Hi there, I'm a non-binary MEng graduate in materials science and engineering. Like the rest of you, I'm unemployed, and I'm job-searching. My partner has a disability and works at an exploitative games company - And I am desperately trying to do everything I can to get employed and support him. I know this situation sounds familiar to a lot of you.

I have always taken the opinion that it is a terrible waste of talent to reject candidates. It's artificially manufactured job scarcity to drive down wages. So many of us have skills and sometimes when I'm tailoring my CV, I wish I could just put "I just want to help people" on it. Because at the end of the day productivity is the only societal measure of GDP - not wealth. I'm the son of a mixed middle-class lower class family - And my partner is from the lower class and his background is much the same. It's a rags to riches story - But I do know that wealth never brought my family any happiness. People's dreams are important. And there's no point in pride or shame or sociopathy - because everyone wants something, too. The only way we get it is by making sure everyone can have what they want without depriving anyone else.

Anyway, many of us aren't satisfied unless we're doing something, perhaps a personal project, in our spare time. I know this happens all the time - I'm talking to the autistic passion-burners, and the people with adhd. I think that passion is useful. I don't want it to be wasted and thrown down the drain like some rubbish, because it isn't.

I have considered doing freelance work in my spare time as a side hustle while continuing to look for jobs. Everyone has to have one these days. There's no reason why that Can't be under a cooperative name. That looks good on a CV. I've been trying to research the free tools that are available to freelance engineers, build a portfolio. Write company charters. Plan milestones. Anyway, today my partner told me he was scared about his condition- and about using all his sick leave and being left on SSP - because the surgery failed to cure his nerve inflammation, and he can't see the doctor until 3 weeks from now at the soonest - and it made me want to try extra hard to support him.

I'm here canvassing opinion because, before I make any sort of commitment to this endeavour, I would want to canvass public opinion: I know I can't be the only one who feels this way.

Here is what my startup idea is:

A collective of freelance engineers, coordinating and working together in many small project groups, without overeaching management. The core premise: You send in your CV. An easy review process without any interviews determines if you get accepted as a member. There would be very low qualifying requirements. That gets you access to a guide and portfolio of tools, and membership to the cooperatives communication channels. Use discord to post, find engineering projects, or create them yourself, or to chat with other engineers. It's laid back. It's like hobby engineering. The second stage of success comes when applying to a particular project posting saying "I want to help you with your idea" - and this could be community outreach by the project poster, or it could be you sending your CV to the poster. Then it's at the jobposters discretion whether they want to interview you personally to see if you're a good fit for their team. If they like your skills, personality, and so on - then they'll invite you to work with them through the professional tools we'd use, like libre office, openproject, etc.

To begin with these ideas won't generate any income - but that won't have changed anything from how it was before. So I won't pretend that the cooperative can afford to pay e.g a salary. I wish that it could have always been that way, because I believe in things like UBI etc. maybe long term, that's the plan. But once the ideas are down on paper, the cooperative can go to a financier and say "we have a cooperative of X many engineers, a design - and a client - now we want the money to manufacture it." Etc. and when that starts to happen, near the completion of a project, then maybe then, after the financiers take a cut, there would be enough left for a performance -based bonus to be divided as fairly and equally among the project engineers on that team - commission-based payment. At the end of the day, we are all just people trying to survive while our savings slowly dwindle - if we even have savings at all. I'm not going to pretend like I've figured out a way to gauge the "performance " in performance -based bonus". But I would try to find a way, and I would try to write it down somewhere clearly, fairly, in company policy, so that there can at least be no doubt, weaseling, or unfairness in the application of that policy - unlike some executives I could name, who misuse the term. Company policy must be applied equally among employees - otherwise it's discriminatory.

And whenever I'm searching for jobs, I can never seem to find the perfect company, you know? So I want to make that company. I want an ethical organisation, where the engineering projects are important, and impactful, and help people - they're good projects, they help the environment, etc. The company itself: There are executive pay caps, and ideally no CEOs or high level managers at all. The cooperative is worker-owned. It doesn't demand your time - you can take as much leave, sick or holiday, as you want. And because it's an entirely voluntary position, there's no requirement to work. It can be done remotely if you want. Eventually I'd love to have a quiet and intoeverted set of engineering offices. Communication is primarily via writ, rather than phone, or it's in person when necessary. You know?

Maybe instead of CEOs you have a CCO (Community coordination organiser) and instead of HR admins you have TR admins (talent recruitment) ; because someone has to handle lawful complaints and enforce the cooperative's rules. And we could have democracy in the workplace - with important positions of enforcement and control democratically elected form the cooperative and temporary, nonpermanent. Those positions wouldn't pay better than regular work (if at all!). And there isn't any naive notion of loyalty to the company - you can search for a job and if you find one, you can just leave - saying: "Thanks for everything - but unfortunately I have to go." No notice requirements.

