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SteelMarch t1_iu07p8m wrote

Replying to pinsorthepeople (#260,780)

Sometimes the satire writes itself. I recall target sending it's "corporate" employees to underprivileged stores and they just started shitting on the minorities they were hiring it was something else.

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Raynosaurus t1_iu08j37 wrote

Once you get past the excessively large smiling man picture, it's actually an interesting article that digs into the major challenges people that work these warehouse jobs deal with. Key here is that it would be beneficial for the change of pace and scenery for a short while, but it's a brutal work life if it's all you do.

I personally have a desk job and love doing the occasional 'mindless' inventory work because it gives me a chance to clear my head, however if that was my job day in day out I would go insane probably!

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StudentWonderful6155 t1_iu08ta3 wrote

If you have money to go back to then yeah, you will feel better with perspective

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KevinNineEleven t1_iu09dim wrote

Cursed article. Also, he was a holiday season hire and only worked within two months according to his linkedin. In other words, it was purely an act of tourism.

🎵You'll never live like common people🎵

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jhf94uje897sb t1_iu09ipx wrote

You don't have to be cynical to know amazon doesn't give a shit about their workers. Lol. I hate how the article almost reads like a positive note for working at Amazon.

2

WhiteJam t1_iu0a177 wrote

"Philip Su spent seven weeks working in an Amazon warehouse..." 7 whole weeks, what a trooper

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KRA2008 t1_iu0a7cy wrote

tldr: it sucked in numerous ways, some of which illustrated the clear case for workers' rights, but rigid schedule and exercise can be good for depression

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funnyprofessor t1_iu0aonf wrote

I left tech back in 2008 for a teaching career (college-level). Best decision I ever made.

4

BitterLeif t1_iu0aqsz wrote

Replying to Raynosaurus (#261,291)

I did data entry for a couple years before advancing to a position where I oversee data entry for a couple more, and at the end of that I felt like a zombie. I remember seriously thinking that I may as well already be dead.

5

HazardPayChecker t1_iu0au5i wrote

Replying to Raynosaurus (#261,291)

Wouldn't the more logical reality be that people at a desk job just need more exercise and that's why they fall into such a burnout. It's not so much the burnout, but the lack of any physically activity that leaves them feeling fatigued.

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renothedog t1_iu0b1nl wrote

Step 1. Already be rich and financially secure in every way.

237

[deleted] t1_iu0boah wrote

nice. to be able to work a shit job for shit pay and not have the stress of bills and making ends meet. I can see how this might help.

He probably could have accomplished the same thing by becoming a gentleman farmer, or "bulking up" for some imaginary super hero movie or any of a million things that leaves you exhausted at the end of the day.

​

But I will play along, so working at an amazon site for a cure for depression. excellent.

1

soldatodianima t1_iu0c8h1 wrote

I am actually looking for a part time gig due to how mind numbing the office and working in a cubicle can be, especially after peak COVID, and working from home.

Also, I still don’t want to be around 100s of people and like my personal space but I don’t want to be in a box.

1

DarkDeSantis t1_iu0cfbe wrote

I feel like this could apply to ALOT of Americans. We need a perspective shift on what real burnout is...But hopefully you enjoyed your 7 week test of regular labor

1

shawnkfox t1_iu0cfc2 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#261,743)

I didn't read the article but I assumed the gist of it would be that he took a shitty job and realized how good he has had it all his life. So many people in the US are completely spoilt having never experienced any real financial hardship or worked any really crappy physical jobs, thus having zero appreciation for what life is like in other countries or even for the bottom 1/3 in the US.

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No_Rope4561 t1_iu0d006 wrote

I fell into one of the worst depressive episodes of my life (and there’s been a few) after my second manic episode ever that ended with me in handcuffs (lucky to not be shot, which would have been all on me). I applied for the 11pm-4am shift at the UPS warehouse because if I didn’t do something I knew I wouldn’t survive it. I worked there for 6 months including the holiday season. I worked a lot of hard labor jobs when I was young but this was the most grueling, back breaking job I ever had. I fucking loved it and it saved my life. Would I stay there forever? Fuck no, but I am so thankful it was there when I needed it.

