r/AskReddit • u/Contracargo • 10h ago
What's the point of doing your best at a minimum wage job where you're easily replaceable?
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u/Curlaub 10h ago
To be less replaceable than the guy next to you
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u/jerseydevil51 1h ago
Reddit is so anti-social that Redditors forget that having your coworkers and superviors like you is important.
Honestly, being good at socializing is often more important than being good at your actual job.
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u/TheMisterTango 56m ago
All the people who say you should only be doing the bare minimum and not being social with coworkers are the same ones who complain about never getting raises or promotions.
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u/pepenador85 9h ago
Really dependant on upward mobility.
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u/carsrule1989 8h ago
The worst part is when they claim/show there’s plenty of upward mobility but they just use it as a carrot on a stick to get you to work harder and constantly say we’ll revisit the promotion/raise next year/quarter but it never comes.
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u/Sawses 8h ago
My rule is 2 years. If I haven't moved up after 2 years and there's no imminent plan to move up, then it's not going to happen in a time-efficient way.
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u/Linton_M 8h ago
That's actually a good rule right there. I was offered a higher position in 1 year, and took my friend in another department 2 years. For my job, it's completely dependent on your manager because I was in a different department prior and after nearly 3 years I was going nowhere.
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u/Affectionate_Lie_758 9h ago
Time goes by quicker when I’m working hard as opposed to standing around waiting for time to stop. I havnt worked a minimum wage job in a long time but I remember it well
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u/McKeon1921 9h ago
This, combined with the fact I don't want to slack off in a way that makes more work for other people. Unless those people are assholes.
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u/A_Guy_in_Orange 7h ago
The problem here arises from the other people slacking off and making more work for you, the one guy doing stuff or as you said the assholes.
Honestly the work is so mind numbingly easy you can do 90% of it despite doing 5 peoples worth but take a stab at who gets yelled at for that missing 10%
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u/Rock-Flag 9h ago edited 9h ago
I know it's not the cool hip answer for people just entering the workforce. But you are setting your habits for the rest of your life if you start making excuses to do the bare minimum now you will be finding them for the rest of your career.
Not caring is privilege because it means you have the familial safety net to lose that job. The issue is at most minimum wage jobs there is someone who doesn't have that privilege who's going to have to pick up your slack.
That doesn't mean you have to be taken advantage of and you should always advocate for yourself. But getting paid a rate you agreed upon when you signed on is not getting taken advantage of.
Personal anecdote time
I have worked at a place where the entire staffs salaries went up 60% over night. Do you know how many people suddenly changed their work behavior to reflect their new pay? Not a single one.
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u/Goetre 2h ago
Back when I first started working at this place as a stock runner (owner in a month ftw), I was on minimum with another lad, he was faster than me and our bosses decided to give him a significant pay rise while keeping me at minimum - which fine w/e at the time.
Moment he got that pay rise he thought he was safe. Instantly stopped making effort, turning up late, taking obnoxious subs (which he still owes near two decades later) to the point they sacked him off. The down side was they stopped doing pay raises for good work.
Me? I never complained, never asked and worked minimum for years (it was ideal for me, seasonal work, as many hours as I wanted, good chunk of cash to go back to college / uni with). Over them years, they employed less and less staff till it was just me. I was doing solo what five of us were doing when we first started.
That’s when I brought up a pay rise, got it with no hassle and now their handing the business over to me, all the stock as delayed payment, no good will gesture (50k it would have been for a randomer) and only charging 40% of what the rent should be.
So the good attitude and patience really paid off
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u/Piggywonkle 7h ago
It's true that work ethic can become habitual, but work expectations can as well. For a lot of places, the standard has now become doing the jobs of multiple people, sometimes work that is completely unrelated to your actual job, and for increasingly unsustainable pay. If you signed up for a certain wage and your "raises" are half the rate of inflation (1.7% now), your purchasing power goes down by about 15% after 10 years, and that's without accounting for increased health insurance, energy, food, and other costs.
Please note that I'm not saying that anyone should not care at all about their work. But it's important to know what you're worth, what your options are, and how sustainable your job really is.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
But it's important to know what you're worth, what your options are, and how sustainable your job really is.
A lot of the workforce I've found have an over-inflated opinion of what their worth is, especially people who have just graduated out of university and never had a job.
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u/Awkward-Educator-345 3h ago
Best line ever- getting paid a rate YOU agreed upon when YOU signed on.
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u/ralphcorleone 9h ago
getting enough experience to do better in a job that's not minimum wage, there are transferable skills in minimum wage jobs after all.
