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Is it only me or has the current work environment morphed into something akin the "The Hunger Games" ?

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Is it only me or has the current work environment morphed into something akin the "The Hunger Games" ?

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  1. Anonymous

    In my experience (working since 1975…), it has always been that way!

  2. Emily R. Beckner

    Always been my experience, too (started working full time in 1976).

  3. Anonymous

    It feels as if the whole world has become a dystopian nightmare, TBH. I hear you. All we can do is do the best we know how at our job, then try to forget the job and enjoy our family, friends, pets, and favorite activities when outside of work.

  4. GirlBossanova934974

    I don't know about the Hunger Games but the workplace in many companies is marked by an insane amount of office politics, play acting, a general lack of qualified management, and a large amount of nepotism. I have been interviewing for the last few months. Company after company. Big problems at the company? SWEEP IT under the rug! Hire your bestie. Fake job postings. Attempts to steal the IP of interviewees. Never ending finger pointing between departments. And when you finally interview for the role, you ask yourself how did this person you are talking to ever get this job? Promoted by his or her bestie. And the worst? Everyone is trying to pretend they know this or that. The triumph of the uninformed.

  5. Stephanie Hutter-Thomas, PhD, CPH, RPS

    I feel like you are speaking my truth. I have ranted about these same issues for the last 8 months.

  6. Anonymous

    That's so true. Often, it's not what you know, but who you know, and it isn't benefiting anyone except the cliquish people who give each other jobs. AI also is not our friend here; it can't seem to see through the bull better than a petty human. I miss the previous century in which you could apply for ten jobs you're reasonably qualified for, get at least three interviews, and usually get at least one job offer. It was rare to be involuntarily unemployed for more than a month or two. Not everything was better about the previous century, but that's one thing that was. Somewhere along the line, we have lost the human touch.

  7. Anonymous

    We are seeing more and more work and less and less people around to do the work. Everyone is afraid of layoffs, so we just suck it up and take on the extra project. What I see is a lot of people on the verge of or in burnout.

  8. Stephanie Hutter-Thomas, PhD, CPH, RPS

    I feel this with every ounce of my being. It's like I keep doing all the things....applying for all the things....and here we are....I'm a heavily credentialed woman with a diverse background and can't even seem to get an interview anymore.

  9. Anonymous

    Thank you for starting the conversation. My work environment mirrors the current White House. Greedy, Incompetent, bullying, egotistical, and favoritism to the inner sanctum. I’ve been quietly quitting, setting clear boundaries, avidly searching for another job and staying far away from the drama.

  10. Anonymous

    It’s not just you, it’s the way of the world and it’s terrible. People are selfish, companies greedy and no one puts people first anymore. It’s abusive and the attitude is, don’t like it leave.

  11. Anonymous

    I have been wondering if one of the secretive reasons for the sudden problems for people getting jobs, as well as all the problems with the student loan debacle, is because there are more women than men graduating college, and working professional jobs - if this isn't a secret backlash against women? Also, doing away with Medicaid so women have to quit work to be the caretakers (men are almost never caretakers), and day care costs too high for women to be able to work. It all feels like a hidden backlash against women, especially professional women. Or am I off the mark?

  12. Anonymous

    I believe you're absolutely on the mark. It's insane to be going backward, but alas.

  13. Jen Frischen

    That's definitely an interesting take on the problem. I hadn't really considered it, but it really does make sense.

  14. Zofia Janeczek

    The moment Roe vs Wade was overturned in the country we were SOL! There go decades of progress dispelled under one regime! I believe you’re right on the money here! Many enacted policies seem to point towards a subjugation of women. Plus a condemnation of minorities, the poor, working poor, and anyone who doesn’t fit the homogeneous “fit in” stereotypes. It’s indeed sad times we’re existing in right now. I don’t know if it’s the whole world but the USA is on a downward trajectory, in my opinion.

  15. David Heitzmann

    You are not alone. I likened one of my departures to Survivor, but I think Hunger Games would have been more appropriate. The key is to find a corporate culture that doesn't condone these games. The good news is that they are out there. The not so good news is that they are few and far between. But, all it takes is finding one. Keep looking and stay positive.

