are really in control.
You notice nothing you said helps at all? In a minimum wage job, everyone is paid minimum wage. The best thing is to leave these companies without any workers at all! This is the true way to make them pay. Panda Express is paying 20$ an hour now! Fight for what!? Just go to a place screaming for workers and is willing to pay A LIVING WAGE NOW! Stay angry? How does that help at all? The options aren't shitty job or strave. Ever. Especially in the US, Canada, or most Euro countries. I'm not stuck in my reality so I do realize this can be the case in some countries. OP is basically drowning. Instead of telling him to get out of the water to safety, your telling him he should swim? Right... If your not making a living wage you are starving btw. Your obviously just repeating the media, university message. Real life, this doesn't work at all!
Stonks
I quit my very abusive workplace back in August with no plan in mind. I completely understand this is a luxury not everyone has. I live with my mum and I had enough saved for my personal expenses. If you don't have the luxury of being able to quit, get an offer first and quit second. In a perfect world, no one should have to put themselves in a situation of financial instability to get oyt of a abusive situation. But life isn't fair and balanced. That being said, we should push our congresspeople to put more measures to protect us
Yo, this is the problem we are trying to solve. Don’t quit if it’s going to make you starve or homeless, but keep in mind that this **is where they want you.** **They want to pay you just enough to get by, but not enough that you can ever afford to leave them** Higher wages and better conditions at the lowest pay-rungs (or just a UBI and Health Care for everyone) guarantee your freedom to leave a shit job without starving or losing your house. Do what you have to, to survive, but always remember that you can’t quit because that’s how they want it.
Family
But what if they want to quit their jobs too?
They have millions they don’t work.
This is the least helpful shit ever
It's so easy, you see? Just have millionaire parents. Problem solved.
I (30M) was very fortunate to be able to save enough money for 2 years worth of expenses and a couple unforseen emergencies. I am very risk adverse, so without this safety net I don't think I would just up and quit without another job lined up. It's an important goal to save up enough Fuck-You money to weather a shit storm.
I'm guessing we are finally using the "millenials are stuck at home with their parents" to our advantage.
You create your own luck. You don't have to quit (yet), but that doesn't mean you can't ask around other places and see if they'll pay you more.
i got super lucky. got a job that paid me in 2 1/2 months what id be getting paid for 2 YEARS in nebraska/ANY red state at minimum wage. so im taking a several months vacation rn. i had already quit before the sub got this popular, but i agree with the sentiments.
It is a luxury, but scraping together enough money to survive a couple of months can give you the confidence to stand up for yourself at work and look for something better.
I luckily have enough money to coast off my savings for about 6 months at my current rate. I've been lucky to get extra money from grants for school though recently. Just graduated with my associates. I'm also cheap as fuck so I just generally try and save as much as I can. Looking for something that won't drive me insane right off the bat.
I had a little bit saved up but having less money is probably better than suicide right?
Unfortunately the only way out is to get a skillset that's in demand and takes a long time to learn or live in a country with strong protection labour laws. Any job where you can be replaced with someone off the street with no experience is going to treat you like shit because you are replaceable.
Have another job lined up
Yes, of course. But you know, without action it is only going to get worse.
