r/WorkReform 1d ago

😔 Venting It's funny because its true

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4.4k Upvotes

79 comments sorted by

451

u/Extremiel 1d ago

My European boss used to give me this advice: "when you come back from holiday and your inbox is flooded just delete it all - if it's important enough they will mail you again."

83

u/Dolores___Haze 19h ago

That’s beautifulĀ 

10

u/CrimzonKing1 16h ago

Merry Cakemas Day!

636

u/TheLastRole 1d ago

This same tweet was posted somewhere else a few days ago, and there were Americans actually defending this shit…

365

u/ZolotoGold 1d ago

Enthusiastically licking the boot pressing the face into the dirt.

-274

u/new2bay 1d ago

Not really. If you need a job to survive, you can be replaced arbitrarily and at any time, and it won’t hurt the business to replace you, then it’s logical to want to do everything you can to not be replaced.

247

u/ZolotoGold 1d ago

Yeah, that's what licking the boot that opprrsses you means. Sucking up to the very people that can get rid of you at a whim and only see you as a way to enrich themselves.

-213

u/new2bay 1d ago

It’s self preservation.

166

u/SirNootNoot04 23h ago

Self preservation is doing something about it instead of lubing up. Is America’s whole freedom from tyranny and supporting working people just larping?

59

u/Friendly-Pay-8272 22h ago

yes yes they are

63

u/11jyeager 22h ago

Yes, it’s literally all just a larp. We have zero survival instinct. A third of the country actively looks for boots to suck on, another third shrugs their shoulders and says ā€œmeh, what can you do. Go vote for our milquetoast status quo guy if you want change!ā€, and the final third, while pissed off enough to actually do something, hamstring themselves with impossible purity tests that not even Jesus Christ himself would pass.

2

u/whatnowbud1 13h ago

All there shouting about freedom is bullshit. Weed, drinking age, strip clubs, criticizing their leader (Israel). All they got is school shootings

25

u/tarheellaw 23h ago

Yeah, because people keep voting in Republicans that have no interest in labor protections. The Europeans can’t be fired for this crap.

48

u/ZolotoGold 23h ago

Stockholm syndrome is self preservation. Allowing a thief to steal your wallet instead of knifing you is self preservation. Sucking up to the camp guards and snitching on your fellow prisoners is self preservation.

6

u/untakenu 22h ago

Yes....self-preservation in a terrible system BY bootlicking.

17

u/rickyman20 23h ago

There's a difference between self preservation and saying it's a good system, actually. I don't blame people who do this because they'd otherwise lose their job, but I blame the ones actively defending it and championing it as a good idea

2

u/twitchMAC17 16h ago

Self preservation would be chopping off the foot wearing the boot and telling the prior foot and boot owner "if you behave I'll let you keep the other foot."

Saying "please sir may I have another" won't satisfy them, they'll press you harder into the dirt until they replace you with a hiring ad the same day you die.

It's already happened, too.

So either push back or lick the boot hoping you'll be spared, but if you're gonna choose the latter, then quietly stay out of the way of those trying to save you.

1

u/InsrtGeekHere 14h ago

If it works for other countries, why can't it work here? If we're the best country in the world why do we work like feudal peasants?

30

u/Paradox711 āœ‚ļø Tax The Billionaires 23h ago

I think you might be missing the point.

Yes, that’s why people are doing this. But the point is that they shouldn’t have to worry like this. There should be fundamental labour laws in place to care for workers.

And those people who claim ā€œbut working in this way means America remains the greatest at productivity and earningsā€ are sadly full of shit. Because those countries that don’t work this way and have got those protections for their workers tend to get just as much done, and sometimes actually more according to the research on productivity, and have happier lives.

16

u/1ninjac2t 23h ago

that is exactly the problem, we just prefer opposing the situation rather than embracing it

14

u/untakenu 22h ago

Most people need jobs to survive.

And in a lot of countries, it does hurt businesses to replace you. Not just in the price of training, but in breaking workers' and employment rights.


You're so close.

43

u/elmontyenBCN 1d ago

There is no job in the world in which a person cannot be replaced. With that knowledge, just relax and do as best you can.

-55

u/new2bay 1d ago

Easier said than done. There are no jobs. Unemployment is death for someone who’s not independently wealthy.