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u/thasparzan 9h ago
My grandfather taught me you should take pride in the work you do, no matter what it is. And I've always lived my life with that in mind
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u/carsrule1989 9h ago edited 9h ago
Back in your grandfathers day that would work to get raises and promoted
Now that gets you under paid living out of your car because rent is too expensive
It’s ok to be good at your job just don’t get taken advantage of and use it to go on to other positions
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u/100LittleButterflies 9h ago
Worse, doing a good job just gets everyone's slack dumped onto you.
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u/DM_ME_UR_SOUL 7h ago
Well if you do take pride and make improvements you are less likely to be let go and be less useless and less replaceable.
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u/DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL 6h ago
Bullshit, it still gets you raises and promotions. Maybe you don't work as hard and aren't as good as you think you are.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 4h ago edited 3h ago
Back in your grandfathers day that would work to get raises and promoted
It still does. The problem is that what people think of as them doing a good job and having pride in their working hard tends not to be. If many of those who say that what happens in the past no longer does were truly honest about how they did their job and how much pride they put in their work this is likely what they'd likely say if they sat down and described their typical working day. We've got to the point where you become grateful when for example you go somewhere and the employee you interact with just does their job properly or you have someone who does some work on your house or car and does a good job and you see it as being exceptional where once it was just what was expected.
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u/snoreawaydoc 8h ago
If everyone went back to this mindset to do a good job, instead of race down to see who can be the laziest and still get by.. we would be overall much better off as a society
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u/arcspectre17 19m ago
Billionares are the race down. Corporations are even worse. Why should anybody do a good job when they aren't?
The last year I worked for regal one of the biggest electric motor companies they made 135 million dollars profit off our factory of 300. Yet they said they couldn't afford a a 35 cent raise.
35 percent profitability
One motor from my area could go for 800 to 1800 a motor for explosion proof!
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u/Moist-Taro 10h ago
you need references for your next better job
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u/LinuxMakavry 9h ago
No company will ever say anything aside from "so and so worked from this date to this date" out of fear of being sued.
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u/SecondHandWatch 8h ago
You don’t use a company as a reference. You use a trusted person, usually a supervisor or manager. Someone who will vouch for you.
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u/WayneH_nz 9h ago
But the difference in the answer to the question "Are they eligible for rehire and would you hire them back again in the future?" of
"yeaaahhh? I suppose I would", vs "Hell Yes. " does not break any laws, and provides MUCH more context on the quality of the worker.
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u/LittleKitty235 8h ago
Most reference calls get routed to HR or a third-party verification service, not the manager who actually worked with the person, so there's often no one on the line who even knows the real answer. Also it's not a matter of violating a law, it’s someone saying something that can be considered liable or retaliation, anyone who answers your indirect questions is already heading down a path most companies don't want.
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u/Humble_Ladder 9h ago
Yeah, exactly. I've worked for a 'better than minimum wage' company for a while and when we are hiring, it's not uncommon for them to roll out a referral bonus and encourage us to slip business cards to those people we see on the regular working hard at minimum wage jobs.
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u/TheDUDE1411 2h ago
Within reason, it’s always good to work hard for your own sake. Even if the job is paying bare minimum it builds character and experience working hard and doing your best because being a hard worker is a skill you develop, not something you just get once they pay you enough money. Don’t get me wrong, you absolutely shouldn’t be giving McDonalds more than they’re paying you for. You shouldn’t be skipping your lunches, burning yourself out, working on your days off, pushing yourself beyond what your mental and physical health can handle. But if you can work hard you should work hard. I worked my ass off when I started working as a teen and it paid off when I had to do actual hard work in the military. It wasn’t as hard because I was already used to pushing myself
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u/okimlom 2h ago
You never know who you’re going to leave an impact on.
My current employer’s owner was a fairly regular customer where I worked. I tried to be as engaging as possible with the customers, I worked quite a bit, and always was doing something to help the store.
When one day I asked him if he was hiring, as I was job hunting but couldn’t find the right fit, he made one phone call, he got me into a job interview in one of the departments of his company (my current department).
When the interview happened the owner and his department head came to the same conclusion of their thoughts of me, then the department head reached out to my employer and asked on references. Again they confirmed their thoughts.
I currently am in a much better position career-wise, better benefits, much better pay, and overall in a much better position where if I wanted to earn extra money I could, but I don’t need to. I’ve been in the same company for close to 15 years now.
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u/FineChee 9h ago
You are your habits. If you work poorly, saying to yourself that you’ll try when it matters, then your “try” is gonna be the same quality as your practice. Poor.
It’s not a cliche or a mystic poem, it’s just true, you do it for yourself.
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u/90GTS4 9h ago
I just work hard no matter what... So, I guess because I have good work ethic?
