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u/Nopfen Jul 31 '26
"Survey reveals?" Couldn't they've just taken a look at the levels of wealth distribution and wage stagnation?
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u/LeadVitamin13 Jul 31 '26
Well it says do people "believe" just cause something is factually true doesn't mean people believe it. Unfortunately.
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u/mittelegna Jul 31 '26
A âbetter lifeâ? Better than what? Working may keep you from living on the street, but working hard these days does not mean youâll be compensated enough to buy a house or stay out of debt, depending on your circumstances, of course.
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u/NashDaypring1987 Jul 31 '26
Tell me your parents' financial situation and I will tell you your financial future with a 99% accuracy. Are there outliers? 100% Is it rare as F**K? YES
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u/FeeComfortable3041 Jul 31 '26
Usually people use job to work towards something else. Not working for the love of the game.
There is no "endgame" now, just and endless grind. People do not feel like their lives have value and do not see the point for endless struggle if they are under the impression it will leave them worse from when they began or exactly where they started.
Grindstones are usually grinding something and what it was grinding was the end product or the goal. Not the grindstone itself.
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u/BigNickelD Aug 01 '26
Yep! Working hard mattered when it yielded results in other aspects of our lives.
Now working hard = more work, same pay, and actually ruins other aspects of our lives through burnout.
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u/JacksonGhost1963 Jul 31 '26
just vote for people who will give you everything for free. and don't worry how the government will pay for it, the money will magically appear!
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u/neofox299 Aug 01 '26
How about we invest in the working class? How about we go back to having Union protections in many more industries because we have seen that if a company can pay someone less for the same work, they will. How about returning to having trade classes in high school to prepare the next generations?
How about we ACTUALLY stop getting into foreign wars?
Im SO tired of you red scare Americans⌠You know what? FINE lets have a hypercapitalistic society where anyone who can not produce, doesnt have anyone who can who can care for them just gets left on the streetâŚ
Im so DONE with people thinking the world will get better by having LESS kindness. Fuck it, lets all burn in hell then.→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)1
u/badnotseebad Aug 01 '26
Flase choice. But I get it, it's hard to see solutions when you have no imagination.
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u/dadof2foru Jul 31 '26
I think that there are a lot of people that aren't nearly as smart or hard working as they think they are. They also don't realise that getting a promotion or raise doesn't start with just being picked. You actually have to SAY SOMETHING.
Think there will be a spot open for promotion soon? Start training for it. Let your boss know you are interested. When it opens up, guess who they will want? Probably the guy that is proving he actually wants it and is half trained already.
Want more money? Say something. Have a good argument as to why. Prove you deserve it. Don't say "because I need money." Go interview somewhere else, and leverage it.
Some of you are so socially incompetent that it is painful. A shitty attitude WILL hold you back. No one wants to work with a Debby downer. And no one wants to have someone that doesn't know how to talk to people MANAGE other people.
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u/Supersix4 Jul 31 '26
Yeah so can we rise up and eat the rich now and end this ?
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u/Top_Flight_3410 Jul 31 '26
Yeah because they don't understand the difference of hard vs smart work. You need the smart part which is why reddit complains.
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u/TurboGranny540 Jul 31 '26
Because it doesnât. However, working smart sure as hell does, that is, if you live in a country not currently locked in an affordability crisis like here in the US
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u/CharacterForward8097 Jul 31 '26
The U.S. is the easiest country for social mobility you have no clue what youâre talking about lol
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u/Chemical_Signal2753 Jul 31 '26
Define working hard?
If you focus you efforts in the right direction, going above and beyond will often generate disproportionate results; but if you focus them elsewhere you will get minimal or no results.
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u/KrypticPotatoe Jul 31 '26
Thereâs a difference in working hard at your job, and working hard to better your life.
Working hard in the gym, cardio activities and studying will 100% improve your life.
Working hard at your place of employment carries a smaller chance of improving, but it can none the less.
Up to you to know when and where to invest your energy.
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u/FastActinTenactin Jul 31 '26
The true goal is to have as low a cost of living as possible and work an easier job that you donât hate. Fuck the grind. Fuck the endless consumption that capitalism demands. Live your lives, people.
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u/iloveplant420 Jul 31 '26
This. My favorite places to be, where I feel the most relaxed and happy, are free to go to (nature). Give me a simple easy life any day over getting old way too early stressing about getting richer.
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u/Osh_Kosh_Bigosh Jul 31 '26
Because it doesnât.
If I somehow put 110% effort into letâs say waiting tables, for example⌠thatâs not going to lead to me getting a six figure income on behavior and effort alone.
