Opinion Why do other workers support the corporate mentality?

[Hatake88]

Hey guys

This year is my first in the corporate world and, to be honest, I am a bit shell shock. Not just by the work but more so by the people.

I just can't grasp why people choose to act the way they do and how they manage to find any enjoyment out of it.

For example, let's start with long hours. From an employer's POV, I can understand why they want employees to work as long as possible (to maximise profits). But, if you aren't an equity partner, then why does it matter what time someone in a different team leaves or if someone wants to leave a little "early" after they've finished all their work? Why are people - especially junior staff like myself - so proud of how many hours they've worked? Why is it that people "compete" in such stupidity when all this does is grind on their own mental and physical health?

This feeds into a central theme of the lack of kindness in the corporate world (kindness both to yourself and to others). As children, we are taught lessons like "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't stay it", "just focus on yourself, not others", "be brave and speak up when something is wrong" and " try to put yourself into other people's shoes". These aren't awe-inspiring concepts at all (and are fundamental to creating a safe and comfortable workspace for everyone) yet people don't abide by them.

As adults, we go around constantly monitoring each other, talking smack about each other (always laughing about the "what" instead of asking "why") and - when people see others get bullied - they turn away. Its just...wrong. And the most frustrating part about all of this is that others don't seem to know or care. "Its always been this way" and "that's the rules" aren't valid explanations.There is a better way to do things if only people will put themselves and those around them first rather than profit margins - because, at the end of the day, wealth isn't just monetary.

I can already see the responses calling me doe-eyed, naive etc. but its just terrible for me coming out of a smaller university (where things tend to be quieter and more honest) to my current workplace where a large majority of people seem to be fake and/or mean-spirited. The worse part is that I work with some of the supposedly smartest people in my country...yet is killing yourself and others around you really the intelligent thing to do? I've meet some incredibly narrow-minded people in my life...some of which include the Oxford/Cambridge/NYU/Yale graduates I work with day to day.

I just don't understand their mentality and, as unmanly as it sounds, it hurts me to see people treating themselves and others like that.

I am an investment banker btw.

P.S. My question is in the thread title.

 

[Damien Karras]

Either they’re suck ups or they’re doing it to further their career.

Some married men I know literally don’t want to go home to their wives because their life at home sucks. Or they wait until the kids are fed, bathed and put to sleep so they don’t want have to deal with any of that.

 

[babycart]

It's the shitty world syndrome concentrated inside an institution.

It's like in the caveman days. You like lazing around and being peaceful, yet you have to hunt and fight to survive. That's the way the ecosystem is structured, and that's the same way in a corporate ecosystem. They want to obtain something, but in order to obtain that, one must their soul tainted. Problem is, aside from staying and thriving in that shitty system, they know no other way to obtain that certain goal.

 

[weed]

Disgruntled America.

our plight.

 

[usmctanker242]

Just a thought : mind your business, work your ass off, and do the best work you can. You acting like a woman and being interested in what everybody else is doing is going to drive you crazy. It's also not going to do you any favors in making friends / allies in the working world.

Believe it or not but the Marine Corps has its own "corporate mentality" where the guy who kept his guys at work the longest, regardless of whether or not there was anything to do, was generally looked upon favorably. Any senior leader who wanted to leave early, or when the work was finished, was definitely looked down upon by everybody (with the exception of his junior Marines).

As others have suggested some of it is that they have a shit home life and would rather be doing anything else than dealing with their wives / families. Others have NOTHING at home...their entire life is their job.

Work hard, keep your head down, mind your business, and you'll do well. You keep on worrying about what other people are doing is going to end up getting you blacklisted by everybody else.

 

[oleDirtyBast4rd]

For example, let's start with long hours. From an employer's POV, I can understand why they want employees to work as long as possible (to maximise profits). But, if you aren't an equity partner, then why does it matter what time someone in a different team leaves or if someone wants to leave a little "early" after they've finished all their work?

I'm only going to answer to this as I'd only be speculating what you mean by corporate mentality.

If you are paid hourly then you have nothing to complain about. Your employer is paying you for your time. Any particular set of skills you are utilizing comes along with you for that hour.

Some jobs are commission based and you earn based on how productive you are. There are pros and cons to each. Seeing as how fucking lazy the vast majority of people are (if not lazy, complacent) I think we are better off this way for most jobs.

 

[oleDirtyBast4rd]

Just a thought : mind your business, work your ass off, and do the best work you can. You acting like a woman and being interested in what everybody else is doing is going to drive you crazy. It's also not going to do you any favors in making friends / allies in the working world.