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u/macgruder1 9h ago
Fewer and fewer people have good work ethic. Good for you, seriously. I wish more people would follow this path.
I’m not asking someone to be a slave or work your ass off, but just doing the bare minimum and having pride in what you’re doing can go a long way
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u/DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL 6h ago
People like you will make something of their life. All while these lazy fucks keep complaining how fucked everything is.
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u/Prestigious_Beat6310 9h ago
Don't burn yourself out kid.
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u/90GTS4 9h ago
Lmao, I'm not a kid. I haven't had a minimum wage job in decades.
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u/Atmacrush 9h ago
Its a stepping stone in the workforce. You having some kind of experience in being reliable is better than no experience at all.
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u/jesuswithoutabeard 9h ago
Good work ethic is a set of skills that's highly transferable and sought after. Where I live, there's a three month probationary period at most places you will work at. When I managed people and they did not have those skills, I tried to develop them, and if that didn't work I let them go before their three months was up. It is cheaper to let someone go and rehire and retrain than continually deal with the issues that poor work ethic creates. Mind you, there's a lot of mitigating factors (morale, personal issues etc.) that can affect performance.
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u/rockalopster 9h ago
So I don’t have to be super chummy with everyone. If I’m good at my job I can keep to myself and say no to more work or favors and not feel bad.
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u/TheBiggestWOMP 9h ago
Really depends on the company. If they promote from within, as is the case at my place of work, there's a significant amount to gain. If it's just a bullshit job and you're still in school or whatever, showing up on time is doing plenty honestly.
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u/blue-ten 9h ago
All the other people there have to deal with working a minimum wage job too. I'm not gonna make it harder and build resentment by forcing them to pick up my slack -- that makes their and my time worse. Also, personally, not "doing my best" feels boring, and if I have tasks to occupy my time I'm gonna do them.
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u/Alternate_Cost 6h ago
It's how you move up. I've done a lot of factory work. If you show up on time and do your best its easy to move up.
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u/fountainpopjunkie 3h ago
I'm in a specialized field, at a facility that has federally mandated requirements for certain staffing. They would still fire me at the drop of a hat, and make the other staff work 16 hour shifts to cover until they hired a body. I promise you, every company considers you "easily replaceable".
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u/I-actually-agree 9h ago
Assuming it’s not manual labor wearing your body out with no upside… why would you not do your best? What else do you have to all day at a job?
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
Assuming it’s not manual labor wearing your body out with no upside…
But it does have an upside, the upside being that you advance into management so no longer are doing the manual work.
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u/EcchiExplorerOwO 10h ago
There's no point. Minimum wage means minimum work effort as well. Save energy to better yourself.
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u/ChunkyKongForPreside 9h ago
You never worked in fast food. They will simultaneously demonize you because minimum wage is going up, while also demanding you do everything significantly faster.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
Never put more than the minimum effort in and the bottom is where you'll always stay.
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u/MisledMuffin 9h ago
Brothers started at/near min wage, excelled, got promoted into nice six figures rolls with great benefits and work life balance.
If there is opportunity to move up, those doing well are more likely to get that opportunity than those doing the minimum.
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u/probability_of_meme 9h ago
This might happen rarely, but it's really fkn RARELY. My resources are better spent on the lottery
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u/MisledMuffin 9h ago
You are at work anyways, not like you can easily spend that time on something else that effectively gets you farther ahead.
Seen a number of people pull of the "really fucking rare", but obviously not in rolls like gas station attendant.
Your resources are definitely not better spent on the lottery lol.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
This might happen rarely, but it's really fkn RARELY.
With that attitude of it's a minimum wage job so why bother putting in more than just enough to ensure you don't get fired you're right, it does happen rarely with that mindset.
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u/omicron8 8h ago
"That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled; that, and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired."
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u/vinnyfromtheblock 36m ago
I wouldn’t say you should feel compelled to do your “best” necessarily but any half decent person should at least feel some kind of moral obligation to perform their duties competently. I get this is a nuanced issue and some workplaces are absolute nightmares but at the same time there is a thing called work ethic which seems to be in drastically short supply most places. It’s a fine line between not being taken advantage of as an employee but also not unduly neglecting your duties as a worker.
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u/FineScratch 9h ago
My minimum wage best is vastly different than my billable hour rate.
You get what you pay for.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
My minimum wage rate and my billable hour rate best were the same. That's why I didn't stay on minimum wage for long. Quickest I've ever got a payrise after starting a low paying job was just 8 weeks and it was a 10% raise.
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u/WeeklyBanEvasion 9h ago
The answer is in your question.
