Corporate overlords are going to corporate overlord, am I right?
There’s been a significant uprising against the toxic hustle culture that showed hustle-bros posting pictures of themselves cold calling at 2AM. They’d post the pics with little rocket ships and “LFGOOOOOO!” Insert the biggest of eye-rolls.
As folks came to realize that this toxic hustle culture was producing nothing but burnout for employees and wealth for the corporate overlords…the corporate overlords put out inspiring messages like “no one wants to work anymore.”
Right.
When that didn’t work, and people started working for themselves, the Corporate Overlords have started a new strategy; it goes like this:
“No matter what you do in life…you have to work hard at it. Even work.”
Sweet Baby Moses.
I don’t understand how so many myopic individuals managed to work their way to the C-Suite. Those of us (yours truly included) who are anti-toxic-hustle culture…are not lazy. We are not opposed to ‘hard work’ nor are we thinking we can just sit on a beach, sipping fruity drinks for 11 months of the year and collect a six-figure paycheck.
Now, the corporate overlords are trying to paint this visual for you; that “kids today” expect the above. Why? Because they want to shame said kids into “free” work. You see, corporate overlords love to say things like “well, you need to work as long as the job takes…” but ask them what happens if you finish your work up in 35 hours. That’s a whole different story.
The work is never done. There’s always something to do. So much for ‘as long as it takes.’
Now, if the job takes 60 hours a week? Well…thems-the-breaks. Funny how it magically works out in corporate overlords’ favor, yes?
No one is debating that anything you want to achieve in life requires effort. Nobody. What many of us are saying, however, is that our visions of success are shifting. We no longer need to be the super-star-award winner every year at work. We no longer need to put in 80 hours a week to show “value.”
We no longer need to climb our way up the corporate ladder in order to justify our existence.
Who does that hurt? Corporate overlords. And they are doing whatever they can to fight back. Blaming employees for being snowflakes. Claiming “no one wants to work anymore.” And now? “Everything in life requires hard work…so, go ahead and quit and run your little business, but you still have to work hard.”
It’s an exercise in belittling folks for taking a different path. It’s an effort to shame. And I’m frankly tired of it. Let me correct you dear Corporate Overlords – no one wants to work….for you. That’s a you problem. Stop deflecting. Stop blaming.
Want my advice? Hiring, recruiting and retaining talent is hard work. Maybe you’re just not working hard enough?
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