Believe it or not but the Marine Corps has its own "corporate mentality" where the guy who kept his guys at work the longest, regardless of whether or not there was anything to do, was generally looked upon favorably. Any senior leader who wanted to leave early, or when the work was finished, was definitely looked down upon by everybody (with the exception of his junior Marines).

As others have suggested some of it is that they have a shit home life and would rather be doing anything else than dealing with their wives / families. Others have NOTHING at home...their entire life is their job.

Work hard, keep your head down, mind your business, and you'll do well. You keep on worrying about what other people are doing is going to end up getting you blacklisted by everybody else.

Fucking great post man. This is some seriously golden advice.

Work hard always. You'll respect yourself more and others will too

 

[Liquid Smoke]

I think you get that people work harder to try to get ahead. As far the "lack of kindness" in corporate life, keep in mind that negotiating with a corporation is highly asymmetric. They have billions in resources versus you and the value of your labor. You can either take what they offer or vote with your feet. But, if you want to get some degree of hand, you gotta be a company man. If you get shit done they will listen to you. That's why you have to embrace the grind and compete in this often times cruel (i.e. indifferent) world.

 

[TheMadThinker]

Very few people are conditioned enough to show real decency towards each other. When you are in a shark infested environment like a competitive work place you can just throw any shred of respect and empathy out the window. People's survival instincts kick in and if you are not integrating into the company's probably flawed culture it is like you are weak and a loser.

 

[Rhood]

Interesting topic
I read another thread about "corporate culture" from another site that had similar views


reality check for those planning to move down to Tampa
http://www.city-data.com/forum/tampa-bay/2989181-reality-check-those-planning-move-down.html

i've been in this group a few years ..back when it was affordable to live in the TB area.
i'm from outside philly, one of the highest property tax areas in the country, so I'm not new to hoops and politics .

my goal of moving down was side tracked a few times over the years , which brings me to the current reality check.

i'm one that did my research..I planned and i'm now on my second trip down here this year.

i just want to say that all those that live down here are correct it is tough more than you can even imagine.

on our last visit we thought we found a mobile home, until the owner returned and we had already flown back home and he called persistently for days, emails and texts as well. that threw up some flags that later were proven true when we saw the same place listed for rent with a few lies thrown into the mix.
my mom wanted to own a property out right and not rent but that really turned her off.

it originally took half a week for the park to just run the application , making us provide documents twice over

so on this second trip i was prepared to just look for a rental.


watched the online rental sites and had what i thought a few decent properties narrowed down a week prior. well before i could even get on the flight down the rentals one by one were gone.

i still remained positive ...

we arrive we drive past some not so great rentals and go and see one in gulfport. we assumed that when the landlord said he wanted to rent to us after chatting for close to an hr he meant it...we also assumed if he ran the credit check then it must be still available, we overlooked he was out of state and that he didn't charge a fee to process the credit report. we overlooked that some guy randomly showed up before our appointment time and we were told he happened to be in the area. looking back the whole thing seemed shady and he now has our info.

my text went unanswered and i just hope this wasn't some scam..because it sure feels that way or are people just so rude they can't say hey we went with another applicant?

today i mistakenly thought the local realtors worked weekends. i placed ten calls onlynyo be met with voice mails only listing m-f hours. no weekends they don't work. smh i guess they don't need to given the current market?

i was able to meet one woman from craigslist who seemed arrogant that her place would rent no matter what and how all the landlords now look at credit and only chose those with top scores because they can now as there are so many people down here...and most local are now priced out of renting

her place was old, closet doors dint shut , she told me that the porch roof leaked and she can't find a way to seal it. smh i literally sat in the car after the appointment just dumbfounded .

i'm from outside of philly ...our market is much different. sure rents are high , but credit doesn't make or break it . i'm a landlord myself and often won't run credit as most have bad credit anyway and those with great credit often are over extended . i just run a backround looking for evictions and call past landlords...i ask questions and interview and you can get a good feel. i've had no issues and i'm paid on time. our laws up there favor the tenant u like in florida . again smh

i seriously feel like being down here and even talking to property owners is like dealing with corporate america.

this is not meant to bash anyone ...i just want to give a real account if someone down here trying to relocate .

i leave in six days and i'm a realist i just don't see realtors getting me into see a property running credit, us jumping thru hoops and getting into a place.... why? because for every one of me there are 200 plus more in line behind my application. there could be someone with better credit , someone with no pet etc.


today i face my reality head on and i'm going to really reevaluate if the warm weather is worth all this red tape just to see a place let alone be approved for one. i used to find the area relaxing but this visit it seems people are rude , the laid back atmosphere is gone ... i just don't know how people are surviving down here.