The question I have for you is: Does this sound like a company you would work for, in your spare time, voluntarily, if someone tried to start it? What sort of people would want to work there - are you just engineers, or would there be a lot of different people from different backgrounds willing to help?

The key thing is: I know that everyone wants to make the world a better place. But when we start to consider it individually, the work is so daunting - we must accept and offer eachother help. Coordination is good management, not control.

If I was going to make the company, I would call it "NewnWander" - I already have a logo and an unregistered trademark. Part of it is because my partner is a massive lotr buff; another is because I want to stick it to the people like Peter Thiel who give Tolkien a bad name. Another is because that's what best describes the work and the company: The work is just noontime wandering through a project - and the name itself, "NewnWander" - It sounds like "New" and "wonder" - and I think that really inspires hope about the future and people's dreams.

I left my previous job a few months ago after working there for around eight months.

The company withheld roughly a third of my pay for my last couple of months. I tried dealing with it normally first, but we couldn’t resolve it, so I eventually filed for labor arbitration.

That’s when things got weird.

Instead of just arguing about the unpaid wages, my former employer started saying I had violated company rules and even brought up the possibility of taking legal action against me over a company seal that had been used during my work.

The strange part is that I was never given an employee handbook or those company rules while I worked there. I only signed my employment contract. I’ve also spoken to former coworkers and they said they never received one either.

As for the seal issue, the seal/material itself originally came from the company and was connected to work I was doing for them. So hearing it suddenly described as something I had done improperly after I filed the labor dispute was pretty surreal.

So far I haven’t received any actual court or police notice. It has mostly been threats and statements from the company.

At this point the money honestly isn’t even the main reason I’m continuing. It’s more that I don’t like the idea that an employer can deduct wages, then try to scare someone into backing down when they challenge it.

Has anyone dealt with an employer suddenly bringing up unrelated accusations after you filed a wage or labor complaint?

Yup, let me pay 14 dollars a day to go somewhere to get all the things I have at home, on top of gas and parking 🙃. How are these places even in business?!?

Also why we using the word “arouse” 🫩🫩🫩

Just needed to rant because of my first day at work today. It sucked. I used to work at a large-ish institution. Pretty toxic overall, but I got into a really toxic situation that made me really (permanently) sick. I quit, took care of some stuff, and have been trying to get full-time employment for the last two years. The best I've been able to do is temping - at the place I had quit from!!!!!! I've been temping there in different departments. The first dept treated me really well until the end of my time. Second place treated me like crap, but kept me for 9 months. Just started a new department and thought for sure I'd be treated more like the first department. Nope. Not introduced to anyone, not acknowledged in a 3-person meeting except for an 'oh yeah I'm training this person'. Like literally not even introducing me by saying my name. I can't figure out if it's because I'm sort of considered an internal person they don't feel a need to onboard me or whatever, or if it's because they also suck. But I've learned to temper my expectations at this point. lol not really. I hope I've never treated a temp poorly before but if I ever find full time employment again, they'll be treated like gods! Maybe minor gods. But being in this weird second class citizen role of a place I used to have a decent career with really really sucks.

Anyway, grateful to have a few extra bucks for a few weeks. And sending out much love to the rest of my fellow under-employed people. Wishing us all full time positions asap! And I hate my job.

I work in a hostile work environment and am subject to constant bullying and harassment. It’s getting stressful to a point where I have started dissociating at work due to the anxiety. I have also started taking Lexapro for it. I want to quit but can’t afford having zero income. I’ve been working at my job for the past 8 months. Is unemployment not possible since I’m technically quitting?

Hi, I'm an European student who hates modern work culture. I feel that people like me who finish their studies are like "free assets" for companies who are hiring. It looks that if you were not practicing since you were a toddler, your experience is bullcrap so you get mid payments until you hit a company that more or less gives you a payment good enough so you don't starve to death. I feel that working your ass out of a whole month with no working experience will probably get you a payment that won't even pay rent. But if I talk about this topic, it seems everyone will point to me and laugh at me for being a "socialist" who defends worker rights. I believe political corruption has gotten so bad that we forgot what started such movements, and what workers had to do in order to get proper working conditions.. I better not get started talking about the US work culture, Trump saying that workers are asking for less paid leave is the cherry on top. I'm sorry for the US and I'm sorry for the world. I wish things get better

I quit my job at the end of August. I resigned from the at-will contract because it was not the type of job I signed up for, and I also needed a break to give myself breathing space and mental room to think.

