Pointless office jobs

Meetings about whether to have other meetings in the coming weeks to decide on even more meetings .
Having meetings before Christmas/ summer holidays to decide which things need meetings in the New Year / September without making any actual decisions about anything ( but it filled an afternoon so that's great)
My youngest son and a colleague live in the same city 2 hours by train from the head office.They work completely from home. It was decided that they both needed to travel to head office by train ( expenses claimed and overnight stay paid for ) to have a face to face meeting at 9 am. The train was cancelled so they were allowed to meet in the cafe at the local university library and have the face to face there. They were both home by 10.30. If the train hadn't been cancelled they'd have gone to head office. Nonsense

It is so refreshing to see someone being honest about this. I don't earn as much as you but in a very similar position.. however instead of being "trapped" by the decent salary, I am "trapped" because it gives me the flexibility I need for my young children. I WFH and the days just drag and it feels like a complete and utter waste of existence. It seems a lot of people in my place are happy to kid themselves into believing the job has purpose, which makes me feel like the anomoly. When I tell people about my job, they can't seem to understand what I'm 'moaning' about as it sounds great on paper (benefits, flexibility, no stress) but the lack of fulfillment has such an impact on my MH. But an alternative role would likely mean I'm not around as much for my children. So guess I'm stuck!

Actually most lower paid jobs are necessary. You wouldn't get hospital appointments, get your insurance claims processed or your passport renewed without office jobs.
What you mean is most managers are not needed.

@Probablygreen But I’m stuck. I’d love to do something more meaningful, but I need the money. My husband is a carer for our son, and there are no jobs that I can think of that would scratch the itch for the same salary… so do I just suck it up for 30 years? It all seems so ridiculous, how did we as a civilisation end up here?

I agree that it's absolutely insane that pointless office jobs that serve little purpose can pay £80k, whereas STEM jobs that involve performing hands-on work and real problem solving are nearly impossible to get into because the jobs are so competitive, and yet the starting salaries are only £30k. But sadly, that's just how the world is and we have to live with that.

If you are looking for something meaningful OP, my suggestion would be to look for stuff outside of work. There are lots of unwell and disabled people in care homes. Elderly people in care homes too. I imagine it would be fulfilling to volunteer and do a bit of work to help look after those people.

@Probablygreen I feel you. Exactly the same situation, senior leadership, and I've used the Emperor's New Clothes simile a ton of times.

Yes, we're fortunate, but it doesn't make it more meaningful or less full of existential despair.
No solutions, but much solidarity.

I've just managed to get a railway job and a change of career. A train driver would put you on 80K+ and loads of benefits. Civil service roles also pay well.

Lots of well paying jobs out there, you just need the right approach.

Many philosophers including Karl Marx have argued that humans experience a deep internal need to act upon the world by their work. Under capitalist systems humans become divorced from their true nature by being forced to perform like an animal

People in "pointless" jobs frequently cope by bifurcating their lives, doing the bare minimum at work, and anchoring their identity in outside passions like family, hobbies, and volunteering.When a job lacks inherent purpose, people typically adopt a mix of psychological defences and practical strategies to get by without burning out.* *They view the job strictly as a financial transaction. They trade hours for money, and the company gets their presence, but not their soul. Real meaning is outsourced. The job becomes the funding mechanism for their true passions

In a meaningless job, the actual output matters less than the appearance of being busy. Employees quickly learn how to navigate this: They master corporate jargon, enthusiastically nod in meetings, and fill out mandatory self-assessments with exactly what HR wants to hear. Because the workload is often light or artificial, people spend significant time on personal tasks while at their desks. Reading, writing, learning a language, or planning trips. This effectively steals back time for personal development. Looking busy becomes the primary skill. Keeping multiple tabs open, sending scheduled emails late at night, or walking briskly with a clipboard are common survival tactics.

I work in a field which is not transactional as you describe work. It is a vocation that I, and the Team I work with, genuinely find meaning, purpose and dare I say a bit of joy! It is somewhere I spend a lot of time, and I don't see my life at work as less 'lived' than that outside. I work in a role that is very much who I am.

