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Tired of running into it nearly every company I interview at. Have been in the workforce since 1996. First began noticing this rudeness in 2006 but it was not nearly as common as now. What has caused this? It's not just office jobs - I've seen/heard the same thing with my friend's retail job. I miss camaraderie and having fun at work.
There are a lot of miserable disengaged workers now due to companies shift in attitude from employees being part of the team to being parasites to starve. Also the lack of development and purple squirrelism rampant in hiring has a lot of employees pigeon-holed into what they are currently doing and no longer enjoy.
Welcome to City Data! I think part of the reason workplaces are so soulless and unfriendly now is because everyone is scared to death of losing their jobs due to the bad economy. It's well-understood by most of us employees that we're replaceable at anytime, and nobody wants to do anything to draw attention to themselves, including having a good time on the company's time and dime.
I've also noticed a lot of competition within my own job. People usually choose to not be friendly with competitors. A lot of this competition is caused by policies established by corporate, which seem specifically designed to suck out any fun one might have at work. It's almost as they want to cause conflict with employees and to ensure that no one is enjoying their job. They've definitely succeeded at my job, and I'm sure that's true of some other jobs/careers too.
People used to work 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week prior to WWII. What you are seeing to day is actually mild in comparison.
Most jobs which aren't "enjoyable" are so because:
1) The boss knows that you can't/won't quit so s/he can treat any way they choose to.
2) Are in areas where there aren't many jobs
3) Are low wage/low skill jobs where you can easily be replaced
4) Aren't making the most of your talents
The only "good" advice for situations like this is to return to school and try to get something else. Or dust off your resume and begin a new search. The job is unlikely to change as even if the boss leaves, the new boss will be as bad or worse simply to hold onto their own position.
And a terrible company will never get better. They are terrible for a reason and that reason usually can't be "fixed."
Sorry for the bleak outlook.
But if you don't like your job, why damage your health and shorten your life for it?
I've noticed this in the past 10-15 years as well. I don't know if it is a societal trend in general or just corporate culture. When I first started out my co-workers usually hung out together once or twice a week after work, went out to lunch together, and would go over to each others houses every once and a while for parties. Since the early to mid 2000s that sort of behavior has basically disappeared. Most of my co-workers have become like robots. These are skilled professionals with years of experience. I think that in some ways social media, smart phones, and the internet have made people less social in real relationships and that is now showing up in the office. That, and the corporate overlords treating everyone like peasants doesn't help.
All of the above. At my job we're all just going through the motions...and we all know it. Every year we think morale can't get any lower...and it does.
As for socializing or making friends -- I'd imagine young people 16-25 still might hang our or get together after work. But once you have kids or get married, many people just want to go home. Friendships are still made maybe just not as many or as easily.
There are a lot of miserable disengaged workers now due to companies shift in attitude from employees being part of the team to being parasites to starve. Also the lack of development and purple squirrelism rampant in hiring has a lot of employees pigeon-holed into what they are currently doing and no longer enjoy.
Exactly.
There has also been a rise in greed and ignorance in recent decades. People demand whatever they want - now!! - and have no interest in getting the facts or understanding what is actually involved to achieve their desired goals. So, instead they just yell and scream, threaten people, or backstab them. Combine that with workers being treated like trash so some corporate suit can line his own pockets, and the end result is the same every time - an angry, soulless workplace full of people who dislike and distrust each other.
A lot of this competition is caused by policies established by corporate, which seem specifically designed to suck out any fun one might have at work. It's almost as they want to cause conflict with employees and to ensure that no one is enjoying their job. They've definitely succeeded at my job, and I'm sure that's true of some other jobs/careers too.
The tactic of divide and conquer is tried and true; if you create an environment of distrust, backstabbing, fingerprinting, shifting and subjective policies, that ensures that the worker bees will never unite and rebel against management, and they have ultimate control. I just left a family company who used this to great effect, it was the single worst professional experience of my life.
#1. The decline of small business and the corresponding rise of the corporate conglomerate/big chain.
#2. People are afraid to get sued, and will sue each other at the drop of a hat.
#3. Society as a whole gets increasingly miserable with each passing year.
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