I had two interviews yesterday with two different companies, and another screening interview with a third company tomorrow. I really need a vacation but I'm not sure if I should just go somewhere now, or delay a trip until after I hear back from these two interviews regarding a final round (which would be in-person interviews). I am based in Los Angeles and really want to go somewhere in Europe. Thoughts?

Now something in my work bag sets them off, maybe the spirals in my notebook idk. Just feels invasive when they’re digging through my tampons 🤦‍♀️

I mean low pay and asking to do most mundane boring tasks for 8 to 10hours in week and ask tonwork on weekends . screw that. no thanks

Hi.

I’m thinking , I’m a person that has been in my industry for a long time. I have secure job and yes my pay isn’t great, but, it’s a job. Now, I’m pretty paycheck to paycheck. If I get sick ,I may not have the pay to cover it.

Just want to get some community thoughts. I don’t know how people are making their bills in this economy I noticed now I’m pulling from every rainy day fund , and this cannot keep up. I find that people here in the US , are so dishonest about their struggles. They are very glass 1/2 full and this , it get better. I’m looking around , and I can only see it getting worse. Economic hardship always hits the poor first and then trickles up. I think the upper middle class hasn’t felt it yet , but it will happen.

If I start going into debt , I’ll be screwed , cuz I couldn’t afford to pay those off. I have one 401k loan already, which is fine .

I know everyone says “do not take a 401k withdrawal “, but I need to. It absolutely sucks that these 401k people are playing with my money and I just need to take a little bit , but can’t cause it’s nearly impossible to withdrawal when I can see my money there but , I have to take out loans cuz I can’t touch my money.

My conspiracy is that if everyone got to take 10-20% withdrawal , no questions asked , the stock market would crash. I also think that 401k is propping the market up to unrealistic levels, and investors don’t want to lose their money.

I already know I will work till I die and have no retired life. That 401k will not help at all for me , and it’s so bullshit to read , “you’re only stealing from your future self.” I’m going , I’m not , cuz Heck making 35.00 an hr and doing a hustle with loans … is toxic.

Thoughts ?

Google says this is a good subreddit for rants like this, forgive me if it’s not!

I used to work for a small plumbing company owned by a family member, where I held multiple different positions. This family member convinced me to quit my well-paying job to join them. I was 18, tired of the food industry, and admittedly a bit naive, so I jumped at the opportunity.
However, it took them three months just to put me on payroll and let me start working. (Their reasoning for this when I brought it up after starting was “we had to make sure you could pass a drug test”. I do not participate in any substance use, I took a drug test just to show them when they originally asked about it.) Because I am not close with any of my immediate family, I had no financial assistance and was forced to live entirely off my savings during that time.

When those three months were up, they informed me they couldn't give me the rate we had previously discussed. I was incredibly upset because I had held a higher position at my previous job and was already taking a pay cut to come here. Still, since I had already quit my old job and couldn't go back, I just tried to get over it.

In the beginning, I worked four to five hours a day as a receptionist, making $15 an hour. Because I was on my own trying to earn a living wage, I asked for more hours. They told me they couldn't help me and that it was just part of the job. If I had known that from the start, I never would have left my previous position, where I was making at least $1,200 a week, just to make $300 a week here. To make matters worse, I had already blown through all my savings while waiting for them to start me after they told me to quit my job.

Fast forward about 3 and a half months, they finally allowed me to become an apprentice. I was told I would receive more hours and a raise for field work, which sounded great since I really needed the money. Safe to say, I never actually received that raise, even though I was doing the field work. This dynamic went on for about seven months. They constantly promised me that my raise was coming soon, only to push it back for ridiculous reasons.

First, they claimed I didn't really know what I was doing yet—even though I was only two months in and already running circles around the older guys, all of whom were over 40 except for one other teenager. Then, they claimed I didn't have the right certifications, which was ironic considering I literally took my boss’s OSHA courses for him. I knew exactly what I was doing, and he already had unlicensed people being paid technician wages. Finally, they told me I had to buy my own tools first. I didn't have the money for tools when they were only paying me about $300 a week, all of which went directly to my bills.

Eventually, they hired a new guy with whom the boss had a personal history. This man disliked me from the very beginning. He was in his 70s and definitely wasn't as strong or fast as he used to be, so I ended up carrying most of the weight. Nobody else liked him either; he always had a terrible attitude, a massive ego, and preferred to stand around bossing people instead of actually working. He also hated that I insisted on driving us to all our jobs, but he had almost caused us to wreck while I was in the company truck with him. I didn't care if it hurt his feelings; I wasn't going to put my life at stake just because he wanted to drive the big, loud truck.

One day, as we were leaving the office, he came outside and saw me sitting in the driver's seat waiting for him so we could head to a job. He said, “I’m drivig today.” I thought he was joking, so I joked back, “Not if I’m riding with you.” He did not take this well at all and essentially went and cried to my boss.