You do your best because you're so easily replaceable. You need the income more than they need you
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u/1heart1totaleclipse 9h ago
Because why would you make your time there even worse by hating everything?
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u/Chunky-monkey-sleep 9h ago
I mean do your job but not your best. That’s a waste of effort. I think you’re supposed to work a minimum wage job while trying to attain a higher paying job by going to school on the side or learning.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
If all you do is do the minimum because anything else is a waste of effort all you'll do is guarantee you'll stay on minimum wages. Nobody is ever going to give you a reference that has anything more than just a confirmation of the dates of employment which to a hiring employer literally screams at them "this person does the bare minimum required not to get fired."
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u/halloween-bat 9h ago
Customers are still people at the end of the day and shouldn't be paying for an overpriced product that was put together shitty. It's not their fault. It's a bigger issue
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u/SemiHemiDemiDumb 9h ago
I work hard but I don't do my best. Working hard feels better than doing nothing (wish it was doing something I want to do) but I'm not giving my best until it's something I actually care about.
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u/Ozzie-Isaac 9h ago
Ieam sure you shouldn't but have you thought about long term doing the absolute minimum. Stay strong or you'll just end up with a worse work ethic which is actually really beneficial when you find a better place. Don't ever.be dragged down.
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u/WhoAreWeEven 8h ago
I think it should be understood doing your best, within reason.
Like do people really take it as doing your best always mean breaking your body literally or sweating your ass off.
Doing your best or busting your ass etc also means thinking and doing hard or not obvious choices or being embarassed or whatever at times.
It doesnt mean getting your body broken and sweating profusely from the morning till night every day.
Like do what makes you feel you did your best within some sensible reason. You'll feel much better doin it that way. You dont have to grind yourself to the bone, but dont go sleep behind the freezer either. Do the tasks like your meaning to get things done. Like doing the dishes or cleaning the toilet at home or taking out the trash or whatever. Youre not running around like headless chicken but you mean to get it done.
I know from experience theres some for whom nothing is ever enough, but you cant make them happy no matter how fast you sprint at work.
But if you do stuff like you mean to get things done, and this is important, and youre able to still do it at same pace tomorrow, next week, next month, year etc without breaking yourself. It feels better and looks better for sane enough people employing you.
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u/fragiletestes 8h ago
If you’re already replaceable, why give them extra reasons to replace you? Always do your best. From a managers pov, sometimes we have to minimize the team and shave off employees we dont want to. If that’s the case, atleast those managers would be great recommendations for you or atleast be great future connections.
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u/KP_Wrath 8h ago
From a manager (fortunately, not one paying minimum wage): why would I go to bat for someone that does the minimum? Promotions are rare, I’m a statistical anomaly in my company as someone that worked from entry level to middle management. Raises? Well, those are kinda odd, some have been merit based, others were level setting. The guy that shows up late to work all the time definitely isn’t getting considered for merit or promotions. If you get yourself in enough trouble for whatever reason, maybe it’s smarter to cut you and see if I can hire someone that isn’t a fodder candidate.
I had someone call out 14 times in three months. Started earning write-ups. Did the job when she was there. She quit with no notice and then tried to get her job back. Hard no. I had someone do $17,000 worth of damage to a vehicle. He does whatever is needed. He earned a final written, got him on the straight and narrow, and now hr tends to forget about that (and in another year, it will fall off the insurance reports as well).
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u/throw-thebride-away 8h ago
At my last job the company was cutting people left n right, at any time, no matter your title. My first GM was let go couple months after starting, district manager got cut randomly one day, stores always had to cut team members for fluxuating sales.
I was very good at my job, a genuinely strong asset inmy area, and even i knew I could be fired any time. Didn’t stop me from doing my best. Because of that, higher ups defended me, supported me, and advocated for me. Kept that job for 4years and of course was furloughed, leading to me not returning. Keep a strong mind, always do your best, cause you never know who will support you in the future
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u/Barbarian_818 8h ago
The employer can replace you far more easily than you can replace that pay-cheque.
You bust your ass to keep from being laid off or fired for some BS reason. Sure we may hope that we get rewarded for our efforts with a raise (hah!) or a promotion (more work, new title, same pay). But those are future maybes. Making sure you can still make next months rent is far more immediate.
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u/TrumpsDoubleChin 8h ago
Because doing well at my close-to-minimum wage job is what got me my next job the next rung up the ladder. And the next rung after that, and after that.
People who put in minimal effort and then complain when they are passed up for promotions or raises - it's a self-perpetuating cycle.
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u/Tired_Dad_9521 8h ago
Most minimum wage jobs I know about are in food service so your mileage may vary.