 

[Hatake88]

I'm only going to answer to this as I'd only be speculating what you mean by corporate mentality.

If you are paid hourly then you have nothing to complain about. Your employer is paying you for your time. Any particular set of skills you are utilizing comes along with you for that hour.

Some jobs are commission based and you earn based on how productive you are. There are pros and cons to each. Seeing as how fucking lazy the vast majority of people are (if not lazy, complacent) I think we are better off this way for most jobs.

I think you are missing the point.

What I am trying to get at is e.g. Bob sees Susan leaving at 6pm after she has completed her work. Why does Bob feel the need to comment on this or gossip to other people just to put Susan down? This type of mentality between colleagues (of making sure no one "gets off easy") creates an intensely competitive and unnecessarily stressful environment which forces people to stay behind for no good reason.

Also, to address what you are saying, most corporate jobs (including mine) are not paid by the hour. Even if its paid hourly, and even if a commission/bonus is given, I still have a problem with employers forcing employees to do long hours. When I say long hours, I'm not talking about 9am-6pm btw...people in my industry are often talked into working from 8:00am-midnight night after night. I know one employee who worked 31 days in a row without a day's rest and several others who got worked so hard they developed serious liver issues. Sure, you can technically say no to the extra hours...but could you really? Retribution under a different name is still retribution...

 

[bobgeese]

TS has the work ethic of a child.


With that attitude, you’ll get nowhere in life.


PS, poor people don’t sign paychecks. That’s why we need corporations. They provide jobs, and services that make our quality of life much improved. Walmart Amazon ebay, etc.

 

[oleDirtyBast4rd]

I think you are missing the point.

What I am trying to get at is e.g. Bob sees Susan leaving at 6pm after she has completed her work. Why does Bob feel the need to comment on this or gossip to other people just to put Susan down? This type of mentality between colleagues (of making sure no one "gets off easy") creates an intensely competitive and unnecessarily stressful environment which forces people to stay behind for no good reason.

Also, to address what you are saying, most corporate jobs (including mine) are not paid by the hour. Even if its paid hourly, and even if a commission/bonus is given, I still have a problem with employers forcing employees to do long hours. When I say long hours, I'm not talking about 9am-6pm btw...people in my industry are often talked into working from 8:00am-midnight night after night. I know one employee who worked 31 days in a row without a day's rest and several others who got worked so hard they developed serious liver issues. Sure, you can technically say no to the extra hours...but could you really? Retribution under a different name is still retribution...

Salary employees generally make pretty decent money too. If not then you're a sucker for taking a shitty job that demands long hours for low pay

 

[Hatake88]

Just a thought : mind your business, work your ass off, and do the best work you can. You acting like a woman and being interested in what everybody else is doing is going to drive you crazy. It's also not going to do you any favors in making friends / allies in the working world.

I wish everyone would do the bit in bold.

I am unhappy because what everyone else is doing (or at least a good proportion of what people are doing) is impacting me. To give you an example - I felt genuinely sick two months ago and went to have a little lie down in the sick room for two or three times that week. To my horror, I found out at my mid yearly performance review that someone who I have never spoken to in my life and who is not even in my direct team has spoken to my boss about my "inappropriate attitude" towards work because this person thought I had slacked off. This person has never thought of asking me to clarify and when I confronted him about it he bitched to his other co-workers that I was rude and overly aggressive.

This isn't about acting like a woman - its about the fact that incidents like the above aren't isolated and people will throw you under the bus without any good, logical reason.

Believe it or not but the Marine Corps has its own "corporate mentality" where the guy who kept his guys at work the longest, regardless of whether or not there was anything to do, was generally looked upon favorably. Any senior leader who wanted to leave early, or when the work was finished, was definitely looked down upon by everybody (with the exception of his junior Marines).

This is an example of what I'm talking about - i.e. "believe it or not but here are the rules and here's another group that follows the rules".

My response would be: ok...but, is that right approach? Is this how you should choose who to look toward to? <= these are questions I think should be asked.

As others have suggested some of it is that they have a shit home life and would rather be doing anything else than dealing with their wives / families. Others have NOTHING at home...their entire life is their job.

