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> The Reddit toxicity seems to taint young people into thinking that their employer is their enemy and that they have to approach the workplace like they're goi

by znpy 1y ago

> The Reddit toxicity seems to taint young people into thinking that their employer is their enemy and that they have to approach the workplace like they're going into battle with evil managers. They aren't that wrong however. Over the last two-three years alone we've seen waves of layoffs. Layoffs from FAANGs hit the headlines, but so many more happened without hitting the news. And the thing is young people... They adapt. They usually don't have the cultural baggage we older people have, so they often see things for what they truly are without any rose-tinted-glasses from past better times. Their grandparents were able to get a fairly stable job at a company, stay there until retirement and grow a family. Their grandparents were able to switch jobs IF they wanted to. On the other hand, kids nowadays know they will likely be fired at some point, irrespective of their performance, and that they need to play the game for what it is. Can you really blame them?

kelnos 1y ago
It feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. If you go into a new job, full of cynicism, doing the bare minimum (or less), acting like everyone there is out to get you, then you shouldn't be surprised when you're the first to go when layoffs happen (or sooner, even). Yes, the labor market has changed, and in many ways not for the better. But layoffs are not new. I remember my dad being afraid of them back when I was a teenager in the 90s. I remember him getting hit by one of them, even, and scrambling to figure out what to do (fortunately he was re-hired by the same company, in a different group). I survived layoffs in the three following decades; yes, the most recent waves were brutal, but I wouldn't say they were anything special compared to, say, ~20 years ago. You can recognize a company for what it is (a capitalist organization that cares more about next quarter's numbers than whether or not you still have a job), but also be a positive, professional person, who goes in and does good work every day, gets along with coworkers and managers, and doesn't play games. You can be realistic without being a toxic cynic.
- znpy 1y ago
  > You can recognize a company for what it is [...] but also be a positive, professional person, who goes in and does good work every day, gets along with coworkers and managers, and doesn't play games. One one hand I agree, but on the other hand I say: it's something that comes with time and experience. Your examples by the way all come from of way better economic times, and more abundance of jobs. It's easy to be optimistic (naive?) when times are good. But it's not what the current kids are experiencing, far from it.

by znpy 1y ago

kelnos 1y ago

It feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. If you go into a new job, full of cynicism, doing the bare minimum (or less), acting like everyone there is out to get you, then you shouldn't be surprised when you're the first to go when layoffs happen (or sooner, even). Yes, the labor market has changed, and in many ways not for the better. But layoffs are not new. I remember my dad being afraid of them back when I was a teenager in the 90s. I remember him getting hit by one of them, even, and scrambling to figure out what to do (fortunately he was re-hired by the same company, in a different group). I survived layoffs in the three following decades; yes, the most recent waves were brutal, but I wouldn't say they were anything special compared to, say, ~20 years ago. You can recognize a company for what it is (a capitalist organization that cares more about next quarter's numbers than whether or not you still have a job), but also be a positive, professional person, who goes in and does good work every day, gets along with coworkers and managers, and doesn't play games. You can be realistic without being a toxic cynic.

znpy 1y ago
> You can recognize a company for what it is [...] but also be a positive, professional person, who goes in and does good work every day, gets along with coworkers and managers, and doesn't play games. One one hand I agree, but on the other hand I say: it's something that comes with time and experience. Your examples by the way all come from of way better economic times, and more abundance of jobs. It's easy to be optimistic (naive?) when times are good. But it's not what the current kids are experiencing, far from it.