Honestly, do you or have you ever put two fingers up and taken the piss at work where you can? I’m talking….

It was a tiresome argumentative thread not worth looking for 🥱

Well this is going back 20 years but I used to book myself a taxi to the station on the company account every Friday when I was in a lowly position in my company. I was being paid peanuts - less than the male hire who joined on the same day as me - same age, same experience etc. I had responsibility for booking cars for visitors and helped myself to one too as a perk of the job. No regrets. They’re lucky I didn’t take them to a tribunal.

No. I've had 3 days sick leave in the last 20 years. I probably should have taken a few more but I was brought up with a work ethic and don't take time off unless I'm genuinely ill. I work with people who take a week off every time they have a sniffly cold and I could probably do the same but I don't think it is the right thing to do.

OP if you take sickies, have long lunch breaks, and naps, does it not create extra work for your colleagues?

And this is why many people are having to go back to offices.

Some people's situations make it more difficult - caring responsibilities, for example, or their own health issues. Lack of transport, the location they live in could all reduce options.

Yes, because I don't even get a sodding bonus. The store manager does, even though he spends most of his time in the office, or on his phone, and the CEO is a dick.

Ever since we’ve moved to WFH, my alarm goes off at 9am, I log on to my laptop, check there is no urgent business…
And then go back upstairs to bed for another 2 hours.

Still got a commendation for my work this year.

No, because I'm lucky to work with good people. I like and respect my colleagues and also my manager. In general, I think managers and work places should do all they can to treat the staff well. When they do, the staff (generally) repay them by working hard. I have had arsehole bosses in the past, and have done all I can to spite them in return – doing the bare minimum and constantly going sick.

I did all those things when I realised I was working for an employer that was taking the piss. But only because I had an eye on the door. It's not a nice mindset to be in, for yourself, long term. Time to look around OP. Your employer is unaffected by employee resentment; the person feeling resentment, on the other hand, is eventually greatly affected by it.

I don’t take the piss, but I do put my health and wellbeing first. In the last couple of years I have taken more sick days than I ever have, but because I’m no longer ‘powering through’ when I don’t feel well. I would always wait until really unwell, needing to retreat to bed for days, before taking sick days. I’m not off all the time, haven’t had to have any conversations about my sick leave, but I no longer force myself to keep working if I don’t feel well. I also take more notice of the work I slip into which is above my pay grade and pass it up to my supervisor. I used to just do it because I was capable, but now I won’t do something that I’m not paid for. Similarly, I never work over my paid hours. I’m very strict now about just doing what I’m paid to do, nothing more and nothing less. I’m much happier as feel mentally and physically well while also not worrying that I’ll get into trouble for taking the piss. It’s always been drummed into us at work that we should be doing our absolute best, even when what we’re being asked is not always within our individual roles. Management expect more out of you than you are obliged to give and make you feel like you should want to hit that very high bar and are somehow failing if you don’t go above and beyond.

It is okay to take the odd day off work on sick leave for a mental health boost.
Fine to take extra long sleepy lunch every now and again but you need to keep your eye on the ball and do the work that you are paid to do.

You do not know everything about the internal debts, margins of a business or corporation. They need to remain profitable and viable or they could move whole departments off shore.
Business is very competitive.

You need to know your award rate and tabulate your hours properly to make sure you are being paid the correct amount - that you are paid overtime if you have worked that, your correct superannuation etc.
You should report any discrepancy asap.

I have no respect for people who aim to take the piss at every opportunity. I would feel ashamed of myself; I like to do a quality skillful job.
Many, many people earn the average wage and work a 38 hour week. I am so thankful that I am not digging ditches, weeding rice by hand or rumaging through rubbish piles to find metal like some citizens in poorer countries.

I’ve never done this because I have a strong work ethic and am overly conscientious. This was before working from home was a thing.

It’s called quiet quitting, and I bloody love it!

@Hunejuly I'm not sure what you mean by "not everyone can leave". What's stopping you looking for a new job if you don't like your current one? I didn't want to leave my job, I loved it and thought the rest of my career would be there. But I didn't like the direction of travel when I returned from mat leave, so I looked around for either options and hey ho, I got offered a job equivalent to my former boss's job at a new place.

Another approach to your scenario would be the "dress for the job you want, not the job you have" mindset. If you find your job boring and annoying and you resent people further up the hierarchy for their better pay etc, acting in your current role as if you were performing their role - being pro-active, going above and beyond, etc. - is likely to get you noticed (and promoted) for the right reasons, as opposed to noticed for the wrong reasons (doing the bare minimum and pretending you're ill when you're not).

Just an idea.

Feel completely the same OP worked unpaid overtime during covid expected to pick up the work from furloughed staff

Most employers are cunts nowadays trying to cram as much out of you until you have so much work you drop or fail and you have to do that for a wage that in real terms is decreasing each year with inflation

The wealth inequality is another thing too you see people on here saying they earn 80k and are struggling but Im expected to work very hard for 29k and im told its a good wage by people i work with......

Absolutely done this OP

I'll happily take a day or two off sick once or twice a year "sick" when there's nothing physically wrong with me.

But it's because I could really do with some time off for my mental health, so I don't consider that lying (aside from the fact I'm telling them I've got the flu or the shits rather than "I just can't with your shit right now")

I still get all my work done, there's noone else in my small business who can do it, so it's not like I'm hurting anyone, it just means I'm a little bit busier the other 200ish working days of the year.

Most of my friends in corporate jobs take liberties while wfh. One has been banking overtime and is now off until the new year despite having used all her normal holiday entitlement. But I'm pretty sure she could've done most of the 'extra' work without working late if she didn't faff around in the day.

I don't miss office work but I do miss some of the benefits. With construction/site work you can't put the washing on and watch a cheeky episode of something etc. You're on a muddy site for 10+ hours a day.

I went back to work after mat leave to find that all the good bits of my job had been taken away by my (male) boss, for whom I'd worked for a decade and who regularly told me I was the best person he'd ever had working for him. So I looked around for another job and now I'm the boss.

Maybe try that instead?

I forgot my pamper drawer.

A stash of cuticle cream, hand cream and lip moisturiser. When I’m working alone I’ll give myself a lovely hand treatment.

I also use walking around to stretch my muscles and do my facial Pilates

Without blind optimism, all I have is a stressful job with heavy responsibilities for shit money...and the owner knows it!

Was as loyal as a dog, worked hard, good pay rises, company were loyal to staff too, no one inc directors took the piss.

Then in 2012, company sold, we were all TUPEd happened 3 more times, no or limited pay rises, directors took all they could, lay offs, i had 25 years continuous service, the last 3 years were spent doing the absolute minimum & yes i did get all new tyres fitted to my company car i intended to buy when i got made redundant but even then the company renegaded on the pay outs, it was a nightmare.

Many companies over the last 10 or 15 years have become appalling employers and staff react to how they are treated, hence UK has stressed workers and poor productivity, which is falling even further.

My DD is NHS, her area are introducing new ways to measure productivity, its causing a lot of friction, she'll leave, finds it very stressful and because of the extra admin, sees less patients, dickheads run our country.