
It’s not the job that sucks, it’s the people (2012) - motivic
http://meetingboy.com/post/8443931678/its-not-the-job-that-sucks-its-the-people
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oddlyaromatic
I have felt this way in reverse. Before and during college I worked in
supermarkets and clothes shops. Those jobs were fine but some places I really
hated going to work everyday and some places I felt really good about. Same
exact work but how people treat each other matters a great deal. When I
learned what it was like to work somewhere and feel pretty good going in, it
was huge for me. I'm loyal to my current job at a nonprofit because even
though the pay is not the highest, everybody cares about the work and helps
each other. That is good for me.

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6stringmerc
Lovely little write-up about the staring point, growth, and observations. I
have a prima face nodding along with a lot of the thoughts put forward.

I mean, it's taken me two plus years to figure it out, but I've finally come
to the realization that my former Boss must wake up every day in his bed,
reach over to his night-stand, grab a pistol, put it in his mouth, then sigh
real deep and decide, "No, not today," before coming into the office. It's
what I tell myself to contextualize his never-ending negativity. At least the
impatient manipulative behavior of asking two people for the exact same help
was only once or twice a month. "Hell is other people" ain't just for
introverts.

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alexandercrohde
This piece touches on a few different ideas:

1\. Many workers are frustrated with their job, and the common thread is how
they treated by other people

2\. Investigates whether an organized upheaval of the work status quo is
likely in the near future

3\. Suggests everybody's job can suck, no matter how nice it appears from the
outside (even the CEO)

-

I'd like to react to point 3. Though I think any job can suck, I think those
with disproportionate influence (i.e. CEO) have much more ability to improve
the status quo and not make things suck for those below them.

What I see is an irony where those with the MOST responsibility are those with
the least influence (the "lowest"). Those who have the most ability to fix
things (investors, C-level) are the ones who almost never get fired, just
moved to another position or asked to resign with a generous package.

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mooreds
FYI, the post is 5 years old.

~~~
ryanburk
true, but the theme is fairly timeless. I've always heard it (and seen this
personally as an employee and manager myself) boiled down to "people don't
leave companies, they leave managers".[1] and there is a lot of writing / data
out there to support it.

[1]
[http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2015/08/04/people-l...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2015/08/04/people-
leave-managers-not-companies/#2e9b05cd16f3)

~~~
oddlyaromatic
As a manager that line is always in the back of my mind when I'm trying to
figure out how to help an employee do better. Turnover is not cheap, and you
can be somebody's jerk boss and not even know it if you aren't careful.

~~~
Taylor_OD
I stuck around at my last job for a long time because of my manager. When
interviews I was evaluating the role but most of the time It really came down
to my new potential manager vs my old manager. I needed to see that they would
be able to offer / teach / give me something that my old manager wasnt able
to. It's not an easy way to interview but it is really satisfying when you
find the right fit.

~~~
oddlyaromatic
This is good advice. My current manager has a good mix of high standards,
clear feedback, and letting me try my own things.

