I hate working

[KarenMorgan49672]

I hate working and would rather be at home or with friends and family

thats it thats the thread.

My point exactly. It's no one else's responsibility.

I really hate working. I recognise that it's a necessary evil and that I can change certain things that are within my control.

I too love pottering about at home and find going back after leave a really hard transition.

But I wonder if I would love pottering about at home so much if that's all there was? Is it the relief and the contrast that makes the home part so appealing? If I could never afford to get on a train and go somewhere? Never afford a coffee out?

If I had little or no income, being at home would be a lot less fun. My pension is going to be minimal so this is the best off I'll ever be, and I'm just getting by.

Universal basic income is an interesting idea - those who wanted more money could work. Maybe after X years of work you could earn a 6 month paid sabbatical. I'm sure there's another way but I'm not an economist so no idea how it would work!

I used to work 4 days and that was pretty good - I went full time during lockdown because the money was appealing and I was working from home.
But I was expecting to receive a fifth more a month (or something) and it wasn't as much extra as I thought.
Does anyone know if 4 days is a sweet spot for some reason? Is working the fifth day a mug's game? 😂

@Thepeopleversuswork hear, hear!

I think the viciousness is a defensive, self preservation thing: “I hate my job so rather than change my situation I’ll tell myself those who enjoy their jobs are wrong”.

Job-hating is perhaps widespread because many jobs are dull, unfulfilling and badly paid. And it can be really hard to imagine a better life or change your situation. Especially if you haven’t had family support while growing that’s encouraged you to identify your strengths, get qualified, etc

But the idea that “working” is rubbish and “hobbies” are great is a red herring. Both are forms of activity, with more and less enjoyable aspects. There are many aspects of working that people might enjoy, even if the job isn’t precisely their
hobby. Someone could really enjoy attention to detail, or being outside, and go for jobs that facilities those things.

It seems like a lot of people on this thread hate being locked into specific hours with no flexibility - the feeling of being told what to do and controlled all the time, but by arbitrary forces. Work today often isn’t the meaningfully scheduled activity of (eg) having to go and sow crops so we don’t starve, but the day-in-day-out repetitive schedule of the factory that doesn’t take into account shifts in feeling or seasons or desire.

The task is to find what enjoyment we can in all this (while trying to improve working conditions across the board).

Still, it’s sad (to use that word again 😉) that some people haven’t put serious effort into finding work they can cope with, given we’ve mostly got to do it for 40 years!

Very much how I felt most of the time in paid employment. I've had a couple of jobs I hated.

I'm now semi retired. I'm self employed and I choose my own hours, partly because I like what I do and partly because it pays for my holidays.

Yes! This is me. I love my job. I loved it even more when I could work three days a week and had enough disposable income to enjoy time with my family and community.
Everything’s been squeezed a lot tighter since my kids were small.

YANBU. I work a full 9-5, days meld into each other. The only reason I haven't quit is because I can't afford to. I was hoping I'd have had kids by now, but infertility had other ideas. I find life comes at me too fast these days, it's relentless, I want it to at least slow down, but it seems to just speed up.

I've had 3 jobs over the last 24 years. The first one I adored but it paid a pittance. The middle one left me depressed and I felt like you OP, I would have given anything to run off and never come back. My current role I have now, I have been in for 8 years and I actually love coming. I adore my job, I adore the people I'm surrounded by all day every weekday and I hope I'm here until retirement in 28 years time!

@Pelham678 I totally agree. Having worked for ourselves for 22 years I think I would struggle in a job where I was dictated too

I love my job, currently work with district nurses as a HCA and have also nearly finished my nurse training, work part time as it suits my family and will continue to do so one qualified (I do have a DH who makes most money though), I will do more hours once kids are up to boost my pension pot but really I work out of choice not necessity because i don’t want to rely on DH money solely as anything could happen and I like buying nice things, nice holidays; meals and days out

Don't we all. But if nobody worked, you wouldn't have all the things you have now - like the internet, to come to moan on mumsnet.

Me too.

I absolutely loved lockdown. That's what life should be.

Of course without the bad bits. Very fortunate that didn't affect my family.

