Why We’re All Confused About Corporate Culture | Workplace Reddit Stories

Work comes with a lot of rules… but no one can actually explain them.

In this episode, we get into:
• Thinking about coworkers outside of work
• Choosing between higher pay vs real work benefits
• A micromanager who made work harder for everyone
• Getting rejected from a job for wearing a suit
• Retiring early and opting out of the bs 

We talk coworkers, job decisions, micromanagers, and corporate expectations… and why so much of work culture feels completely made up.

Hit follow for more cozy, chaotic Reddit dives every week.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hi Samantha.

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hi Simone.

SPEAKER_00 0:02

What do you do, baby boo?

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome back to another episode of Don't Jump Podcast. I'm Sam. And I'm Simone. And today's episode is a little bit of a Hajjma Pajmah. Right.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

I have no idea. I just like show up. You know why I'm here.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

There's no theme. It's just vibes. Um, I'm gonna dive right on in. Is that okay? Uh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, okay. So this first one comes to us from our work. Um, the reason I saved this one is because it was just like a question that I've personally never ever had. It was a thought that I've never had. It was it's a statement that I've never had. I don't relate to this at all. So I'm curious if you relate to it. And I found some of the comments really interesting, so I wanted to share them.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Is the statement I want to work harder?

SPEAKER_01 0:47

No, but that's a good guess. It's a really good guess. The statement is do you ever think about your coworkers on weekends even when you don't mean to? Dot dot dot. Even when you don't mean to, do they randomly cross your mind? Like you're just relaxing, and then suddenly you think about work in general, and of course your coworkers pop into your head too. I don't hate or love my job. Maybe it's just because work is my only social place. Just curious if it's the same for others.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Are you asking me this question?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Yeah, I'm asking you.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

It has happened to me when I blurred the lines between you're my coworker, but I also really like you, and so like you're my friend. So I'll see a meme or like something out in real life will remind me of oh, you know, I love this I but I have the wherewithal to wait until Monday to send it because I'm not annoying. Like, yeah, I understand that the nature of our relationship is work for the most part, because you know, it's a larger conversation about can your work friends be your friends for real. I would lean no, and I never want to push that into yes, truly. If it if it's a yes, it's because it like accidentally happened. I I'm not the one initiating the meme sharing.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

I just feel like it takes a lot for a colleague to go from colleague to friend.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

A like, like, a lot.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Some serious bonding has to happen.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Serious, serious. I don't trust those people.

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Apparently, a lot of other people do. User Hot Rod Homebody commented and said, I have worked with many great people in many jobs over the years. Between having my own family and being relocated from my hometown, my co-workers end up being mostly my only friends I socialize with directly. I know some people say that your co-workers are not your friends, and in some environments, it's certainly not a good idea to socialize, at least with some co-workers, but I keep in touch with former co-workers, and I always find that good co-workers make a job more enjoyable, and you can tend to consider some of them your peers, including when you're not at work. That was kind of a non-answer, though. They they were just like, Yeah, I've worked with good people. User maple sugar magic is more in line with what how I feel. They said I really think about them when I'm at work. Bingo.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Yep. Like a normal person.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Yeah, with a hobby in lives. Okay. Moving on to the next one. We have a little A or B situation for you to pick for. Ooh Fu! Yeah, yeah, get excited. Do some do some A, B, A, B, C, D, E of G, H-I-J G, L M L P. Ooh. It's our work, user Slight Web 6297 says, Which job would you take? I'm starting a new career and I have two options in the same field right now, and I'm not sure which way to go. I'm not going to go into details about the field I'm in or the location. Okay, are you fucking Are you in the fucking secret service, bro? Are you Obama?

SPEAKER_00 3:37

Like, why are you getting mad at him?

