Podcasters Discuss How ‘Humiliating’ It Is To Have To Work A Corporate Job
Corporate culture has gotten out of hand.
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock Corporate America has become a living nightmare for many. Waking up every day just to be stuffed into a cold office and perform mind-numbing tasks isn't exactly the ideal lifestyle. Add to that the fact that most U.S. workers feel overworked and underpaid, which isn't surprising since the U.S. is ranked 53rd out of 60 on a global list of countries for work-life balance.
On the "Hot and Bothered" podcast, hosts Cedar and Chris discussed how humiliating it is to have a corporate job and the fact that so many people are beholden to these strict schedules that don't even allow for the flexibility to go to a doctor's appointment without taking time off.
It's 'humiliating' to have to work a corporate job, according to these podcasters.
Cedar began by talking about the absurdity of how companies expect their employees to basically not have lives outside their jobs. "What a crazy thing to ask of the human race, to say 'you have to spend the vast majority of your free time at this job and at your nine-to-five, you have to pretend like nothing else outside of your nine-to-five exists,'" she said.
She went on to list examples such as family and doctor visits, saying that many companies don't want their employees to have any life outside of work.
Her co-host, Chris, agreed with her statements, adding that these companies essentially treat employees like children. The pair referred to corporate jobs as "a humiliation ritual that we participate in" in their caption.
Harsh restrictions are suffocating workers.
Not everyone needs to love their job, but they should at least find it tolerable. When companies constantly restrict workers from prioritizing other parts of their lives over their jobs, that's where the problem arises. Many people feel as though the companies they work for don't care for their well-being, and, as such, they feel disdain for their employers and workspace. Fear of job loss, combined with the current economic state, has many workers resigned to their feelings of job dissatisfaction. Add to that the current state of the job market, and you have a recipe for an employer's market.
An employer's market sounds like a great deal for anyone at the top of corporate America, and in most cases, it is, except for the simple fact that unhappy employees are usually not productive employees. You know what makes happy employees? Fair pay and flexible schedules.
Since employers aren't about to negotiate salaries that don't work in their favor, you'd think they would be more than willing to offer remote opportunities or, at the very least, flexible working hours. A recent FlexJobs survey found that 80% of respondents would be happier and more loyal to their employer if they had flexible work options. In fact, flexible work was the third most important "perk" for Americans considering a new job behind salary and work-life balance.
People should be able to have a job and a life simultaneously.
The reason it feels so humiliating to have a corporate job is that sometimes the treatment is so awful that it's painful to admit that you're in a position where you have to work somewhere where you are treated with no respect. No one wants to feel like a cog in the wheel. It's a recipe for burnout.
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A Future Forum Pulse survey found that 56% of desk workers have no say over the flexibility in their schedules. Compare that to C-Suite and executive employees who can come and go as they please. The survey found that 93% of non-executive employees want a say in when they work, and 81% want control over where they work.
Workers shouldn't be expected to put their lives on hold for the sake of a job. That doesn't mean corporations should allow a free-for-all when it comes to employees. However, if they promote a results-oriented culture where performance is rewarded over hours worked, corporate America might be more successful and gain a much better reputation at the same time.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.