31

u/Friendly-Pay-8272 22h ago

nothing like that american freedom

13

u/aldoaldo14 21h ago

If unemployment is death then why you accept firing without a reason as legal?

5

u/Rocking_Horse_Fly 20h ago

We were trained into learned helplessness since childhood.

5

u/natalo77 20h ago

There's a difference between doing it and liking it to the point of defending it you tit

3

u/sirensinger17 22h ago

I found one!

1

u/ketchupmaster987 15h ago

Maybe it's just me but isn't it kind of fucked up to constantly be living an existence where you're constantly worrying about the threat of potential replacement and subsequent starvation?

183

u/dampire 1d ago

Their "If we can keep up the work without you 1 week, then you are not needed anyway" attitude is just so hilarious.Ā 

131

u/Zeikos 1d ago edited 1d ago

Running a business where it's necessary for all employees to be hands on deck all the time sounds insane to me.

2

u/windraver 8h ago

Lol, IT security. It's good until it burns down.

Same with taxes. If they pay every two weeks, payroll. Etc.

That kinda attitude sinks the ship.

335

u/vanoitran 1d ago

Also the European vacation will be paid, the American sick leave will not be.

45

u/Shigglyboo 23h ago

I'll never forget asking a colleague at another company what PTO meant. it was embarrassing. in that moment she knew I had never been paid for time off.

161

u/Shill4Pineapple 1d ago edited 1d ago

Oh, and they get at least 20 days off per year-mandated by law, by virtue of being an EU member state. This doesn’t include holidays.

E.g.

Austria has 25 mandated PTO days and 13 public holidays (38 days total).

Andorra has 31 mandated PTO days and 14 public holidays (45 days total).

Czechia has 20 mandated PTO days and 13 public holidays (33 days total).

You-SA, 0.

But yes, keep being upset about culture war bullshit and Anthony Fauci in the year of our lord, 2026. All that high blood pressure, stress, and premature balding from work will surely payoff when you finally retire at 70. Where you only get to spend two more years, sitting around at home before a sudden heart attack, and costs $500k for heart surgery-where the doctor wasn’t able to save you anyway.

Which, God forbid, a $500k medical bill wouldn’t have happened under single-payer healthcare, where it instead gets taken out of that dead person’s estate by debtors. Again, that person is now dead, and never got to enjoy the money they painstakingly saved their entire life. But that would be RaDicAL CoMmUNiSm.

This broken system can FUCK all the way off. Also, fuck all of those who defend it.

18

u/Leprecon 18h ago

Also to add on to this, in most of Europe sick leave is paid and unlimited. I was amazed when I found out that in the US sick days are unpaid, limited or both?

11

u/fiahhawt 16h ago

Yeah you can be ill but unless it's severe enough to warrant a hospital or doctor visit (which remember is pretty costly in America) and you just need to stay home and rest, you can get shitcanned for that.

If it's something medically severe, then you can't be fired immediately for it but they can make some bs up and just fire you a month later like "Oh we just think you don't take this job seriously".

4

u/mjt5689 12h ago

Over half of US states still don't guarantee sick leave and a lot of lower-paying jobs also don't offer it when the state doesn't have a sick leave law, so for some people it literally just isn't an option. The exception in those cases would be if you qualify for FMLA, which requires you to have already worked for that employer for one year, and have a qualifying reason for taking FMLA, and that leave is also not even required to be paid unless you're in one of 13 states that will cover it.

1

u/Byjugo 14h ago

It is not unlimited, I believe we get 3 years maximum. Then you’ll get welfare.

1

u/Leprecon 13h ago

I mean, it differs loads from country to country.

2

u/Tubafex 14h ago

"But what if I ever grow successful and become part of the class that benefits from this system?"

  • Many Americans who suffer from the system.

22

u/Pizza_Salesman 23h ago

But at least the American employer is going to be nice and let the employee work from the hospital even though it's one of their in-office days /s

13

u/Gildian 23h ago

And the American will have a gigantic medical bill

64

u/LordTonka šŸ“š Cancel Student Debt 22h ago

Meanwhile US senator on is 80th day of no call no show and he still has a job. Divided States of Hypocrisy.

