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[poppabk]

No one stops people from making changes, raising hell, and trying to do better.

Half of these do nothing jobs exist purely to stop people from making changes, raising hell, or trying to do better.

 

[wipeout364]

But there's nothing to do many of them are fluff jobs getting paid for doing next to nothing. You're talking about something else entirely. Are you coo?

By accepting and participating in the fluff job and not trying to change it does that make the employee any less to blame than the employer.

The article constantly blames the corporation without the recognition that those disgruntled employees are just as much to blame for that culture. They are that culture. Not sure why you don't see that.

I am not saying that working a dead end job to feed your family is wrong but pointing a finger at the corporation as the problem when you are the culture of the corporation is a little odd.

 

[Days like these...]

By accepting and participating in the fluff job and not trying to change it does that make the employee any less to blame than the employer.

The article constantly blames the corporation without the recognition that those disgruntled employees are just as much to blame for that culture. They are that culture. Not sure why you don't see that.

I am not saying that working a dead end job to feed your family is wrong but pointing a finger at the corporation as the problem when you are the culture of the corporation is a little odd.

I don't think comprehension is your thing. Im not blaming the employees sometimes I wish I had a fluff do nothing job. I'm just in awe at these "jobs" and how the whole machine works.

 

[wipeout364]

I don't think comprehension is your thing. Im not blaming the employees sometimes I wish I had a fluff do nothing job. I'm just in awe at these "jobs" and how the whole machine works.

I actually wasn't talking about your point of view. Never even considered it. I was talking about the interviewed employees in the article and their view of their jobs and companies they worked for.
Edit: None of my comments were directed to you.

 

[DrFigs]

I'm just tired of the meetings everyday. I'm tired of explaining what I'm working on to people who don't really need to know. It's such a waste of time.

 

[The Wheel of Fortune]

Props to you lot who do this kind of work, I would never be able to do it full time without going insane.

I've worked lots of odd jobs at quite a few different places and countries (phone CS, ENG-SPA interpreting, kitchen in a pizzeria, a stationery shop...) and it was a mixed bag overall, there's nothing like what I do now that I'm a doctor and I get to enjoy every single day working with my patients. Working in a hospital with very few interns and no residents is just amazing, there's almost no drama and no need for stupid, pointless meetings with Education or Supervisory boards.

 

[EverydayBeast]

I've wondered about corporate work, they handle certain types of work obviously.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

When it comes to fluff jobs, it comes down to if it's planned that way, or it's a guy purposely trying to be lazy and fly under the radar.

How or why any company would want to overhire as a waste of money who knows. But reading articles, some industries like tech who have tons of money supposedly do that on purpose. They cast a wide net hoarding employees because it makes them look bigger and better than other tech companies having more employees, and if you overhire the company also hires more good workers. Then they'll figure out how to weed out the crappy ones later.

I dont know how true that is, but every company I've worked at is pretty lean in traditional office depts like sales, finance, marketing. I've never worked at tech or consultant companies.

As for fluff jobs where people dont do much, that can also be an employee thing. Whether it's a bad boss not keeping track or a worker floating around disappearing in a giant office it can be that too. All regional head offices I've worked at have office staff probably no more than 200. Took a guess there as some involved lots of different divisions I'd never talk to people there. But in no way is it some 2,000 office staff tower. When there's only 200 people it's already way too many to see walking arounnd where you dont know everyone. So for any big companies with giant towers and any bosses are in charge of 50 people it's probably a pain in the ass to track whats going on.

 

[Escape Goat]

Im theoretically 25-30 years from retirement and I dont know if I can go the rest of the way to retirement in corporate America. Im so unbelievably tired and jaded that ive considered substantial reduction in standard of living just in the hope that I can go to a job that doesn't make me hate humanity for deciding this is how life should be.

But then maybe id be poorer and unhappy with less means to deal with unexpected life events. I dont know. I just know I need to get serious about what I want to be when I grow up.

 

[JimmyRustler]

While I agree this inefficiency is ever present. People do need to take responsibility for their actions as well. If you feel your job is meaningless that says a bit about your initiative and yourself as well as the corporation.

The article spends most of its time blaming the "corporation" but the reality is the corporation is in most part the people who are the employees. No one stops people from making changes, raising hell, and trying to do better.

Just playing a bit of devil's advocate as the article was very one sided.

Edit: just wanted to say thanks for posting it was an interesting read.

This is true too. Most if these mundane seeming jobs were created for a reason and I think that if you put your heart into it you can make a difference in all of them. Thing is, when it's not obviously important and you can fly under the radar when doing next to nothing, many choose to do just that. I've been somewhat guilty of this myself. I mean, it do a lot for my work and often in my free time too but I found it hard to deny when my coworker told me once that I could do so much more (he meant it in a good way). He is absolutely right.

 

[Donald mac Ronald]

It seems all big companies around the world are stuffed with meaningless jobs that don't add a thing of value to the company. They tend to go to meetings all the time and get paid well.

Whenever I hear someone's a project manager in any large company I roll my eyes.

The worse part is when these companies need to make redundancies it's always the guy on the front line that's producing/creating/selling for the company. Not these mid level nobodies who contribute zero.

 

[nush]

The worse part is when these companies need to make redundancies it's always the guy on the front line that's producing/creating/selling for the company. Not these mid level nobodies who contribute zero.

Yes, every time. I honestly think that it's becuse it would cost the companies more in severance than it would to cut lower level workers. You know the people doing the actual work but then that leaves the managers with nobody to actually manage.