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Why I hate when people try to be all-oh, I don't want to reveal this on the being watch. Well, we're all being watched, anyways. I'm not going into details about the field I'm in or the location, but just say that both salaries I'm about to describe are at or above living wage for my area. I got all the information I'm giving from people working at these companies, and it's been confirmed by their hiring managers. Job one pays$20 an hour,$150 a day per diem, but no benefits. In a few years, probably four or five, I'll get moved up to a better position and make$35 an hour plus the per diem, but still no benefits. No raises are guaranteed until the promotion, but I might be able to get a few dollars here or there. There is a non-zero but still pretty low chance that after another five years or so, I can get promoted to a position that currently makes$45 an hour plus the per diem, but no benefits still. Job two starts at$17 an hour, and there's no per diem, but the employer pays for a full medical plan. I would just have to meet a$500 deductible every year, and they contribute$10 an hour to a managed retirement account. I would get a raise every year for five years until I max out at around$37 an hour. Both offers are tempting, but I'm wondering what others would do and why.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

What? What is he what's the question?

SPEAKER_01 4:54

The question is which job should he take?

SPEAKER_00 4:57

I missed the first one. I got the second.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

First one,$20 an hour,$150 a day per diem, no benefits. In five years, they get moved up to where they'll make$35 an hour plus the per diem, still no benefits. Five more years,$45 an hour per diem, still no benefits. Second job,$17 an hour, no per diem, but employer covers basically full medical coverage.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

I would do the medical coverage. You're talking about you said five years and then you get bumped up a tier, then another five years and then you get bumped up a tier. Yep. And then another five years and get you could die tomorrow. True. Without medical insurance, you might really die tomorrow. I think you should just take the the one with benefits. If he I believe you said they both were above like living wage for one twenty, one's seventeen, yeah. But like he's saying he'll be able to survive.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

It's interesting because like I've never heard of a job giving a daily per diem. So like I'm I don't know how much to factor that into which one sounds better.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Sure, because maybe you can get your own medical injury. But this is a per diem, like you have to spend that on like lunch. Yeah. Why do you need$150 a day for lunch? But then I'm saying, can I just like put that into my health? What is it called? I'm gonna click on them because I'm wondering if they're from America. Europe. Yeah, that's some like overseas shit. No, because if it was overseas, they would have health insurance.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Yes, you're so right. Yeah, I don't know. My initial thought honestly was to go with the other one just because the money seems so much better. Yeah,$3 more an hour isn't that much more, but just like the way it increases over time and the per diem sound great, but you're right.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

It's not over time, it's over 15 fucking years.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

You're it also over time. I don't know why OP is writing this like they're going to stay with either option for 10 years. Like they could, but who stays anywhere for 10 years? You can quit it. It's quit it's quote from 1997, it's from two hours ago.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

No, take the health insurance.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Are you kidding? Yeah, no, you're right. You're right. No. No, that's an easy answer. What's really sad is someone comments and basically says, I think healthcare will be the deciding factor here. And OP responds and said, Yeah, I'm gonna have kids soon, and I'm honestly thinking about that. Damn.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

This is a stupid question. You're gonna have kids and you're making$17 an hour. Why are you having kids? And also, you need health insurance. Your per diem is not gonna cover the labor and delivery charge. I just let's move on. Now you're pissing me off. No. Sorry, bro. Yeah, what the hell?

SPEAKER_01 7:43

This next story comes from your favorite subreddit, our malicious compliance.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

It's a good subreddit. It is. Why am I being bullied here?

