In the USA, even good people just looking to retire are invested in some of the most unethical companies in the world. And in order to earn a good retirement, half of your waking moments (assuming you somehow get that 8 hours of recommended sleep at night) go toward producing for someone else. If you’re lucky, you actually believe in your work. Or it makes you better in some way. But chances are you don’t think much of your work and it mainly serves to meet your basic needs and take time away from what you really care about.
Between my education and marketing experiences, I’ve been lucky. As my media and art endeavors develop, I’ve been a part of organizations that pushed me to ask good questions, learn skills I actually make use of, and take good care of people. Better yet, I can pay for stuff and look beyond the next paycheck in my financial life. My experience, however, does not change the overall story of work in the USA.
The Real Story Behind “Done Clocking In”
“Done Clocking In” was inspired by a particularly sour work experience — my last one in education — where my colleagues and I had our time heavily surveilled in response to our employer losing $20 million due to an accounting error.
“Time theft,” the Payroll department said, “is a serious issue.” It was the low-earning hourly employees, of course, skimming 15 minutes here and there that were holding back the district from financial health. The employees whose union contracts were regularly breached, the employees expected to deal with the depressing realities of the organization on the frontline everyday without real support, then file for temporary unemployment in the summer and scramble for part-time work until the fall.
Nah, I’m not volunteering at events after work hours for morale.
Nah, I’m gonna pick my kids up when they need to be picked up. No, I’m not putting in PTO for it.
Nah, I’m not going to do that thing you want me to do that everyone knows goes against my contract (x3).
I think I’m done clocking in here.
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