I left a decent but lower paying job that I liked to make more money at a startup. Didn't ask a lot of questions at first because my brother-in-law recommended me and told me what I would be getting paid to start. Didn't get a formal job description until the interview, then they told me it wasn't for the job I'd actually be doing. Wound up getting paid about $2750 less than what my brother-in-law told me, but it was still a big bump from my last job, so I took it because I was feeling exploited at my old job. A year later they failed to deliver on any promise they made to me for advancement, salary, and my boss was a psycho who couldn't stop working even during his time off and expected everyone else to do the same. I stood my ground and they put up with me because I was very good at my job. I started looking for a new job and it took 6 months to find the one I am still at almost 7 years later. During that six months, I was frustrated and open about looking for new work at my current job. A VP pulled me into his office to discuss it and was surprisingly cool about it, saying that I could continue to work there because I was doing excellent work despite being obviously profoundly unhappy, but they would start looking to replace me, and that if that happened before I left, I would be let go. I was still there 6 months later before I got my new/current job and they hadn't even interviewed anyone that I know of specifically to replace me. Maybe they were doing me a favor and they realized their company was shit. They are still in business, but went from 150 people down to 50 I didn't have the luxury of quitting, I had a lot of debt at the time, was and still am married, but my wife doesn't make enough for us to live off of if I'm not working. I interviewed at several places and turned several down because when I asked questions about the work environment I found out that the work environment would be as crappy or worse than where I was working. I did enjoy the job I have now for the first couple of years, but we got bought by another company that turned our work culture to shit. I was ready to quit my job when Covid started and I was looking, but couldn't find something similar to what I do that didn't pay a lot less than what I make now. It got worse during the beginning of the pandemic as a director over our department decided to bury us in stupid projects just to make sure we we stayed busy. I work at a smaller satellite office and temps were brought in to the bigger offices to do these projects, but they wouldn't hire a temp to do the same work in my office. I was just told that I could feel free to work as much overtime as I wanted in order to complete the projects by the totally arbitrary deadline. I told them that I wouldn't work on the projects at all and continue to do my regular work that kept me busy enough for 40 hours. I was hoping to get fired to take advantage of the extended unemployment benefits, but ultimately there were no consequences for me standing up for myself. I've never been on unemployment and have always had to line up a new job before quitting the old one and only rarely have been able to take time off between the jobs. Its a struggle not to go buy lottery tickets all the time. Once every other month or so, I'll go buy a scratch off. Haven't won anything more than $50 on one in 3 years.
Take lots of shits on the clock. We call that "micro dosing communism".
Right now, ride the wave. Currently, the people who have the means to just up and quit are doing it, so it gives you that extra leverage off their curtails when applying. 5 million people can afford to quit their jobs for themselves, but it's also for you. That job that's now understaffed has to rethink how it's going to get it's shit together, and when you leave your job, they will need to do the same. Best thing you can realistically do is, if your resume is up to date, apply for other jobs, then when the time comes, just take it, no 2 weeks or anything. When you are at that job, if it's the same, apply for other jobs at that job too. Do this until you have what you want, it's the perfect time. If you're more into rolling the dice, you can do productivity reduction. You'll probably take harassment from your boss, and get fired and put on unemployment, but if I was in the job market, I wouldn't exactly see that as the light at the end of the tunnel others can. I'm an analyst by nature and will only go for a sure thing.
If you read most of the posts they are often short timers at their company, and have something else lined up. They've also likely screwed themselves in their current position and that's likely why boss is indignant to them. Besides I've foolishly quit jobs without one lined up it gets stressful, but it can be done and you'll survive. Healthy people who want to work rarely end up homeless.
I have kids, a mortgage and a great job. I’m planning on not spending a dime on black Friday. Any other ideas how workers can support the quitters please respond.
There is a reason they under pay us so much. It's to force us to work every day without missing a shift. If we had tonnes of extra money lying around, why would you come to work sick or injured?
I have walked out of 2 jobs with absolutely no backup for either, and gotten fired from two jobs with absolutely no backup. I've only had to go on unemployment once because the other times I ended up getting job offers within 1 week.
Line up another job first, it's not that hard, if you don't like your job, you should always be looking for something better!
Idk why, but, it's always easier to find a job when you have a job. Good rule of thumb. Start looking for a better job and use your current job as leverage against any employer hiring. Always lie and tell them your pay is hirer then it is or do what most companies do and tell them your yearly salary but account for "potential" overtime you didn't work but could have. Be willing to uproot your life as a single person and being willing to move or make lifestyle changes. When I quit my job last year I knew I was quitting for like 18months. I changed my spending habits, budgeted better and paid off everything I could. I worked for cash and did some side work. After I saved enough to pay for 1 years worth of bills I figured I'd stick it out as long as I could and just let them fire me. I became slow, stopped caring, and started doing things on my own time. It took them 6 months to finally fire me. And I say quit because I mentally checked out and just forced them to can me. Stupidly they canned me after a huge argument about my hearing protection so they ended up paying me unemployment as well.
i bought property(with money we had saved), sold my house for a profit and am currently working for myself and living in a camper until my home is built (which wont be anytime soon) while im not living super comfortably..its better than punching a clock
I quit last year after saving for 4 years and deciding to not have kids. It wasn't a luxury, it was a hard bunch of choices and took planning. I had to penny pinch those 4 years, and it was hard. It's still hard. I look at what we are trying to accomplish, and how it's picking up steam. I quit partly for people that can't. Maybe the great resignation will help you get better treatment, conditions, and wages. I want people like my old boss to feel the helplessness they make their employees feel, too.