SPEAKER_01 7:51

You're not being bullied. I'm applauding you.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

User no underscore bit 7786 says micromanagement isn't cheap. I'm an IT consultant. Customers pay my employer for me or my colleagues to work on their IT systems. It's not cheap, around$1,500 per day, but we're good at what we do. I should be in IT, bro.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

That's so much money.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

We bill by the day, which should technically be an eight-hour shift dedicated to a single customer, though in reality things are kind of fluid. I might need to email or have a quick meeting with another customer during the day and make the time up elsewhere, etc. All my customers understand this and they trust me to get their work done, slash not rip them off. In eight years, I've never had a complaint. I was midway through an 18-month project with a long-term client. We bowed them two days a week, which pretty much lined up with the work I was doing for them. The project was progressing nicely and everyone was happy. Then they hired a new project manager. From the get-go, he was a nightmare and clearly wanted to throw his authority around, slash so off for his new bosses. He wanted to micromanage all my work, putting in twice daily meetings, constant emails, the works. After a couple of weeks, he decided they weren't getting their money's worth and demanded a detailed breakdown of how exactly my time was being used. Fine by me, I started tracking every single minute. Meetings he scheduled, emails he sent, time spent responding, time spent logging all of this, the bill nearly doubled. His director, who I had a good relationship with, called me directly to ask why costs had suddenly spiked. I explained I was just following the new PM's request for detailed time tracking and regular updates. About three minutes later, we got an email saying we could go back to the previous arrangement and that the new guy had been reallocated to another project. A few weeks later, I noticed his account had been disabled.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

I love that for him.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:36

I love that for him because you when you play silly games, you win silly fucking prizes, ho. Hello. What is up with that? So kind of a tangent.

SPEAKER_02 9:47

Do it.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

But I wonder, would you prefer to work in like an actual busy environment where people are working, you're working, but you're not micromanaged, or a relatively chill environment, but your boss is like hell, hell, hell, death, death, death. Right. Because both are bad.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Yeah, I don't want to be busy and I don't want to be micromanaged. Next we don't want to work.

SPEAKER_00 10:14

We wanna frolic. I like money. Okay, you want to frolic. Okay. But it's like really difficult to manage micromanagers. It is. You play so the games, you win so they prizes. That was a good that was a good post though. That was fun. That was a very good post.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

This next one comes from our anti-work. You're anti-work, I'm anti-work, we're all anti-work. Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. User Hagar says, I wore a suit. F me, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Where did you wear the suit? Was it tan?

SPEAKER_01 10:46

What's the problem? I, 40 female, recently had a job interview for a director level position. I wore a black business jacket, black pants, and a hunter green blouse. Interview was with their C-suite hiring manager and HRVP. I was later told that they liked me, but they didn't like that I wore a suit. To clarify, this was at a very white-collar, very finance-oriented front company.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

What should she have worn? Is that like was it too much or too little? I literally don't know. What's the problem?

SPEAKER_01 11:14

To clarify, this was at a very white-collar, very finance-oriented company. Everyone else was also very formal. The F was I supposed to have worn. Edit, I didn't get the job.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

I'm confused. This is the thing about corporate. It's fake. It's confusing. And made up. It's like when you're getting broken up with and they say, It's me, it's not you. No, no, you just don't want to be with me. And it's like you can be honest, bro. No, it's a cop out. I don't understand.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

The comments are pretty confused too. The purse person user defenstration forever. I guarantee whatever they recorded internally for why you didn't get a job offer had nothing to do with what you wore.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Can I go on a brief fucking tangent? Hell yeah, bro. Why? Why do we have to work? Why do we have to work? Why is this a conversation? Why? I could show up in my birthday suit and you would be lucky to have me. You would. Why do you care? I actually forget I have piercings. I saw myself in Zoom today and I'm like, oh my god, I have my nose piercing. But then I'm thinking about how I'm being perceived because I have a facial piercing. Why do I care how I'm perceived? I hate that we have to care. I hate that wearing a three-piece suit is a bad thing, or it's a good thing, or it's not enough, or it's too much. And like, why are we thinking why can't I just frolic? That's my rant. I hate this so much. Why can't we just be people? We are just people, we should just be people. Fuck this shit, bro. We're human beings, not human beings.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

I'm buying us a ranch in the middle of Minnesota.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

I I don't know about Minnesota.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Brazil.

