Someone emailed me yesterday that they think I’m too cynical, and I wanted to address this, partly because we’re getting toward the holidays which, inevitably, makes me rather sentimental. I also apologize for what will be a navel-gazing end of week article.
Ouch, man. But seriously, these essays are the opposite of cynical--they inspire hope, in me at least. Time and again they've helped clarify my thinking, and they're very often a ray of sunshine. Reading them is like opening an envelope in which there is a nice card that says 'Mike, you're not crazy.'
The bully is capitalism. These guys are its toadies.
fwiw, on the WFH theme: at least for us highly paid professional work-by-email types, it seems a lot saner back here in the UK? There's some push to get back to the office, but everyone correctly identifies it as the Tories standing up for their commercial landlord mates, and laughs it out of the room. Actual profitable businesses competently do their sums and work out that 2020 was a bumper year in the work-by-email business, and 2021 was more of the same, and actually we don't miss Pret and Starbucks *that* badly. Perhaps I'm in a bubble of sensible people.
Please don’t stop and don’t muzzle yourself. I felt that I was lost in word of
Anti remote nitwits until I found your newsletter. It has given me hope and your anger is the anger many of us feel but we don’t have a platform or a voice. This newsletter has helped me to formulate my own position on remote work and I’m deeply deeply grateful for it.
I love your newsletter and Atlantic pieces. No other writer I can think of not only captures my feelings but also calls the truth of our messed up culture of work.
"my first job in America at a small PR firm showed me that adults were quite capable of the same kind of childish harassment, with the added benefit of being able to revoke your paycheck and, by proxy, your ability to live"
I've been self-employed 2/3 of my career, but proving that point were 1989, 2003, and 2016. As to "live", health insurance is tied to a paycheck, so it's another item the sociopath or kiss up-kick down boss has on you. I'm glad you're calling this bad manager issue out, by turning around your past bad experiences to help others.
A lot of the legacy media people seem to be stuck in the old world where there wasn't a shortage of skilled labor, simply because they don't experience it since media organizations are an exception.
"Not like this newsletter costs you anything."
Ouch, man. But seriously, these essays are the opposite of cynical--they inspire hope, in me at least. Time and again they've helped clarify my thinking, and they're very often a ray of sunshine. Reading them is like opening an envelope in which there is a nice card that says 'Mike, you're not crazy.'
The bully is capitalism. These guys are its toadies.
fwiw, on the WFH theme: at least for us highly paid professional work-by-email types, it seems a lot saner back here in the UK? There's some push to get back to the office, but everyone correctly identifies it as the Tories standing up for their commercial landlord mates, and laughs it out of the room. Actual profitable businesses competently do their sums and work out that 2020 was a bumper year in the work-by-email business, and 2021 was more of the same, and actually we don't miss Pret and Starbucks *that* badly. Perhaps I'm in a bubble of sensible people.
Please don’t stop and don’t muzzle yourself. I felt that I was lost in word of
Anti remote nitwits until I found your newsletter. It has given me hope and your anger is the anger many of us feel but we don’t have a platform or a voice. This newsletter has helped me to formulate my own position on remote work and I’m deeply deeply grateful for it.
And the war on remote work continues...Northern Front (Canada) edition:
https://financialpost.com/fp-work/howard-levitt-the-unintended-consequences-of-working-from-home-will-be-multifold-and-worrisome-for-canadians
Please continue to share your thoughts. I appreciate your take.
I love your newsletter and Atlantic pieces. No other writer I can think of not only captures my feelings but also calls the truth of our messed up culture of work.
"my first job in America at a small PR firm showed me that adults were quite capable of the same kind of childish harassment, with the added benefit of being able to revoke your paycheck and, by proxy, your ability to live"
I've been self-employed 2/3 of my career, but proving that point were 1989, 2003, and 2016. As to "live", health insurance is tied to a paycheck, so it's another item the sociopath or kiss up-kick down boss has on you. I'm glad you're calling this bad manager issue out, by turning around your past bad experiences to help others.
A lot of the legacy media people seem to be stuck in the old world where there wasn't a shortage of skilled labor, simply because they don't experience it since media organizations are an exception.