  16. Anonymous

    Understandable! However, unless we win the Powerball or a long-lost relative suddenly leaves us a fortune, almost all of us have to work. When work becomes infuriating, just take a deep breath, count to 10, and remember that the main reason you work is to earn a paycheck. It's great if you can make friends at work, but it is not necessary. If you can get your work done and no one had to call HR for you hitting, slapping, or tripping a co-worker, you have done your duty to your employer. Also remember that rude, snarky people at work don't get to determine your worth, and if those people don't like you, you're probably doing something RIGHT! Something I do that makes me feel better (although admittedly it can get a tad pricey) is to treat myself to something nice every time someone does/says something mean at work.

  17. Anonymous

    I'm not entirely sure this is a new, post-COVID thing. Perhaps it is amplified a bit more because the job market kinda sucks and there's so much more division thanks to the current administration...but as a whole, the work environment has always been a bit cutthroat. It's just harder to find the place where we belong and are comfortable (but don't ever get too comfortable in thinking a job is 100% safe).

  18. Anonymous

    I think the past several administrations have been inching toward a lack of civility. It cannot be blamed only on the current administration. Since the early 2000's, especially, there has been a bigger push toward "us versus them" mentality. There is absolutely NO tolerance for "difference of opinion." A difference of opinion is now called hate. A different world view is now called intolerance. It used to just be that people came from different circumstances and could discuss things or change their mind. Now, if someone is from "other" than you- they are "wrong." If someone is moving up- they are viewed as opportunistic or greedy rather than being rewarded for hard work. If someone changes their mind, they are accused of being traitors- rather than being given the benefit of the doubt and realizing that people can be educated and evolve.

  19. TomBooley

    It is HORRIBLE. It’s not your imagination. Bullying has become the norm in this country.

  20. Jen Frischen

    I agree. It's a nationwide thing. Not even just a work place thing. People have just gotten so mean and hateful. Our world has never bounced back from the ravages of being alone during COVID. That seems to be when everything really changed and people decided that humanity and civility were things of the past.

  21. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, this is what America voted for.

  22. Kimberly Mc

    It is insane right now. I’m trying to keep my head down and fade into the background, but my bosses keep asking me to do more more more. No thank you.

  23. Jen Frischen

    You know the fact that they ask you to do more more more is a sign of how valuable you truly are to them? Unfortunately, all too often the best workers and hardest workers are "rewarded" with more work and no more pay, benefits or even "thank you" to go with it.

  24. Anonymous

    Yes, and I just left a position due to this. It became intolerable.

  25. Celena Barton

    It’s the market! Supply and demand factors are not in the job hunters favor. If you look at LinkedIn, there are hundreds of applicants within the first hour of posting.

  26. Betty Warrick

    You got that right. I just hired for a position. Last year I only received about 20 applicants and took the best I could get, (they didn't stay.) I posted again and received over 100 applicants in 2 days.

  27. Anonymous

    its not only you ! :-/

  28. Anonymous

    Pharma industry is awful and gotten worse over the last ~10 years. They don’t care about people at all. It’s all about the bottom line. ‘ Mid management’ is a bad place to be. Unrealistic expectations, people are ‘nice‘ but could care less about you in the long run.

  29. Kimberly McKenzie-Klemm

    Why I like to work "remote" and occasionally visit sites.

  30. Shakiyla Momoh

    Yes! I was having the same thought yesterday. There’s just too much competition and the economy has everyone feeling precarious. I’m in digital marketing and I love it but I’m thinking it might be time to pivot into something more stable…again.

  31. Anonymous

    Some places are like that. I contrast my current work place, where everyone is part of the team.

    As contrast to the last place I worked, where "team", meant be as competitive as possible. People came early, left late, skipped lunch. And undercutting other people on the team was rewarded. The place was beyond toxic.

    I will never work in a toxic environment like that again. Your values, and behavior changes in an environment like that. And it is a "team" like a pack of dogs, turning on the lowest ranked dog. You never know when your status will change.

