Self-Proclaimed 'Slacker Employee' Wonders Why Anyone Tries At Work — 'I Fail To See How Anyone Besides The Business Owner Benefits'
He thinks doing less than the bare minimum is just fine.
Africa images | Canva Pro Some people working harder than others is just a fact of life. Different people have different work ethics and philosophies.
One man couldn’t understand why people would actually choose to put in hard work on the job and said that only business owners benefit from that. The man took to Reddit to extol the virtues of his slacker lifestyle and how doing extra is self-sabotage.
A man who admitted to being a ‘slacker’ didn’t understand why others worked hard at their jobs.
One man posted on Reddit to share his opinion about people actually working hard and why he didn’t understand it.
In a post titled ‘Co-Workers Not Pulling Their Weight,’ a worker admitted, “I don’t understand this mindset.”
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“I’m a slacker employee, and this concept befuddles me,” he continued.
“I grant it that not doing your work will get you fired, which sucks (which is why I struggle to hold a job),” he said. “But this mindset of people ‘not pulling their weight’ baffles me.”
Not only can this man not fathom actually wanting to put in any hard work, but he also feels that doing so has not paid off in his personal experience.
“Do you think if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded?” he asked. “If your whole team was high performing, do you honestly think you’ll get a raise?”
“The reward for good work is more work,” he stated. “I fail to see how anyone besides the business owner benefits from the whole team doing a great job.”
The man insisted he was not trying to cause any controversy, but he was curious about this subject.
“Not arguing, just want to see the perspective … these types of high performers have,” he concluded.
Despite what this slacker employee thinks, hard work may not be such a bad thing and can actually make you more successful.
Athena Lent wrote about just why hard work is so important for Clever Girl Finance.
According to Lent, “Being a hard worker is rewarding. When we work hard, we can see our success and achievements. And the whole process of hard work can be a reward in itself that can help you become a better person and keep you moving in the right direction.”
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Lent also discussed how working hard is a sure way for people to find you more reliable, which will help you in business.
“People want someone who’s going to get things done on their side, and based on your hard work, they’ll know who to call. People wanting to work with you is an excellent example of how hard work leads to success!” she said.
Furthermore, Lent said that “hard work shows commitment.” “Your commitment is what is going to help you succeed in the workplace and/or in business,” she wrote.
It’s entirely possible that someone who doesn’t value hard work won’t find any of these benefits from it important either. After all, if you don’t think hard work has good outcomes, would you really care about how committed you seem? Probably not.
Reddit commenters agreed that hard work has its merits.
Other Reddit users who commented on the post seemed to agree that hard work is actually a good thing.
One person said, “I think pulling your weight is just doing what’s expected of the job, not necessarily going above and beyond.”
“I’ve always taken great pride in doing good work,” another stated. “As a result and throughout my career, I’ve received multiple promotions, pay raises, etc.”
A third person addressed both why not working hard was likely causing problems for the man and why it was important to them to do so.
“Well, as you pointed out, ‘struggle to hold a job’ is the downside … The reward is keeping employment … Of course, my reason for working hard is reputation. I like having a reputation of integrity,” they said.
While it may seem better to take the easy way out, there are many downsides to this. Hard work isn’t for everybody, but many feel it’s worth it.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.