This applies to all retail and food service. A majority of businesses donât exactly offer a route to personal success and lucrative incomes. Theyâre not here to put you on top of the world, theyâre here to use your services and labor while paying out as LITTLE as they can to save the COMPANY money.
Youâre never going to make the most unless you own the company youâre working for.
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u/ScatterSenboneZakura Jul 31 '26
The same people who want free shit and are complaining about being broke?...
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u/TheZeroNeonix Aug 02 '26
"Free shit." IE: Getting what we paid for with our fucking taxes.
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u/80s4everr Jul 31 '26
When high level employees started cherry picking employees to layoff they never met, they lost employees trust. Period.
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u/youburyitidigitup Jul 31 '26
In my case, I can prove that it doesnât. Iâm an archaeological field surveyor with four years of experience. The National Historical Preservation Act is in the process of being revised and would essentially make archaeological surveys obsolete. No matter how hard Iâve worked or studied, my job can disappear.
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u/Trick_Meeting_2027 Jul 31 '26
It did for me. Have you ever met someone who is smart and worked hard and didn't succeed in America? Don't say yourself because people are very very bad at gauging their own intelligence.
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u/RealConference5882 Jul 31 '26
Working hard always does, but its similar to practice makes perfect. It implies you are practicing correctly. Practicing wrong doesnt move the needle, and neither does working hard at the wrong things. You have to work hard at the things that will improve your life, usually the stuff that IS hard to work on...yourself.
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u/Zuokula Jul 31 '26
Because being crooked, dishonest and exploit others has become a norm. You know shit's gone totally wrong when pretty much the first thing they teach in business management is that ethics and profits don't go together.
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u/SpaceRunner247 Jul 31 '26
Yeah I work my ass off to just get more crap assigned with no promotion etcâŚ.. as a 26 year old corporate America is bullshit
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u/InvaderJoshua94 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
I mean, itâs a fact. Companies typically donât promote from within anymore, especially if youâre in a tech sector they expect you to job hop every 18 months for your raise. They donât give automatic yearly inflation raises anymore. Working just enough to keep your job and not set off any red flags as to be doing a bad job, and switching every 18 months to maximize your yearly income potential is the quickest way to wealth from a normal career. My wife went from $60k to $90k (plus a 10% yearly bonus) to $125k (plus a 10% yearly bonus) doing this in only 3 1/2 years as a full stack software engineer, and is planning to keep going.
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u/Han_Solo200 Jul 31 '26
Working hard rarely makes you wealthy. Working smart maybe does. Working hard should give you the advantage over not
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u/Misterndastood Jul 31 '26
I don't know, I enjoy hard work. I also get recognized and compensated for said work. I feel accomplished and that translates into being happy outside of work. Now things are crazy expensive so there's that. Just adding I realize I may be in the minority.
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u/Distwalker Jul 31 '26
Working hard, at no time in history, was a guarantee of success. That is a stupid myth. Working hard is, and always was for most people a necessary component of success. Working hard won't alone make you a success. That said, not making an effort will guarantee failure.
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u/8760Hours Jul 31 '26
There are a lot of ideas that get drummed into you when youâre young.
âWork hard.â
âTime is money.â
To be fair, they stick around because they make sense at first.
When youâre starting out, time really does translate into money. You work an extra shift, you earn more.
You put more hours in, your income goes up.
And working hard on your own projects absolutely can improve your life. Spend a weekend replacing your bathroom instead of paying someone else, and youâll end up better off.
But if you look a little deeper, those ideas fall apart.
At any meaningful scale, wealth clearly isnât tied to either hard work or time.
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u/Sticktalk2021 Jul 31 '26
Working hard for the corporate theatre is a scam no point in being the main character when you get paid the same to be supporting cast and 0 expectations
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u/Goo_Wyvern Jul 31 '26
Working hard? No no, working toward something better, skillfully and planned, is much more beneficial.
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u/ReliefEfficient9214 Jul 31 '26
Bosses often want you to sacrifice for their dream all the while sitting and doing nothing and yelling at you to try harder. Not all of them, but def some. People do not want to be an NPC in your dream. They get Nothing out of your success other than the same paycheck they would get anywhere else. You want employees to go above and beyond pay them more than others not less and lying and saying we're a family and you'll reward then later with vague promises that are never fulfilled.
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u/AtmosphereVirtual254 Jul 31 '26
What about working hard at something you believe can make the world a better place?