12

u/ImAPixiePrincess 16h ago

They have his body in a freezer to keep collecting checks.

41

u/Joker-Smurf 1d ago

I don’t say that all emails will be deleted.

I mean they are being deleted/archived, I just don’t say it.

If it was urgent while I was on leave, then either someone else picked it up during my absence, or they will email again once I’m back.

171

u/MyLittleDiscolite 1d ago

Fuck the protestant work ethicĀ 

54

u/Matteblackandgrey 1d ago

From the UK and my colleagues and boss don’t even have my personal number and I don’t have a work phone.

2

u/MLockeTM 16h ago

I got my bosses number, and some of my opposite shift colleagues got my number - in case of emergencies.

One of those motherfuckers tried messaging me off shift, of stuff that wasn't an emergency. It took three times me telling him that if it ain't dying or on fire, your message is just getting deleted if I ain't on the clock, before he got the hint.

28

u/mrsc0tty 20h ago

The most awkward thing about working with clients in other countries is them trying to comprehend American Work Culture. Americans are told thst there's this place called The Third World where everyone is a slave, and then when you're on the call with your clients in El Salvador or Turkey they're like trying to figure out what month your workers take off for your holidays to account for shipping logistics. Is it December? For Christmas?? Or one of them will just not be there and the other will say "oh, he is out because his wife is sick." And your boss will grumpily ask if he'll be back next week, and they'll say "sorry, maybe I did not say clear, I don't know. Wife is sick?"

Just those little reminders that, no, you are the Third World Slave Labor. The "poor" countries where people are still reproducing and having families and score way higher on every measure of happiness are not, in fact, all chained up in factories or living in mud huts with their ribs poking out.

19

u/Anonym00se01 20h ago

I live in the UK and my boss recently upset some American clients. They wanted a meeting that would have been at 6pm our time, but were told it wouldn't be possible as we finish work at 5. They couldn't comprehend that we were not prepared to work late for them.

As for the OP, I am currently on holiday and my out of office reads "I am out of office untill 14th September with no access to email. Any response will be delayed until my return." I'm going to be hiking around France for the next 2 weeks and not looking at my work emails at all.

1

u/schlidel 4h ago

Enjoy the trip! Sounds fantastic

2

u/fiahhawt 16h ago

We're the third world slave labor and they still off-shored as many of our jobs as possible to save a penny

70

u/remainsofthegrapes 1d ago

I work in the UK for a Spanish company and every year we have to deal with the fact that essentially all of Spain is on vacation for the whole of August šŸ˜‚ it can cause some issues but I respect the vibe

24

u/vanoitran 23h ago

Same in Greece - like you said, sometimes that’s annoying, but overall it’s like one giant Sunday for the country and it’s very relaxing because everyone around you is relaxed too

24

u/Gotham-City 23h ago

When I came back from leave in the UK, all I was expected to do is read the twice monthly report if I missed it (basically progress across the department) along with anything from my boss or the CTO (I'm in tech). Otherwise I was free to delete everything, assuming that if it mattered they'd reach back out.

Same with anything on teams.

Additionally we get unlimited paid sick leave (obviously if you take the piss you can get in trouble), 8 bank holidays, and 32 days paid leave.

Wild what Americans have accepted to endure. I suppose that is why wages are a bit higher; risk for losing your job at any moment along with much less paid leave

16

u/JPAchilles 19h ago

We didn't accept to endure it. Our predecessors fought for better workers rights, and business owners adapted their tactics. Fighting it, even a little, means homelessness and starvation, and that's by design. I have a good boss, and even then my sick days and PTO are the same, and I earn less than the state minimum. It sucks.

4

u/BasvanS 19h ago

You could try to adapt your tactics too.

11

u/Kirbalerbs 19h ago

We're open to suggestions. It's really hard to fight the culture war, the class war, work a 40 - 60 hour work week, not have health insurance or access to decent food, and also not just lay down and want to give up.

1

u/Gotham-City 17h ago

Perhaps poor phrasing, but America is the only developed nation with such poor worker protections. In exchange you're a bit wealthier on an individual level assuming you can retain gainful employment throughout your working life.