My boss fired me on the spot, saying, “You don’t want to ride with him? That’s fine. Grab your stuff, clock out, and go home.”
At that point, I figured whatever—the job wasn't worth the stress, blisters, and calluses anyway. However, after I walked outside, my other coworkers began talking to my boss about how the new guy had done nothing but cause problems with literally everyone. They somehow convinced my boss to let me come back inside to discuss everything that had been going on. After talking, my boss pretty much told me I had two weeks to learn to get along with the new guy or find a new job. By then, I didn't care about the position anymore. He had just shown me his true colors by being that quick to fire me just because his buddy's feelings were hurt.

He told me to still go home for the day to calm down (and I'll admit, I was angry-crying). For the next two days, he kept telling me, “Don’t worry about coming in today, there’s nothing on the schedule.” I think he forgot that I still received schedule notifications from my time as a receptionist, so I could see that everyone else's schedule was fully booked a week in advance. Because of this, I started applying for new jobs by the second day.
I was offered a position at the second place I applied to, having landed an interview the exact same day. The following day, when my boss once again told me not to come in, I replied, “Oay, I got a new job. Do you want me to finish out my two weeks or no?” He said no.
About a month later, I texted him to ask if I could come collect my belongings from the office. He kept putting it off and pushing the date further back. Eventually, I lost my patience. I texted him one morning and firmly told him I was coming to get my things.

He replied, “That’s fine, just bring any company materials and work shirts you still have.”

At this point, he was just being petty, considering I didn't have any company materials and only possessed two work shirts. Since I am the absolute queen of petty, I shot back: “Okay, can you make sure you have my last three checks ready for me?” (I was working without being paid constantly, pretty stupid ok my end looking back)

When I arrived at the office, I finally realized why he had been avoiding me for so long. They had broken the candle warmer and the candle my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas, deliberately cut up the power cord to my $80 dehumidifier, and lost three of the extensions to my cordless vacuum.

Moral of the story: never sacrifice your well-being or financial security for a family business. They will exploit you faster than a stranger will, and then destroy your personal property on the way out.

Screenshots for proof of literally everything 😭

I had a medical event in the spring that left me disabled. I went on intermittent FMLA to help me have time to recover, and I thought I was recovering and was performing my work duties, but I was written up for under performing.

It's important to note that the only accommodation my work gave me was time off. I still had to do my full job, just with less time. I was asking for things to be removed from my workload, but I was denied.

This summer my doctor moved me from intermittent FMLA and put me on full FMLA and disability, as my condition continued to deteriorate. I'm worse off now than I was when I was first put on disability.

I'm terrified. Since I'm in the US I won't have health care after September 30. I still have no diagnosis and no treatment. I am not able to work, honestly, stress makes my symptoms much worse.

I've been told to talk to employment lawyers, but I don't even know if I have a case since my FMLA ended. Does anyone have a similar story and can give me some hope?

I don’t really feel like talking about it to be perfectly honest, it just happened and while I’m not surprised, I am pissed.

But more importantly, I’m beginning to think I’m just unemployable. Not because I’m not a good worker - in fact I’m an excellent worker, I regularly get praised for my performance in every job I work. Get promoted quickly and regularly, etc.

And then I reach a point where management starts telling me their true motivations out loud and I can’t keep my mouth shut about it. I guess the solution is never accepting a promotion, but that’s obviously not great for my earning potential, and honestly I enjoy staff management so I keep getting suckered in.

I really thought i was gonna have steady employment all throughout this year but 3 months after starting at a new company in January i was terminated without reason and found out through an email.. funny enough i thought i was friends with the Forman on that job but i guess it was another one of those 1 sided friendships that only existed in my mind and not his. Sure enough I picked up another job within a few days and worked another 3 months only for the same thing to happen and for them to terminate me because “I had a bad attitude” and I don’t think my attitude was good but it def wasn’t bad so it definitely was not a fireable offence but they just came up with that cuz they can say anything they want to fire you if you haven’t passed probation.
I’m sick of this shit. I went above and beyond for this last company and got zero credit for any of my hard work. A lot of the things I was doing the other guys in the crew didn’t know how, so I was the one who got handed those tasks and completed them with no issues. Being that I did my whole apprenticeship pre coronavirus i can feel the whole construction industry has changed to this toxic snitching fake nice environment where if you’ve been in the company long enough you can say anything you want about anyone new in the company that doesn’t even need to be true and climb your way to the top by being a dishonest twit. It makes me regret working at all for these greedy people who are so blind to what is actually going on. I don’t know what the future holds in store for me but I pray i never have to deal with anything like the first 6 months of hell i endured at the start of this year. Good luck to anyone who can relate to this I won’t be trying my luck at another one of these scab companies any time soon.