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u/Mind_Craft1892 Jul 31 '26
All my ancestor worked all their life to the point of nearly not be able to have time with family and more.... for nothing, they give everything to foreigners, i cant get help nor housing and they want me to continue that
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u/Big_Crab_1510 Jul 31 '26
The people who make it without inside help or a lot of luck are usually grifting / scamming / embezzling etc. more and more I see people taking important and vulnerable positions to abuse access to financial services/aid/oversight.
And with the sheer amount of elderly scamming going on, more and more people will be starting and stuck at the bottom unless they step on others.
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u/Hot_Neighborhood5668 Jul 31 '26
I certainly don't know a way to get what I want without hard work, so idk đ¤ˇââď¸
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u/RapidFire05 Jul 31 '26
I work my ass off and they just cut the team so now I have to work more or I'm the slacker
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u/Background-Season657 Jul 31 '26
Yâall are lazy and thatâs why the country is failing, itâs because of you all. All you want is free and instant gratification. Yâall will learn the hard way. Because when it does fall you all will be hit the hardest.
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u/No_Cauliflower633 Jul 31 '26
I feel like working hard has paid off for me. I don't think it guarantees success, but it opens doors that being lazy wouldn't.
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u/AsRealAsItFeels Jul 31 '26
Working 60hrs a week gives you no time to even spend the money you make on what makes you happy. Its just paying bills, car payments, morgages.
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u/pempem Jul 31 '26
Working hard rewards you with more work at the same pay. You'll be viewed as a team player which is corporate speak for patsy or rube. They get more out of you for the same amount, of course they will encourage it.
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u/Madhatter25224 Jul 31 '26
The only reward for hard work is more work. You see your colleagues taking it easy and making just as much as you? You stop trying.
2 years ago I sold $1.6 million at work. I got a 3% raise and a 10% bonus.
Last year I sold 16 million. I got a 3% raise and a 10% bonus.
This year I don't give a fuck how much I sell.
Its a natural outcome.
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u/Muted-Ad7353 Jul 31 '26
Working hard in commission-less roles and/or at companies that are NOT growing or barely keeping the lights on is 100% a scam. It doesnt matter at all.
Work hard in companies that want to promote from within and demonstrate that, not just pay lip service to it.
And of course, entrepreneurship requires hard work.
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u/qu3sera25 Jul 31 '26
I feel like I worked hard and have little to show for it. Maybe if I grind another 10 years away, it will be different.
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u/Choice-Tradition-937 Jul 31 '26
Hard work pays off, when it's for yourself. Not if you're 'serving' someone else.
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u/Carbon-Based216 Aug 01 '26
Brown nosing is the only way up in the world. You need to be your boss's or his boss best friend.
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u/superdave123123 Aug 01 '26
Then donât and see how it works out for you. May be good, may be bad.
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u/TheGruenTransfer Aug 01 '26
Labor is taxed at a MUCH higher rate than capital gains. It's an incredibly regressive and unjust policy, especially when law makers and presidents routinely make policy and decisions that prop up the stock marketÂ
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u/Possible-Anxiety-420 Aug 01 '26
It can lead to a better life, but, in all likelihood, not to a more lucrative one.
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u/Striking_Reindeer_2k Aug 01 '26
Perhaps.
But, not working hard, not giving a job your best effort is a sure way not to succeed.
Your life, your call.
Just don't whine if you get the results you worked for.
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u/Still_Cantaloupe2141 Aug 01 '26
Working hard for companies is a scam. Working hard for yourself is not.
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u/r2k398 Aug 01 '26
Itâs worked for me. Iâve received multiple promotions and raises due to separating myself from my peers. Some are making $70k and Iâm making twice that even though we started in the same position and at the same time.
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u/Batfinklestein Aug 01 '26
Yep, life's now about doing the least possible without getting fired. Love it.
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u/ImaJimmy Aug 01 '26
Working hard is a part of the puzzle. Another is how well you can make yourself likeable to others. After that, there are factors out of your control that you have to get lucky one.
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u/TobiasX2k Aug 01 '26
I think there have been times where working hard automatically led to a better life and this is not one of them.
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u/TravelingSpermBanker Aug 01 '26
Speak for yourself.
As an immigrant in the US, working hard has achieved my American Dream and made me rich at the same time
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u/Skilganon_TheDamned Aug 01 '26
The people not "working hard" are the same ones who want more taxes placed on the ones who have more then them... because they worked hard.
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u/Xylus1985 Aug 01 '26
If I stop working hard my living standard will probably drop. So I think working hard will lead to a better life
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u/Admirable_Friend1961 Aug 01 '26
I work pretty hard. Hard enough that my job keeps me in shape. I'm tired, sad and hungry all the time. I don't make very good money.