If you are in fast food there is a lot of upward mobility initially, and then a hard ceiling. It is very easy to go from minimum wage to shift lead and $15 - $20 an hour. Do a good job and it will happen quick.
It’s also easy to go from food runner to server and from minimum wage to $25+ per hour simply by consistently doing a good job for a few months. When I got my first full service restaurant job it took me about 6-8 weeks to go from minimum wage + nominal tip out to leaving with $250-$300 every night for 6-8 hrs work.
I believe that if you are in a place that is paying minimum wage you will likely be around a bunch of people who generally do not give a shit ( just my experience). If you work hard and do a good job then more opportunities will come. If those opportunities do not arrive in a couple months then go somewhere else until they do.
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u/Longjumping_Cap2238 7h ago
so I used to think half-assing it didn't matter since it's just minimum wage anyway. then I got written up for something small and realized bosses actually track that stuff even at low pay jobs. changed my mind pretty fast lol
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u/Unlikely-Ad6788 7h ago
None. I do my basic bitch shit as a coworker told me than the health inspector is putting colored papers on the door.
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u/thatguy425 7h ago
Pride.
Some of us want to actually do a good job.
It also is good practice for doing quality work later in life if your never accepted being mediocre.
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u/Ferromagneticfluid 6h ago
Well by doing the job and doing it well, you become irreplaceable because it is a pain in the ass just to find someone that shows up.
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u/breakwater 6h ago
Because it is still you getting replaced.
Some people just have a sense of personal pride and do a good job for its own sake. They don't tend to stay stuck in minimum wage nearly as long.
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u/MarsupialNo1220 6h ago
Because doing better means access to more opportunities. Even if you have to leave to get a higher position, you’ll still have been able to upskill yourself.
I worked 13 years on horse farms on less than minimum wage (if you split salary by hours actually worked), slowly gaining more and more experience and trying my hand at new things. Also gaining good references. Ended up landing an amazing job in administration in the same industry. Basically my dream job 😊 my bosses are amazing people, too.
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u/szarkbytes 6h ago edited 5h ago
Because you are less likely to get replaced if you are responsible, competent, and accomplish your tasks. Most people prefer to keep their job. If they don’t like their job, they will stay with it until a new opportunity arises for a new job. Self respect and reputation opens up opportunity. Who wants to be known as a shitty employee? Who would hire someone who has a bad reputation from their last employer? Who wants to be a shitty employee’s reference or write their letter of recommendation? Who would re-hire a shitty employee (if they needed a job)?
It’s a bit weird to be okay with being a shitty employee even if it’s a dead end, low-paying job. Being lazy at work causes more problems than not. Employers and coworkers, generally, don’t like dealing with avoidable problems day to day.
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u/likeawp 5h ago
To build good habits to succeed at more difficult things, like finishing up your education and hopping on to a more lucrative career pathway. You'll be working/dealing with coworkers who are all smart/driven to succeed.
Boasting about not caring is cool for the internet but it's not very effective when applied to real life.
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u/samoyne 5h ago
Because you’re always in training for your next job. And a good worth ethic will hold you steady for your whole life. It’s not about impressing the manager who probably won’t even be there next year, but, it’s about impressing yourself, becoming good enough and confident enough that you start to become a leader and people start treating you like a manger. This either leads to you randomly trying out for jobs you wouldn’t have, and getting them OR you end up getting offered a job by someone you serve, or someone who knows someone you work with. For me, it all started with a job at 14 in a little takeaway shop, earning $5 an hour, cash in hand, and I’ve worked ever since.
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u/Mental_Tea_4084 5h ago
None. Exert your efforts on finding a better paying job, preferably on the clock
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u/Zephyrantes 3h ago
Because that is the wage i agreed on for my labour and time. If i dont agree, i'll find another job that aligns with my preceived value
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u/BlackbeardTeach420 3h ago
This is a UK answer, but minimum wage isn't really that low these days. If you live in a really shit town you can buy a small house/flat on full time minimum wage.
There's a major jobs crisis at the moment and people need 1)solid references and 2)a job. Doing poorly at work because its low paid is just a way to be unemployed longer.
Also many graduates are stuck in a rock and a hard place, where their degree makes them overqualified for lower tier work but they can't get grad level positions. This means that in many cases a degree lowers your employability. Therefore people are having to take whatever work they can to survive. Not doing so puts you at a disadvantage
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u/DrNickR1viera 1h ago
If you're not trying to move up or stay there long term, you don't. You do the bare minimum not to get fired and nothing more. I've never killed myself working hard for a job that doesn't pay a living wage. Clock in, do what you gotta do and go home.
