3 ms·

I have a mild but potentially wild speculation that it might be the internet. The internet allows workers to communicate not just within the company but within

I have a mild but potentially wild speculation that it might be the internet. The internet allows workers to communicate not just within the company but within the broader ecosystem of work. People are more and more aware of what a raw deal they're getting by executives and companies, and are becoming more and more hostile because they're aware of how hostile companies are to them. Additionally, companies are picking up eye-tracking technology and other hyper-controlling tech that was never feasible a generation ago, leaving employees feeling increasingly taken advantage of.

polygamous_bat 4y ago
Doesn't seem that wild to me, tbh. It's always been the case that the employers are centralized vs. the employees are decentralized, so when it comes to negotiations the centralized party has enjoyed major benefits due to informational assymetry as well as possible coordinated bargaining. Open sharing of information between employees _should_ make it more balanced, which the employers may not be used to.
- _fat_santa 4y ago
  I don't think this is the case anymore, not with the internet at least. Yes an employer will know what they are paying others at the company versus you, but unlike before, it's exceedingly easy for an employee to come up with the "market number" of what they should be paid. And often times that "market number" dominates whatever numbers an employer might have that they keep to themselves,
  - kjkjadksj 4y ago
    Its marginally better, but reddit threads or glass door are no subsititute for an actual union negotiating on your behalf. Employers can just fire you or let you leave if you get cocky like this. A union otoh can threaten to strike and effectively shut down an entire company.
mikro2nd 4y ago
It seems to me more like a USA thing. Maybe some other countries where there is little or no worker protection legislation, too?
throwaway743 4y ago
Don't forget that, at least in the US, employers also implement key loggers, mitm, silent webcam activation, push notifications triggered by power events/playing media/browser activity, etc on their network and worker machines

polygamous_bat 4y ago

Doesn't seem that wild to me, tbh. It's always been the case that the employers are centralized vs. the employees are decentralized, so when it comes to negotiations the centralized party has enjoyed major benefits due to informational assymetry as well as possible coordinated bargaining. Open sharing of information between employees _should_ make it more balanced, which the employers may not be used to.

_fat_santa 4y ago
I don't think this is the case anymore, not with the internet at least. Yes an employer will know what they are paying others at the company versus you, but unlike before, it's exceedingly easy for an employee to come up with the "market number" of what they should be paid. And often times that "market number" dominates whatever numbers an employer might have that they keep to themselves,
- kjkjadksj 4y ago
  Its marginally better, but reddit threads or glass door are no subsititute for an actual union negotiating on your behalf. Employers can just fire you or let you leave if you get cocky like this. A union otoh can threaten to strike and effectively shut down an entire company.

mikro2nd 4y ago

It seems to me more like a USA thing. Maybe some other countries where there is little or no worker protection legislation, too?

throwaway743 4y ago

Don't forget that, at least in the US, employers also implement key loggers, mitm, silent webcam activation, push notifications triggered by power events/playing media/browser activity, etc on their network and worker machines