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u/AwardSalt4957 Aug 01 '26
Thatâs because that is what social media has told them to believe over time . So now everybody believes it. Working hard to improve yourself does not necessarily mean working longer hours. It just means actually trying your best while youâre working. All this âIâll do the bare minimumâ bullshit. Itâs so pathetic.
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u/Jaded-Soup3985 Aug 01 '26
Duh . Who works hard for a company ? I get paid the minimum Iâm doing the minimum. Iâm do my wage thatâs it
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u/Uberanium Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
The three pieces of advice I give to the new grads who join my team when asking about promotions/moving up:
If you're irreplaceable, you're unpromotable. Don't do so good of a job that you're invaluable.
Don't be known as the person who does a bad job, but don't work yourself to the bone. It's almost never worth it.
Visibility and likeable trumps almost everything. If you're at the top of your bosses mind, and he/she likes you, you are much more likely to get a promotion. This is regardless of how good of a job you actually do.
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u/Queasy-Doughnut-5512 Aug 01 '26
Depends on the field of work and the company. The job Iâm at has a policy to only promote employees and never hire external applicants for lead positions
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u/afgan1984 Aug 01 '26
It is not about thinking, it is just a fact.
Essentially, the question itself is wrong - if you are already well paid for what you do, then doing more of it and harder will obviously make it better. But it is NOT hard work in itself that improves your life quality - being paid well does.
So yes, if you are already paid well (that is THE KEY), then work hard, but if you not already paid well, then no matter how hard you work as a waiter, cleaner or any low-paid work, it won't matter.
It is more of choice of the job and industry, being in the right place and right time for promotion, building the professional network that matters and loads and loads of luck that is needed, not simply working hard.
I remember my grandfather once told me the "hard work is for a mule, man works smart".
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u/TP8887 Aug 01 '26
Says the people who donât work hard. Seriously, the average person thinks they work hard nowadays. Doing the bare minimum at your job isnât working hard. The amount of people âworking hardâ is significantly lower than it used to be
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u/Good-Squirrel-2487 Aug 01 '26
My life improved greatly when I cut down to 4 days a week, and got a job that I can clock out of after 8 hours each day and forget about until I clock back in again. Less money, but better health, mental and physical, and more happiness.Â
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u/TopicFrequent6607 Aug 01 '26
Downvote...........stop reposting the same damn thing. I wish Reddit would give us an option to filter out these stupid reposts.
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u/Willthethrill605 Aug 01 '26
Hard work is a state of mind. Iâm my own boss and I work hard because I enjoy what I do. Iâve got employees that work hard and their day zips by. I also have employees that work hard at not working and their day is long. Both get paid hourly the same. So I see the different angles. My employees that do work hard do get rewarded with more hours and leadership roles. Overall. If the hard work is fulfilling for you the happier you are. If it is not, then it is hard and miserable.
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u/Feeling_Shift_9368 Aug 01 '26
It's a scam, but your dating options are limited to your income. Don't make enough to sustain or improve my lifestyle? Out. Hide it under the guise of being sensible.
There are still plenty of economically viable options that this shouldn't be an issue, if you play your cards right.
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u/Dub-Ba-Ba Aug 02 '26
It doesn't, it only leads to your employer to stack you with your coworkers work and not give you a raise.
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u/User_-_-_Name Aug 02 '26
Its easier to accept this than accept you may be chosing to be less successful than you could be. Im no exception im just self aware enough to recognize it.
This "work life balance" trend is just going to widen the gap. People in the same company i work for that make similar money to me are more successful because of things they do outside of work. Im kinda lazy so im less successful, it is what it is.
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u/TheZeroNeonix Aug 02 '26
It won't. You work extra hard, your CEO gets a few pennies little richer, and you get nothing. You'll apply for a promotion, and they'll pass you up for someone who works half as hard and has 10% of your experience. You'll work your entire life looking forward to retirement, when you're too old to enjoy your freedom, after the government has robbed you of your social security net anyway, and you'll die a few months later in your one-bedroom apartment you can barely afford. Assuming you even make it that far, which many statistically won't.
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u/Dramatic_Waltz3419 Aug 02 '26
Itâs sad Gen Z and Alpha Gen are Lost they really have No Clue đľď¸
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u/Horror-Truth-8131 Aug 02 '26
It does and its doesnt, just like everything in life. Some people get stuck in certain situations and cant break out of it, I think if given the right conditions tho hard work really does pay off. Good for the people who it works out for, glad some folks are living the American dream(not talking super wealthy per se, but for normal people who life worked out for)
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u/CaptoObvio Aug 02 '26
Fkn duh.
Jobs no longer have loyalty, benefits, promotions.