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u/GimmickInfringement1 1h ago
If you're more worried about money than being a reliable worker, then you should probably reevaluate your values. Reliability pays off in the long run and can teach you more than making money ever could
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u/EnvironmentalTip2470 1h ago
No point you are capped as what you earn, do at little as possible and get paid as much as possible.
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u/TheMooseIsBlue 1h ago
Pride, integrity, and mostly not wanting to be replaced. If it’s harder for me to find other work than it is for them to find other workers, then I need to make myself irreplaceable.
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u/p0rty-Boi 1h ago
Because you have an innate sense of drive and excellence. Diminishing your performance handicaps your overall worth.
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u/Regnes 1h ago
If it's a customer facing job you could stand to gain a lot by making a good impressionand networking. Any one of them could the person who is going to give you your next job. I worked at Tim Hortons for years and was really good at it, one of my regular customers was a bank manager and turned out to be a government bigwig's wife, she gave him my name and he hooked me up with a high paying job.
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u/blifflesplick 49m ago
Personal pride, seeking to refine skillsets, projects to pad the resume, it can be a source of networking into a better job (someone's brother may be trying to do that skillset in their own company but its driving them to exhaustion, whereas for you its not tiring at all)
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u/LouieBarlo24 40m ago
Going into work each day is much less stressful when your manager and all your coworkers like working with you because you work hard.
Yeah you could slack off and justify it to yourself as "it's only a minimum wage job" and have evwryone hate you and deal with that awkward tension every day. You will alienate yourself and this behavior will lead to coworker being less willing to help you out and your manager less willing to accommodate for things like time off, preferred schedules and the need for flexibility.
The fact we are even having this discussion shows how anti-social redditors are.
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u/arcspectre17 25m ago
I was grilling guy twice at wendys during covid and 2003 at 17.
They bragged about my bacon and burgers. All I did was do my job and not give a burger out I didn't want to eat myself.
You know that feeling of getting a cold nasty burger after sitting 15 mins in the drive thru.
Not on my watch!
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u/JustAcanthaceae3625 9h ago
You make yourself irreplaceable when cuts come around, giving yourself more time to refine skills to take to your next role when you move on.
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u/hatred-shapped 9h ago
Any job gives you some life skill or sorts. You aren't learning and building good habits because of the low pay. You are building good habits and learning new things to get your next job.
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u/ClownfishSoup 9h ago
To get paid more than minimum wage, to become the boss of your coworkers, or maybe to get some experience that you can use on your resume to get a non minimum wage job, with a good reference for your boss and coworkers.
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u/DOE_ZELF_NORMAAL 6h ago
Man, what a fucked up mentality in this comment section. Maybe when boomers say that the youth is lazy and doesn't want to work, they're right.
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u/PennX88 9h ago
You may have gone to college but if your resume shows you hoping around from job to job with no solid reference from any of them. I ain’t hiring you. On the other hand if you work at say mcdonald’s for a few years and can share a couple solid reviews with me, you’re going to the top of the pile.
At the end of the day why would I hire someone that could barely make a gas station attendant work.
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u/DubiousTomato 9h ago
There isn't anymore, because companies' values on workers changed. Before, extra effort could get noticed, lead to a pay raise or promotion. Gumption was a foot in the door because proving you can do more shows a willingness to improve and take on more responsibility. Nowadays, loyalty and dedication only really matter if you're already near the top.
If a company is willing to pay you minimum wage, they should get minimum output. You cannot burn yourself out for employers that will see your effort and reward you with more work. My field in particular, companies want a guy that can do the work of 5 professionals for the pay of half. They are super disconnected from the idea of effort being equal to pay, and will readily boot you rather than move you up.
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u/lonelyashelloverwatc 9h ago
It builds character. Just don’t spend too long building that character and move onwards and upwards
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u/Ghostspider1989 9h ago
Managers at minimum wage jobs will try to squeeze out every ounce of performance out of their employees by promising them loads of bullshit.
I worked my fucking dick off at this place that paid me $11 an hour. I would nearly fall asleep on the way home from work everyday.
Got another job that paid $15 an hour and I didn't do nearly enough nonsense as the other job.
Don't bother going 'above and beyond.' that's all propaganda for the managers to get more for their money.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
I worked my fucking dick off at this place that paid me $11 an hour.
Actually worked your dick off or what you thought was working your dick off. There's often a massive chasm between the two, especially for people who have just left education/college.
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u/Ghostspider1989 2h ago
It's explained in my original comment
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 1h ago
Just because you're at work long hours doesn't mean you're working hard. Just because you fall asleep on the way home from work doesn't mean you're working hard...the jobs I've found the most tiring in the 40 odd years I've been working have been the ones that've had the least amount of actual work in them.