SPEAKER_00 13:05

Okay, better. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

User Moose Planer says woman wears suit. Way too uptight and formal. Makes us look bad. Rejected. Woman dresses business casual. How are we supposed to take you seriously at a director at a finance level position when you can't even dress the part? Rejected. This is the same thing. When they cite reasons like that, I suspect they had no intention of hiring you in the first place.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

I can't believe you can even cite that as a legitimate reason. That seems so that seems illegal. I know. You don't like the way that I dress. Can you say that?

SPEAKER_01 13:34

You can't.

SPEAKER_00 13:35

That's like on par with calling me a fat bitch. I just like think that we have to care about the way that we look and the way that we're perceived in a corporate space when it's just like I just want to make money for existing.

SPEAKER_01 13:47

The thing is, the corporate space was created to support the patriarchy and to support white people, and we are neither men nor white, so it's never gonna be Hey, I'm biracial.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Don't do that to me.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Biracial girl, she's biracial.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

Don't biracial your racial.

SPEAKER_01 14:05

She's lying. She's not biracial. You don't know me. Don't let her fool you.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

Yeah. So that's unfortunate. But rejection is redirection, I hear. So hopefully OP has found a better situation to be in. Mm-hmm. The goal should never be let me get to a fucking director level. That should if I'm at the direct if I'm like moving up like that, Sam smack me in the face and be like, hey bitch, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_01 14:33

We should be retired before that. Yeah, yeah. We should be retired before that.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Well, you should be like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, was that your goal here?

SPEAKER_01 14:38

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

I'm in pain.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Um, do you know what the fire subreddit is? Fired? Yeah. No, fire. Like F-I-R-E.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

No.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

It stands for, I forget what it stands for, so I'm scrolling up to look. Fire. Financial independence retiring early. It's a money strategy.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Um, there's this book that my therapist recommended I read years ago. It was called Your Money or Your Life. And um highly recommend it. I think I might have recommended it before on our podcast. But like one of the things it talks about is the fire method as a way of like taking back control of your life, your money, like being free of corporate America forever. Um basically it's just like retiring as early as possible. Like early, early. Like like like tomorrow.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

35 early?

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Like 26, 27, 28, like as early as you differ different for everyone, depending on their situation, but as early as you can.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

So in our fire, user D-H-Hyphen 3 says, got laid off. Finally. So it finally happened. I, 48, got let go yesterday. Finally, I can free up my time and focus on other priorities such as kids, nutrition, fitness, meditation, gardening, etc. I was fire eligible, so like they hit their retirement goal basically. I was fire eligible for a couple of years, but was holding off so the job was simple, work from home and good pay. Also, if I resigned, I would have missed out on severance, and the company is paying three months of Cobra. Nice. Here are the details I'm sure you all want to hear. Net worth, 5.5 million. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:09

The thing is about me. I wouldn't have made it to 5.5 million.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

I know I love to spend money. That's the problem.

SPEAKER_00 16:13

No, no, no. Not that I if I see anything above a two, bitch, I can live off that.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Not for the rest of your life. You got you, you don't want to have to go back. Unless you want to.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

Have you heard of this thing's called dividends? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 16:26

I feel like it takes into account. They do some quick math.

SPEAKER_00 16:29

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Net worth, 5.5 million, taxable accounts combined, 1.1 million, retirement accounts combined, 3.2 million, total, 4.3 million. House fully paid off. Fucking lucky. Fucking lucky.

SPEAKER_00 16:43

I love her. You're my inspiration in life. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Bought in 2022, worth around 1.2 million. Cars paid off. Wife 43 resigned from her job. Oh, that's a man? That's a man.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

I thought it would have been a marriage.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

We're all doing it. Wife 43 resigned from her job ended last year. Two kids in high school, ninth and tenth graders. Yearly expenses around 100K per year. Biggest expense are kids' college education at this point and house maintenance related expenses. I am trying to research on ACA and financial aid for kids. Appreciate any help or pointers you can provide on when to apply for ACA. Should I continue on Cobra or switch to marketplace this year? Regarding FAFA, with taxable accounts over one million, will my kids be eligible for FAFSA? No.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