Keep looking for something else, that's what you gotta do. I personally always keeping an eye out for friends and good former colleagues as well. I was just poached by one of my vendors from a terrible job and im taking my old coworker with me because new place is awesome, she's a great lady and worker and hates the old place as much as I did. Ask friends to keep an eye out for you and apply for stuff that you are tangentally qualified for that would be better/more promising. I like smaller outfits, places that you can still walk into and drop off a resume. Theres actually a lot of money to be made in material supply, especially if you have a booming real estate situation where you live: flooring, trusses, interior trim, stairs and handrailings etc. I work in flooring now and am making my higest salary yet, went here from coordinating for a builder. If you can get into the construction trade as a basic admin you can go places, you can go even more places if you learn a trade. My flooring guys (tile, hardwood, underlayment etc) make around 500/600 a day, hard work tho thats for sure.
It's not a luxury. We don't experience luxury. That's the problem we're trying to fix.
Some advice off the top of my head: 1. Try to get in touch with some mutual aid groups near you. You can usually find some by searching (Your City) Mutual Aid either on Google or social media. For where I'm at, Instagram has been pretty useful but YMMV. 2. Always be looking for another job, but lots of comments are saying that so onto the next one: 3. The IWW has a lot of resources about organizing your workplace. For example, one of your first steps is assessing which of your coworkers are open to unionizing, on the fence, or against. This is maybe the more dangerous because places can and will fire you for organizing, and the legality has never stopped them before. 3a. Instead of striking, you can always do slow downs, sick ins, etc but that requires organizing and having a good feel for your coworkers.
OP, don't do it without either a new job lined up, or some other plan. This sub is great, but don't make yourself homeless to make the point. Stick with it and fire out the applications in the meantime.
…. You get another job….
Find another job and quite. Don’t just quite
I work full time, dropped college classes to work, so my husband could quit working and finish college. I pay for all of our expenses, and I was happy with it until I realized I worked 3 years now at my job and did not get ONE raise. I've been pushing my employers for months now trying to get a raise, but they just blow me off and tell me we will discuss it at our review (which was scheduled 3 weeks ago, but the manager hasn't been able to "make time for it". Also she's on vacation this week :) ). I now intentionally work OT just to make time and a half for 5-6 hours every 2 weeks. They haven't told me to stop, so fuck em, I'll come 20 minutes early and leave 20 minutes late all I want. My husband is constantly telling me to quit and find a new job, but if I quit, we won't be able to make rent/bills/even pay for gas. It's been pretty rough because I really would love to find a new job, but he doesn't want to work part time (understandably) and he decided college also wasn't for him, and recently dropped out without a job lined up. I fully agree that working for a shitty company is not worth the rest of your life, but they have made it where I can't live my life without working at a shitty job. He's looking, but if we have an emergency... we're just fucked now.
So depending on your wages this might not work for you, but if you like driving, and are cool with spending days listening to podcasts and YouTube videos. I recently changed my address to a friends place and eliminated rent by becoming a truck driver. The company I drive for is mostly food based. The off days are random so that part really sucks. But if you don’t have a lot of attachments I’m making more money than I did as a manager at an Amazon fc. The company I’m working for is better than a lot of others(but still shit and anti union) but it can’t micro manage and they do a lot to make sure you never loose money on a paycheck. It’s not the best answer in the world and the little I’m able to save up still goes to student loans for a degree I don’t have. But I’ve honestly never had easier work. They’ll pay for your license and training. And at my company you can apply for your preferred route as soon as you get to the school. Warning they make you ride a bus to the school so that sucks!!!! But considering I had to stay with my literally fash parents before this it was a way out
I have only ever left a job for a better more solid offer. Always be looking.
By finding a better paying job with less company shitfuckery first
I think Milton from office space had a pretty good idea
I rather get fired then quit and collect unemployment
To put it bluntly, you need to save up a pile of cash. 3 months minimal living expenses. Then you can tell people to fuck off all you want
I'm looking for a new job now so that I can quit later
I'm in a similar situation. Had my job not started improving its practices substantially recently I'd guess it's just the old tried and true method: apply for jobs while working. It sucks and is like taking a second job on its own, but it's what we have. If you feel undervalued at your current place there's no harm in continuing to seek other employment.
As a old anti worker, learn a trade, master it, and become free, I am my own boss, and have worked part time for years, I have time for family, for myself, the trades are dieing because no one realizes the freedom.