Can you tell me what the job is? I need a job lol

What's the job?

I work in an office. Does my job fill me with joy, no. But it pays well and means I can travel and hopefully save to make my future better - no well paid OH here to fall back on. I’d love to do something more meaningful but money talks and I’m fortunate in a lot of ways.

Why don't you at least work for someone who builds or makes something? Or learn to do that? That isn't pointless work, neither is doing the paperwork or admin or compliance that supports that.

@Probablygreen do you think you have imposter syndrome?
Have a word with yourself you must be doing something well to be on 80k.
That's gotta make your life easier.

Why? Do you often struggle to have empathy?

Hard disagree

I think you'd notice pretty quickly if your bins stopped bring emptied, police and prison officers downed tools, schools and hospitals closed.

In order for our essential services to run we need people in the background recruiting, paying their wages, managing the infrastructure, holding them to account.

Love this thread. I also feel checked out even though my office job is not pointless and can be very busy. I am the age when I would be retired if that hadn’t been pushed up 7-8 years and mentally I’ve let go. I even told my boss I don’t care any more!
I do feel defensive of the Civil Service. There are some pointless jobs filled by useless people but we all know who they are and shuffle them about as we can’t get rid of them. Mostly it’s pretty efficient and full on though in my part. And an 80k CS job is a pretty senior one.
That five jobs guy. He was WFH/sick and apparently mostly being managed out through the grindingly slow HR processes. It’s an interesting case and I’d love to know how he got found out. No doubt he was good at passing interviews then the screening process failed in some way. Would definitely not happen in my CS office. Maybe highlighted some weaknesses in the management of the fully remote roles.

I do like to remind myself of the struggle people are facing to find a job and how thrilled they would be to have mine. Just wish I could afford to donate it to a younger person who also really needs it.
two more years…

Op most jobs are pointless, hence they’re being wiped out in a few strokes of a key! But people need jobs and pointless meetings give meaning and sometimes yield ideas. I wouldn’t be giving up that money for anything (am a mw retail worker )

I am in a similar situation. I am paid silly money to know stuff but I don’t do an awful lot. The fact is though that lots of us (apart from the best and the luckiest) will be made redundant anyway in the coming few years so enjoy it will you can is my motto. And save!

I know exactly what you mean op. I wouldn’t say what I do is meaningless, but it isn’t something I particularly enjoy. 10’ish years to go and I cannot wait. If it wasn’t for the money and the fact others are relying on me to bring in the bacon, I would quit without hesitation.

I have recently moved from a very full on office job which was very meaningful and important (definitely life or death stuff) to something that is related and important but very much slower and I'm able to WFH which I've not really done before. I'm definitely struggling with the change of pace and not feeling as needed but I'm no longer having chest pains related to stress so thats good.

Nah

You have a salary of 80k and a family of 3? You don't need to do this job for another 40 years and you might well get replaced with ai. I'd make a plan for the next 10 years. So if you have e
a mortgage i would want to overpay to get it paid off. I'd make sure I was putting the max amount in a pension for the next 10 years especially if your employer matches your contribution. I'd be looking at junior isas if you don't have one set up for your child. I'd consider any longterm care needs for your child and whether adaptations to your existing home could help or what the longterm plan is.

You may well have done all of the above and if you have then I would consider reducing your hours and finding something that you enjoy more. Or adding some form of a hobby or volunteering in your life.

Suggest a total re-think of the management structure so everyone is doing something of value and the excess staff are made redundant. Of course if you think the whole company is pointless then that wouldn't help, but if that is the case find a company that you think is doing something important and get a job there. Or start your own company doing something that you think is valuable and throw yourself into that. Do something about it if you can't live like that.

If you just let yourself live in that frame of mind everything is pointless, we live we die and it didn't matter, but it did even in small ways like you saved the company money, which allowed expansion which produced jobs or reduced the cost of something. I guess we all have dark days, but you are so much better off than so many other people even if you don't realise it, a good job paying an excellent wage that is not too taxing, leaving you free to enjoy your free time.