But But taxable accounts, there's not a income that's coming in. It's like his uh whatever, not my problem. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

But who knows? The kids can get some scholarships. Put the kids in sports. Put the kids in lacrosse or there's one sport that everyone likes gets a scholarship for. I can't remember what it is, but put them in some sports. Put them in Kumon. I have about 130k for my most recent employer in the company sported 401k provider. Should I move the money to a traditional 401k? Also, please suggest any fire-focused, knowledgeable financial advisors who can help me navigate our fire situation. First comment says, Congratulations! I've been begging my boss to lay me off.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

I this is not like a one-to-one reaction to what OP is saying. It's more like 48? How did you get there? Because there's such a gap between his house is paid off. Yeah. He has 5.5 million. And how did that happen?

SPEAKER_01 18:26

I'm assuming OP is getting was getting paid a significant amount. Like you're 48. I would hope you're getting paid much more than you are 20.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

I know many 48-year-olds who are like because at a certain point in corporate, if you're not like escalating up the C-suite ranks, you're gonna hover around the maybe like 110 to 140 mark. Really? I don't know how you make 110 to 140 and you have 5.5 million. Yes, are you kidding? I know many 40-year-olds in that range. I do. I do.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

I assumed that everyone who's a C-suite makes millions, and everyone who is above B and below C-suite makes like at least 200 or something. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

But do you even think making 200 that you can have a 1.2 million dollar?

SPEAKER_01 19:18

Not the way I spend money.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Oh, so that's the problem. We spend money. Yeah. But he has fucking kids. Didn't he spend it on diapers? I don't know. Like, where is the money going?

SPEAKER_01 19:34

I can't do that. I'm not a part of this fire squad. Reading the book is helpful for just like mindset.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Don't, don't, don't, okay? I need I need my$7 coffee, okay?

SPEAKER_01 19:43

I need my$7 coffee. I'm not telling you to get rid of the coffee. You can have the coffee. For me, you know what one thing I got rid of was my lashes. Because I was spending$200 every two weeks on my lashes.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

That's my$200, girl. You gotta go to Glendale.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

I don't like that. I don't want to dry.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

They should not be$200 every two weeks.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

They looked good. I looked good as fuck.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

The refill should be 60 max.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

But I cut it out.

SPEAKER_00 20:08

Me too. And the book made me cut it out. I cut it out because I got really addicted. Oh my god, lashes are was my crack.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Same. I was doing them for like five years straight.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Me too. I can't believe and then I got scared because after like one intensive stint of just like refill, refill, I was bald. My eyelashes look good now. I had to grow them back. And then this is my birthday next week. They know when the crackhead once crack. Because they know it's my birthday. I don't know how. I guess I put it in. They said, birthday special. Get 10% off. I said, they know I want it. They know I want it. I miss him. You have a new job. No, no, no. I can't. Spend some money, bro. Once I do that, even look, even my nub nails. I know. No acrylics.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

I have boy nails. Well, that story was inspirational to me because I'd like to retire as soon as possible. I hope it was inspirational to you.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Maybe I should read the book and figure out how that's possible. Because the dollars and cents just I cannot different for everyone.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

It's about the mindset.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

Right. Yeah, no, I hear you. I hear you. I do. I do, but I feel like you're coming in between me and my$7 coffee. I want you to have your$7 coffee. I just don't believe you. I feel like you don't want me to have it. Do you know how much money I spend a month? I don't want to know. I think that's a whole different episode. Yeah, a lot. I love spending money. Okay. Um, maybe we do some more research and we look into the fire method. We can have a fire method episode. Ma I think that's a great idea though. I think that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Stay tuned.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

Because somebody does it, it means it's possible. You can retire at forty eight or you can retire at sixty eight, and if those are my two choices, I choose forty forty eight. And with that, we say don't jump.