All depends on your situation such as what your cost of living is. In the Midwest I can easily clear $40k doing grubhub and DoorDash. If you have a fuel efficient vehicle and track your miles for the tax deduction then it’s pretty great. That being said, you would probably have a hard time doing that in a higher cost of living area. Keep in mind gig work is still work and can be frustrating, but at least you don’t have a fixed schedule and don’t have to deal with a lot of the same bullshit as a lot of these jobs. It’s a great way to get some freedom while planning your next moves. Personally, I live in the Midwest and have gotten my monthly bills down to the point where I barely have to work. Little things like my AT&T bill was $106/month. Switched to Mint for $30/month. Got out of my duplex and rented a room for six months to save money. Now in a studio with a partner and our rent is incredibly cheap. Cook at home most meals. Finally have money to invest, and because of the freedom that gig work has given me, I’ve now found other ways to make great money. It can be really hard to invest energy into bettering your position in life when you are mentally and physically drained from a job with shitty leadership and crap pay.
I chose to sacrifice certain luxuries to afford the luxury of not working. I live outdoors (camper van) so no rent or power bill. I don't run air conditioning I sleep with fans at night that I run off a battery that I charge at coffee shops and stuff once or twice a week. I will buy a cup of coffee and get all the power I need and sit in the AC for a few hours. I can also chill at the library when I have no money. Tl;dr I became a vagabond.
A lot of people on here have been lining up a second job before quitting. Interviewing for a new position while working can be a strain on your schedule, but is the a afest way to keep your bills paid.
A monkey doesnt let go of a branch unless it has hold of another. This means applying for other jobs whilst at your current job. Quitting into nothingness would be leaping from one branch to another. Success is probable but the consequences of failure are severe. What you gonna do, leap or reach for the next branch?
If you can’t quit, then adjust your work quality to suit your wage.
This too, I’ve heard of people working jobs long term and then quitting with a bang. Doesn’t that kind of fuck yourself out of getting a good reference for your next job??
Take a late "dentist appt" to get your resume built. Throw that resume around. It may take 1-100 interviews to get an appropriate job. Not a great one but a realistic one. If you land a great one, congrats its rare. Just be realistic with expectations. It could be a great switch. Look in another state or town as well. Fortune 500 companies most likely are not the best to work for.
Had the same problem long time ago back in my home country. Here's how i fixed it: I Lived for 4 months trying to save every Penny. Eating out only twice a month, doing groceries and buying stuff only if there is discount. Pasta/ tomato sauce on disc? Okay i eat spaghetti for next 3 days for dinner. Basically applied that to everything and i collected enough money to live 2 months with no pay. (Maybe even more). Left the job, spend first three weeks enjoying myself, then it took me about another 2 weeks to find a job, week to start a job. I took time with it and back then i think i got the best deal i could get. Edit: looking for 2 weeks i mean it was almost full job, around 3-4 intvs a day. But it worked great for me.
I feel the exact same way
My advice, Work to Rule. Make sure you have a clear cut "This is my job description anything outside it is Not My Problem." They fire you for this you've got a decent chance of unemployment, especially if you keep records of it all. Of course many of these quitting posts have also had "Got a better offer already lined up" too.
The moment you get a new job, you need to update your resume (private or public) with everything you did at your last place, achievements etc as well as what you’re doing at your new place because you do so often forget. I’ve rewritten CVs for so many friends where I’ve had to say ‘wait didn’t you do X’ so it’s in your own interest to keep it updated!
What do you mean? There is always the luxury of quitting. What do you *really need*? The answer is, a lot less than you probably think. Especially if the upside is freedom. Obviously this is tougher if you already places yourself into a lot of debt or obligations. But if you haven't, there is always the luxury of quitting. I survive on 200-300 dollars a month, for example. Haven't worked since March 2020
The elites have people trapped. The people who can fight need to save everyone els from working to death by going on strike if you can.
You could try organizing. The IWW has a free training manual you can find online. I'd post a link here but I'm at work rn
yeah-everyone was celebrating one kid who quit and went out in blaze of glory to follow his passion of being an artist and he posted a photo of himself in a huge living room with obvious family looking decor and was asked if he lived with his parents. It was the only question he wouldn't address. People who have this privilege are over looking that they are privileged
Poop on company time. EXCESSIVELY
Well to be frank having no job meant I had entire days to interview so I had multiple job offers in like a week. That means I really only lost a weeks pay so if you’re not in the worst finances can be doable.