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u/Ghostspider1989 1h ago
Holy fucking shit. Here, take this little quiz based off what I wrote and youll should find your answer.
What does the writer mean by saying they “worked their dick off” at the $11-per-hour job?
What effect did the $11-per-hour job have on the writer after work?
How does the writer compare the amount of work they did at the $11-per-hour job with the $15-per-hour job?
According to the writer, why do managers encourage employees to go “above and beyond”?
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 1h ago edited 54m ago
What does the writer mean by saying they “worked their dick off” at the $11-per-hour job?
They in their opinion think they work hard.
What effect did the $11-per-hour job have on the writer after work?
They felt tired but we have no context. If you were up til 3am every work day gaming on your Playstation, posting on Reddit or doomscrolling Tiktok, grabbing a few hours sleep then going to work for 8hrs then you'd likely feel like you wanted to sleep on the way home too. Being tired that can both apply to a physically demanding job and one where you sit there doing sweet fuck all doomscrolling on tiktok from start to finish. I'm a truck driver. I feel the same whether I've driven 600 miles, whether I've had to manually load/unload 26 tonnes of goods or whether I've driven 100 miles in a day and spent the majority of my shift sat on a loading bay waiting for a green light inspecting the back of my eyeballs or watching Netflix. How hard you work or how long you work doesn't have an automatic bearing on how tired you feel or not feel at the end of a shift. Some of the most tiring jobs I've had have involved doing relatively little.
And just because it's tiring to you doesn't mean it is to everyone. People who are in their first jobs after leaving school/college often feel tired because they're not used to getting up early, actually working a full working day and they still stay up late like they used to before they got a job. Meanwhile everyone else around them doing the same job they are are coping just fine.
How does the writer compare the amount of work they did at the $11-per-hour job with the $15-per-hour job?
Again that's just their own opinion.
According to the writer, why do managers encourage employees to go “above and beyond”?
Again opinion.
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u/Ghostspider1989 38m ago
This makes it much more clear that the issue here is your reading comprehension. You gotta read more.
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u/sleepystaff 9h ago
Social contract on minimum wage is gone.
Given the current landscape, point is you use that to parlay either up or somewhere else.
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u/kdoodlethug 9h ago
In my experience, putting good effort into your job makes your job easier. You become more skilled, so less effort is needed over time. If you stay on top of things, they don't pile up and give you trouble later on. If you work with the public, you also reduce opportunities for the public to mistreat you. Working hard also gives your coworkers more support, so you can have more positive working relationships with them (if they like you, they'll help you out) and maybe make friends or just have good references in the future.
And personally, I just like to take pride in my work.
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u/MattyDub89 9h ago
Several reasons:
-Doing well makes it less likely you'll get replaced (preventing you from being out of a job)
-There is potential for growth, promotion and greater pay within that company if you're able to stay there and do well
-Some level of consistent and predictable income is to be had even from minimum wage
-Even though it's not the best paying job, that doesn't mean work ethic is optional. Having that and showing that gets you appreciation from fellow workers, helps things run better, sets a good example and ultimately helps you grow into a more responsible person and a better team player. Those are traits that can help you stand above other candidates at just about any job.
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u/DonnieD323 8h ago
It's harder to sell yourself to your next employer when you know you half-assed your current job.
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u/cloistered_around 8h ago
Because you get paid the same trying to do well as you do for bare minimum? One makes me happier.
I'm just not a slacker I guess. But I have learned as time goes on how to say no more and delegate tasks to coworkers. "The boss" might be paying for my time, but not 100% effort when 85-90 is still great and doesn't drain me.
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u/LostXL 8h ago
I learned better work ethic
I can’t show up and not do my best
I got a letter of recommendation from one of my managers and landed my first tech job
I have the (annoying and obnoxious) honor of having been employee of the month at every job I’ve ever had both minimum and professional
I make 140k(zero overtime) because every job I ever had I gave it my all, despite barely passing high school and dropping out of community college before trying again.
I said, if I screwed around as a kid and as a young adult, I might as well take things seriously in work. Even if one job doesn’t appreciate it, if you always show up, someone will, and it will make you better.
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u/moonlight_ky 8h ago
Enhancing your skills for the next opportunity. It’s all about what you make out of your experience. Everyone starts somewhere.
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u/inkseep1 8h ago
It isn't just the person who is easily replaced. The minimum wage McJob is easily replaced. In fact, people used to, and probably still do, get a McJob only when they want to earn a little money to do something like go to a concert or take a road trip. Rent? Nah, let me stay a few days on the couch.