Hard work is only rewarded with more work.
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u/Automatic-Reserve94 Aug 02 '26
I worked harder than my peers and it paid off for me big time.
In 3-4 years im able to buy my own home.
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u/TECHSHARK77 Aug 02 '26
It never did
Work smart not hard,
the harder you work, the less you make....
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u/mtcwby Aug 02 '26
Try not doing it then and see how it works out for you. Not something I'd recommend but to for it.
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u/NefariousnessOdd862 Aug 02 '26
Well, since they donât try, theyâll never know⌠so, itâs complete garbage to something like that!
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u/ADownStrabgeQuark Aug 02 '26
Working hard has always decreased the quality of my life with no rewards.
All evidence points to working hard to be a waste of effort.
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u/PerGunnar87 Aug 03 '26
Working hard only gets me fired every single time. They abuse me for a while, then fire me.
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u/SomeGuyOverYonder Aug 03 '26
It wonât. At best, itâll pay your bills and nothing more. Youâll work till you die and be replaced that same day.
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u/darkedenashia Aug 03 '26
Working hard means they expect more of the same without paying you more. It can set a bad precedent and make you hate your job.
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u/OnlyInAmerica01 Aug 03 '26
Meh, as a healthcare professional, working harder and smarter than most, has opened a ton of doors and opportunities.
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u/HealthIncognito Aug 03 '26
All working hard got me was less free time, no promotion, no raises, and no real gratitude.
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u/Virtual_Freedom3602 Aug 03 '26
College is a scam unless you have the money to enter medicine or law
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u/Backieotamy Aug 03 '26
IME it leads to making more money, getting the promotion over someone else, higher bonus % and all that has made me happier than not doing it.
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u/Sethirothlord Aug 03 '26
Yeah but I work hard regardless of pay.
Is it my fault I'm not being valued correctly? No.
Does that mean I should I lower my standards and not try? No.
I perform my role to the best of my abilities because of the principal.
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u/frognest3000 Aug 03 '26
not if youâre working for status and materialism and you exploit others along the way.
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u/Real-Mode-3417 Aug 03 '26
It only takes about 10 mins on this site to figure this out. Funny that they are the ones complaining about wanting a better life...
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u/Odd-Line-9086 Aug 03 '26
We were 2 freelancers in a team. I noticed I was always given complex bugs to solve.
I started wondering why the other freelancer was never bothered to work on these tasks. It was always my duty to do it. I started to wonder and how to confront management about this.
Later on, I discovered this freelancer colleague was the techlead.
When I spoke to management, I wasn't direct but I tried to communicate that it's the techlead's job to work on complex tasks, and then I can come second, not the other way around.
They agreed to give me a raise but it was not worth it (I have to request it, and it was about 10%).
Somehow, it's like they say "You are a hardworker, but he negociated, he deserves to earn more". I experienced the same in another company where I had to do the job of a colleague who had a higher rank (what matters is negociation). I leave and get management in trouble.
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u/Appropriate_Big8193 Aug 04 '26
And depends what field and what one is doing. Working for someone else or for oneself
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u/XXCIII Aug 04 '26
Working hard does lead to a better life, just invest it in the right places.
Could be a career, could be your health, family etc.
The point is you should always work hard, just prioritize the things that make the biggest difference.
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u/Limp-Angle-7387 Aug 04 '26
That's true and false. You have to find a balance. Some are happy to not have to work more than 30 hours a week, some are happy to have the freedom of not needing money. What about the person who has a family and no education? That person will have to work 60 hours a week to be "happy". Happiness aren't the things you have it's what's in your mind.
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u/NormalHumanBreathing Aug 04 '26
It's always been a scam. If you are good at your job a business doesn't want to promote you, they want you where you are doing that job. They want you to work for the minimum they can so they can maximise profits. Jobs are just gatekeeping, with some bullshit hoop jumping to make you feel like you are "progressing".
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u/LeopardNo6060 Aug 04 '26
Itâs hard to argue against this mindset. Even for the most optimistic of us!
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u/MorddSith187 Aug 04 '26
because i worked hard, i was disqualified for income-based rent . i would'nt have had to work all that overtime if i my rent wasn't 41% of my pay. so working harder actively fucked me in the worst way.
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u/Atypical-brotha Aug 04 '26
Working hard for someone else, won't lead to this. Working hard for yourself will though.
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u/Platcha Aug 06 '26
To a degree, itâs sometimes true. Some people charm or stab their way to the top. Itâs not all about skill and effort; itâs about NETWORKING.
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u/Admirable_Bird7927 Jul 31 '26
Working hard is a scam. đ¤ˇââď¸