  32. Jen Frischen

    It is definitely refreshing and comforting to have a workplace where people do truly work as a "team." I have fortunately had mostly experiences like this in the workplace. There are always a few power players who feel the need to one up others, but even most of those adhered to a team dynamic. They just insisted on being the most powerful one on the team.

  33. Barbara

    Yes it has! It's a crazy world out there now.

  34. Jen Frischen

    Unfortunately, the entire world has morphed into something akin to "The Hunger Games." It's so brutal anymore.

  35. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, this is what America voted for. I don't know why people are acting so surprised.

  36. Anonymous

    The frightening part is that there are so many people willing to bully others and tear them apart to the point that people are literally "unaliving" themselves.

    If something like that had happened earlier in my career, it would have been a true tragedy and sincere mourning and grief would have happened. Now, it's "next" and "get the position filled before someone has to take on something else."

    Myself? I would still grieve anyone who felt so alone and overwhelmed that such a thing was their only option. But many would not.

    I found an email from an old supervisor of mine who (allegedly unintentionally) copied me on a message where he said he hoped the next time I fell down some stairs, I would have a head injury. I had missed a step when he was calling after me to throw something my way (literally throwing a notebook down the stairs to me).

  37. Jen Frischen

    I really thought I was the only one who noticed COVID was truly the demarcation line. It's like people were civil before COVID and rabid after COVID became a big thing. It's never going away completely (COVID). It was a huge culture shift. There are some things that will always just be different.

    Of course, I do think COVID helped many companies see that their resources could work as efficiently, if not more so, from home than on site all the time.

  38. Jen Frischen

    I completely understand what you are saying about "heaven forbid you take time to grieve." I do want to say though that on my last round of job hunting, I decided to be a little more human in my responses/explanations in interviews. I had a couple of gaps where I had to take some time to process "life" and some difficult situations. Here's the thing. Life happens and it seems to happen more the more "experienced" we become (read, older or aging). I went into an interview earlier this year and I had no "good explanation" other than the loss of a family member in one branch of my family and some really difficult circumstances in another. I was very up front and said I had to take some time to take care of my life and my family because I wasn't giving my "all" to either. I realized that the money was going to be tight for awhile taking that time away, but at the end of the day- we don't get our people (family) back when they are gone. My former employers were actually pretty honest about my being a hard worker when I was at work and they knew I wouldn't have stepped away unless it was absolutely necessary.

  39. Darenda Carter

    It's not just you and it's not just work, it's everything now days. Everybody wants to see how far ahead they can get over someone else and they don't care what steps they have to take to get there. It's basically survival of the fittest.... It's a scary thing because the littlest thing can cost you so much when dealing with the wrong people

  40. Gitana Shimmy

    Yes! I see it EVERYWHERE. At the stores, people cut line. At work, I got a verbal warning for a typo in a mailing address. A MAILING ADDRESS. I did't break protocol, didn't lie, didn't goof of. A typo. I see it in people's mentality. No compassion. Did you make a mistake? Did you ask if you could have that seat because you're elderly or infirm? The "why" doesn't matter to them, but life isn't black and white. There are exceptions to almost everything.

  41. Anonymous

    Oh my goodness, yes. At my org , it feels like management has moved the goal posts to make things a little harder to achieve, or at least, make employees have to work even harder to achieve them. I do wonder if it's the result of a trickle-down effect from all the DOGE news this spring and the countless stories of how they've turned up the heat on federal workers. The private sector watched from the sidelines and decided, "oohh, I like that!"

    Comparing the current culture to The Hunger Games is accurate. The tributes aren't entertaining enough, so it's time to send in the flesh-eating wasps to make those kids sweat more.

  42. Michele

    Ditto for the current job-search environment! Although I haven't read/seen the Hunger Games ... the analogy feels right.

  43. Anonymous

    Very much so. The elites being totally out of touch and not caring about the lives of the common people is all too relevant right now.

  44. Anonymous

    And I'm in an outsider faction! I suppose these outsider factions will prevail in the long run but I fear everyday that I'll be Ren and sacrificed!!!

  45. Elina

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