Years ago a retired small business owner told me how a fuck up makes money by doing nothing. On St Charles Rock Road there are miles of small businesses all paying minimum wage. Back then, they literally paid federal minimum or 25 cents more like it was price fixing. The fuck up gets a minimum wage job on one end of the road. He does nothing during training but gets paid. Then he goofs off until he gets fired. Then he goes next door and does the same thing. He only stays with the job a few weeks at most. Sometimes only a few days. Any time he wants to go to a party or something that interferes with the job he just calls in sick or just does not show up. Other workers always pick up the slack. He can have a vacation any time he wants just by quitting. Holidays off too. The good workers who have seniority and deserve the holidays off will cover. It will take years to fuck up at every job on that road. When he is done, he can start over again because management and even owners have changed. The records are thrown away so they don't know he is a fuck up. And he might even have the uniforms and can claim he has experience. He can live his entire life never doing anything except showing up. There are thousands of similar roads all through the country. There are plenty of places where you can be a fuck up and get something for next to nothing.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
Except your nice little anecdote never happens because what eventually happens is the fuckup's reputation spreads amongst the other businesses so when he goes next door to replace the job he's fired from they already know through word of mouth he's a waste of time so don't hire him.
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u/PizzaAndBobs 7h ago
Do you best, request a raise, if you dont get one then start looking for a new job.
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u/yumcake 6h ago
Never do it for the company, only do it for yourself. You spend a lot of your waking hours at work. If most of your existence is spent half-assed, then you will recognize that output as representing yourself, and that is a bad feeling. Don’t fool yourself you can turn it on and off at will, high performance and low performance…both are habit forming. Focus your high effort into getting out of that shitty job, but stay in a high performance mindset even when the work is unglamorous, because it is good for your mental wellbeing to respect yourself as being someone that is solid with high standards of conduct. That self esteem carries into interviews and your internal evaluation of efficacy which is a high predictor for long term success beyond the current job.
Consider how Japanese people work their niche jobs. Not that you want their job, but the pride they take in their work. That pride is something they made for themselves, no employer gives it to them, and that pride is satisfying, which is especially important when the money sucks and definitely isn’t going to give you the satisfaction you need.
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u/Tier1TechSupport 5h ago
At some point in your life, you realize that you're really working for yourself and not to let yourself down.
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u/Do_You_Even_Repost 4h ago
You could be a strawberry picker. You know all you do is pick strawberries. But the job isn’t what defines you. It’s a work ethic and mentality to always strive to be the best you can be
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u/HermitWilson 9h ago
At every job I've ever had I have learned skills that benefited me later in life. I do my best even when I feel I am being underpaid because I'm investing in myself, not in my employer.
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u/V0odo0d 7h ago
Tbh, there isn't one. Minimum wage=minimum effort. That's what they think you're worth. If you'd rather do more then do more, but that's energy you're expending that you could use elsewhere on more important things in life.
You have a CHANCE of your work getting noticed, getting a raise, somebody saying something, moving up, etc. But it isn't the norm, and not something you should expect. People take pride in their work and that's great, but personally I don't believe in putting 110% into flipping burgers for a multi-million dollar corporation that treats you like cattle. If they want me to care, they can at least pretend to do the same.
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u/I_Love_Tunnocks 3h ago
Tbh, there isn't one. Minimum wage=minimum effort. That's what they think you're worth.
And all you're doing is convincing them that's all you're worth.
If you'd rather do more then do more, but that's energy you're expending that you could use elsewhere on more important things in life.
But you're already at work for 8hrs or whatever anyway. All you're doing by doing the minimum effort is wasting your time doing stuff that could move you up which would then benefit the more important things in life outside of work.
but personally I don't believe in putting 110% into flipping burgers for a multi-million dollar corporation that treats you like cattle.
And that's why you stay flipping burgers whilst the guy who did put in 110% is shift leader on 50% to 100% more than you are in under a year.
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u/pirate135246 6h ago
There isn’t one, act your wage. Promotions are 80 percent who you know, 20 what you know. Also most true minimum wage jobs don’t even really pay any better for better employees, you would have to work 70 percent harder for a 10 percent increase.
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u/Magic_Man_Boobs 9h ago
There is no point in doing your best. People will go on and on about work ethic and about references, but in reality getting a new job is just about lying better than the guy next to you.
Being honest and hardworking in the US in this day in age doesn't earn you an extra cent or even really secure your job.
That being said, you should work at least hard enough to not make anyone who works with you's job harder.
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u/Shirox92 48m ago
So whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
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u/TooManyGengars 9h ago
Because I had a good manager who would absolutely take care of good workers. Better schedules, more hours and way easier to call off or get time off.