Work hard, keep your head down, mind your business, and you'll do well. You keep on worrying about what other people are doing is going to end up getting you blacklisted by everybody else.

Just because you have nothing else to live for doesn't mean you should support an environment of hostility or fakery. If anything, given the fact they spend so much time at work...shouldn't they be striving towards creating the best workplace possible?

 

[Hatake88]

TS has the work ethic of a child.


With that attitude, you’ll get nowhere in life.


PS, poor people don’t sign paychecks. That’s why we need corporations. They provide jobs, and services that make our quality of life much improved. Walmart Amazon ebay, etc.

I never said to not work hard or that we don't need corporations? My core message is to be kinder to yourself and to others.

Salary employees generally make pretty decent money too. If not then you're a sucker for taking a shitty job that demands long hours for low pay

...again, not the point.

 

[xcvbn]

Interesting thread. There does seem to be a trend that likely goes back decades.

I dont work in the corporate world but I think what you're experiencing is the capitalistic mentality that is the sole driver of corporations in America. It's profit over everything, including privacy, family, health, etc. Everything comes second to providing the absolute most value you can to your company.

I don't blame people but I think a bit of self-awareness would do them some good. Take a step back to reality and understand time is precious- it's the one thing in life you can't get back.

 

[VivaRevolution]

Hey guys

This year is my first in the corporate world and, to be honest, I am a bit shell shock. Not just by the work but more so by the people.

I just can't grasp why people choose to act the way they do and how they manage to find any enjoyment out of it.

For example, let's start with long hours. From an employer's POV, I can understand why they want employees to work as long as possible (to maximise profits). But, if you aren't an equity partner, then why does it matter what time someone in a different team leaves or if someone wants to leave a little "early" after they've finished all their work? Why are people - especially junior staff like myself - so proud of how many hours they've worked? Why is it that people "compete" in such stupidity when all this does is grind on their own mental and physical health?

This feeds into a central theme of the lack of kindness in the corporate world (kindness both to yourself and to others). As children, we are taught lessons like "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't stay it", "just focus on yourself, not others", "be brave and speak up when something is wrong" and " try to put yourself into other people's shoes". These aren't awe-inspiring concepts at all (and are fundamental to creating a safe and comfortable workspace for everyone) yet people don't abide by them.

As adults, we go around constantly monitoring each other, talking smack about each other (always laughing about the "what" instead of asking "why") and - when people see others get bullied - they turn away. Its just...wrong. And the most frustrating part about all of this is that others don't seem to know or care. "Its always been this way" and "that's the rules" aren't valid explanations.There is a better way to do things if only people will put themselves and those around them first rather than profit margins - because, at the end of the day, wealth isn't just monetary.

I can already see the responses calling me doe-eyed, naive etc. but its just terrible for me coming out of a smaller university (where things tend to be quieter and more honest) to my current workplace where a large majority of people seem to be fake and/or mean-spirited. The worse part is that I work with some of the supposedly smartest people in my country...yet is killing yourself and others around you really the intelligent thing to do? I've meet some incredibly narrow-minded people in my life...some of which include the Oxford/Cambridge/NYU/Yale graduates I work with day to day.

I just don't understand their mentality and, as unmanly as it sounds, it hurts me to see people treating themselves and others like that.

I am an investment banker btw.

P.S. My question is in the thread title.

Yeah, I don't get it either. They are cucks.

That is the only possible explanation. They like being dominated.

 

[oleDirtyBast4rd]

...again, not the point.

You dont seem to have one dude. Staying at work longer is valuable for an employer. Obviously they are going to reward that behavior and consequently "punish" or weed out people who dont keep up with the pack.

To add, to that. You dont need to be so materialistic to make work THAT big of a priority in your life. Take the lesser job with better hours and learn to be happy with less?

 

[Hatake88]

You dont seem to have one dude. Staying at work longer is valuable for an employer. Obviously they are going to reward that behavior and consequently "punish" or weed out people who dont keep up with the pack.

I am not talking about the employer. Can you please read my post?

 

[VivaRevolution]

My favorite, are the one's who say I was raised with a good work ethic, so that explains their cuckery.

Did your parents also raise a shitty capitalist?

I may not be the biggest fan of vulture capitalism, but I certainly understand how it works. Capitalism is about leverage, and workers who bend over and present themselves for pegging, willingly give up their leverage for no compensation.

They are shitty capitalists. As in they aren't good at it. That is the problem with most kiss ass workers.