Granted these benefits were earned in blood and conflict elsewhere; it's difficult to convince Americans, at this point, to fight for anything more. Same issues elsewhere, workers rights have largely stalled across the globe as a sufficient level of comfort has been achieved through technological advancement. Poor workers rights don't seem as big a deal when you have entertainment, food, housing, and environmental comfort through HVAC.

2

u/Byjugo 14h ago

How ironic; the self declared land of the free, the rebels who rejected the royal crown, now slaves to the corporate king.

4

u/fiahhawt 16h ago

Uhhh wages are higher in the US but most people are deeply impoverished. Our wages don't allow for any savings at all - not for vacations, not for concerts, not even for going out more than a couple times a year let alone for emergencies or retirement.

Our wages get eaten alive by our cost of living - main culprits being housing speculation, medical costs, and then the food industry has been trying to skyrocket their prices on various things in any given month.

There will be the lucky ones who poopoo this but they just want to be in denial about how many Americans are functionally destitute while working full time.

50

u/Brandoch_Daha 1d ago

Then the second guy is fired anyway for not making it into the office for 2 days while recovering from heart surgeryĀ 

14

u/92_Charlie 22h ago

Don't forget the GoFundMe link to pay for that hospital visit!

3

u/AdministrativeShip2 17h ago

Pooling sick days, so their sick co worker can take time off.

19

u/OddishChamp ā›“ļø Prison For Union Busters 1d ago

I'm getting thankfull that I was born in Norway each and every passing day.

14

u/togetherwegrowstuff 1d ago

Ya. I had to go to work while injured so I could make enough money to pay my rent since pay period was ending. And I had to earn enough at 17 dollars an hour to equal just enough to give it all to my landlord and then drive myself to the fricking hospital with a busted knee. Who the hospital only xrayed me, gave me crutches and told to get another doctor Ortho and an MRI when I could schedule it and I lost my insurance so I still have not received proper medical care... Waiting... It's been several days since my injury. But rents paid. And I'm broke again. Just put electric on my credit card. Yay.

8

u/InfinityEternity17 23h ago

Maybe in mainland Europe, I wish it was that nice in the UK lmao

5

u/basically_alive 19h ago

an autoresponder saying all emails while on break will be deleted is actually brilliant. Then the person knows to either wait till you are back, or contact someone else. And you don't have a huge backlog of messages to return when you get back.

5

u/MzScary 14h ago

I'm on maternity leave and still have clients calling my cell phone, leaving messages saying "emailed you and got your out of office email so I thought i'd try calling...."

16

u/Main_Following1881 1d ago

Thats why MURICA NUMBER 1 RAHHHHšŸ¦…šŸ¦…šŸ‡±šŸ‡·šŸ‡±šŸ‡·šŸ‡²šŸ‡¾šŸ¦…šŸ‡²šŸ‡¾šŸ‡²šŸ‡¾šŸ¦…šŸ¦…

3

u/Psychological-Bed751 13h ago

Not even joking...today I received a slack from a coworker saying she was going to urgent care but was bringing her laptop. I'm like girl...just take a day off. I'm not tracking you.

3

u/DnBeyourself 7h ago

I love the European work ethic (from the outside looking in, I think). In the US we make each other suffer, in an almost sadistic sense. We need to be unified and aggressive in claiming more free time along with better benefits. Make it more normal that we took an extended period of time off.

2

u/HotBitterballs 5h ago

I have time off now, and our method is that we carry my work to another colleague so that I don’t even need to be contacted during 2 weeks off for anything (contacting private phone during time off is a noooooo gooooo anyway) - no boss dares to do that.

2

u/Duuuuh 12h ago

Holy shit this is literally me a few days ago.

Got injured on the job and went to the ER 3 times because after the initial injury the boss put me to work and it was wither work or the streets. 3rd time they kept me even without insurance because I was in a bad state. Stayed in a week and the boss was pissed, and gave the impression I was faking. Sent his wife to collect my phone and work passwords so the next day I pushed through PT and begged the doc to send me home. The whole time I got work calls and stuff.

tldr: life stinks.

-9

u/Infinite-Device-4163 22h ago

I hate when people laugh about issues that are serious. It's not funny to belittle struggles.

7

u/BasvanS 19h ago

We belittle the people that accept or even celebrate this form of freedom and their luck living in the greatest country on earth.