I don't work full time. There's never enough time off work!!

No one should be working 5 days a week. The world would be infinitely better if we could all work 3 days a week and spend the rest of the time keeping house, socialising, doing hobbies, travelling etc. I know it can’t happen but it’s so wrong we all give so much to our jobs, then as we’re winding right down- that’s when we get the free time. It’s so so wrong.

Honestly, this is spot on. If I didn’t have to work my day would be full of all the other things I love doing! Exercise, gardening, baking, experimenting with new foods, meeting friends for coffee, travel to other cities towns to explore and visiting exhibitions… I could go on and on

You can volunteer as a prison visitor though…doesn’t have to be work. It can be more on your own terms.
I’m not saying work can’t be great, fulfilling etc - I wouldn’t have stuck to mine for 35 years if it wasn’t. All I started saying was that I don’t understand people who think not having to work would be boring.

Valid. I love my job, it's great. I just object to work as a concept. The only exception is if the alternative is looking after small kids, work is better than that.

No work & school age children is the dream.

@Pelham678

All the people who say they love their job and describe their job a bit seem to be doing jobs where they have some control over their workload and where at least part of the job showcases something they really enjoy (and are good at) - e.g. puzzle-solving, writing, helping others etc.

I completely agree: if you have no control or autonomy and you are doing something you hate of course you are going to hate your job.

But that’s an issue with your specific job or your industry or level. Not with work per se. I entirely understand someone complaining they hate a job like this but it’s quite a big jump to from “I hate my job” to “People who love their jobs are boring/control freaks/corporate automatons”. Which is the way the rhetoric often goes on here.

I think you can’t on the one hand say you hate work and everything about work if you have never made any serious attempt to find work you like or qualify yourself for it. The OP by her own admission has no qualifications so I am not sure what she expects?

Obviously it’s not an automatic equation that everyone should want work that requires highly qualified people. And plenty of people hate this work and fair enough. But I dont think you can write off all work as a boring waste of time if you haven’t tried to find something you like.

I love my job, I just love my own time more!

The problem is, evolution-speaking, we have barely changed since the days of hunter gatherers

Physiologically - we are not evolved for 9 hours at a desk, stressed to the bollocks, heart racing, too busy to go to the toilet for a piss. We are no where near set up for this and the stress is killing us. We are muscular creatures geared up to be far more mobile

Back in the days of hunter-gatherer, they may spend a few hours killing a wild animal or fishing etc - BUT it wouldn't be 9 hours a day each day, if they killed an Ox, it would last days.

I am sick of this rat race shit too. im 48 and now have failing health. This is all there is. With my several genetic conditions i wont make it to retirement

I like my job, but i like doing wtf i like more - my hobbies - my job is not my hobby however much i like it - two very different things! Free time to do whatever i like, not scheduled in time to think about whatever my boss pays me to - which is basically the concept of a job

Life is too short to be putting money on such a pedestal, we as humans are one sick fucking race of people to be treating money like it is a god

Yes money buys you nice holidays but would you be yearning for nice holidays and nice things so much if you werent hating the other 50 weeks of your life

People seem to be triggered the fuck out of, by free thinkers, by others who dont bow down to the norm. Just leave it, people are allowed to think their own thoughts, without someone taking it personaly lke they are being asked to pay someones bills hahahhaa

It doesn't need to make sense to you.

It is called 'an opinion'.

@EveningSpread

But the idea that “working” is rubbish and “hobbies” are great is a red herring. Both are forms of activity, with more and less enjoyable aspects. There are many aspects of working that people might enjoy, even if the job isn’t precisely their
hobby. Someone could really enjoy attention to detail, or being outside, and go for jobs that facilities those things.

Exactly. Horses for courses. Some people’s personalities lend themselves to work, some don’t. It isn’t a reflection on your character or your creativity.

But you get this common trope on here that enjoying work makes you a boring person which I find bizarre.

I also think it’s quite gendered. No one would tell a man he was “boring” for enjoying his job. It would be celebrated or at best ignored.

The unspoken implication is that as a woman you are not really supposed to enjoy work because it takes you away from your “proper” place with your family.