I dare anyone criticizing Philip Su for how long he worked there to go do that job for 7 weeks. I want to sit outside the exit so I can laugh at your tears.

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Dry-Dog5396 t1_iu0dba9 wrote

My biggest gripe with this article is the idea that when you clock out, all of your work worries just magically disappear until you clock back in. That couldn’t be further from the truth for anyone living paycheck to paycheck, with no real job security. I guess a wealthy tech exec on a hiatus couldn’t relate to that.

2

kograkthestrong t1_iu0dgeo wrote

Replying to BitterLeif (#261,594)

Was a mechanic in the military for 11 years. Been a lifelong mechanic honestly. I've grown up and supported my family by working with my hands and using my body.

I've been doing data entry for 7 months. I hate it.

7

LostOne514 t1_iu0dpbh wrote

That was actually a really good read! Really goes to show that what Amazon does is just plain horrible and they know this.

And the bit about the Black Friday shift was shocking (Not really). A bunch of fake excitement from management that very quickly abandons you. Even my time at Target during those holiday shifts was better than what he described.

Props to Phillip for documenting this and getting over his depression. He was not in a good place.

3

vanmoonshine t1_iu0e3g0 wrote

I think although this article is somewhat critical of amazon warehouses it still reads as too "even handed". Nobody knew my name and my basic medical needs took a back seat to the work, which could unexpectedly come in huge quantities whenever managers wanted, but I just loved the packing! What great exercise! However, I think if it was any more critical it couldnt make the rounds on something like business insider. The sad part is many will probably take away that if youre a healthy guy thats depressed you should work (be a worm) for amazon - which should not be the message.

0

Tozu1 t1_iu0ec18 wrote

It's more like this shiet was so braindead and physically excruciating that you realize software companies is a million times better to be at.

0

United-Band-8176 t1_iu0eq2x wrote

Only did it for 7 weeks while having god knows what saved in his bank accounts and investments. Let’s see him clear his mind spending $1800 a month on an apartment while making only $2400 a month killing his back lifting boxes for a year. What an asshat

1

hayden_evans t1_iu0eqz2 wrote

It’s all smiles when you can choose to do it as an “experience”. It’s not all smiles when it’s the only job you can get to make ends meet.

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GptThreezy t1_iu0f1rt wrote

I took crack to calm my anxiety.

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cavscout43 t1_iu0f2r5 wrote

"Business insider writes yet another Crapitalism is amazing fluff job for their corporate donors"

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cj022688 t1_iu0fdf3 wrote

I walked 28,000 steps a day and moved so many boxes that my hands went completely numb. But I was able to cure my insomnia because I pushed my body completely to shut down of exhaustion…..So it was pretty fun and chill, might do it again.

Fuck this dude, I would be glad he pulled himself out of a dark place if it wasn’t to shill for horrific worker conditions

1

dudeguy81 t1_iu0ffcj wrote

I can totally relate. Before I took an office job 20 years ago I used to bus tables and weld. Even though I make 10x what I earned back then I miss those days like you wouldn't believe. Something about welding in the heat and sweat your brains out but being able to put your hands on something you created at the end of the day was immensely rewarding. Hard physical labor is indeed therapeutic. I was never so happy in my life as I was then. I have a family now so my obligation is to provide for them so my mental health isn't important. But that's just life.

1

pacal117 t1_iu0fgx1 wrote

Be careful the globalist are gonna use this guy as a poster child for enslaving everyone to work like dogs for low pay under the banner of cures depression.

1

Ordinary-Relation t1_iu0fm4a wrote

Replying to Bobbing4horseradish (#261,440)

My wife and I work a desk job, but during the fall me and her work at a pumpkin patch on the weekends driving tractors for hayrides and then other random tasks around there. We love doing it as it is such a change of pace from our day jobs and it gets us outside for extended periods.

3

Beavesampsonite t1_iu0fuhi wrote

Replying to HazardPayChecker (#261,609)

I believe you are mostly right but 8+ hours work, 1 hr lunch, plus commute and life commitments make it impossible for some people. Spent way too much of my life doing that. I feel like a 6 hour workday and 4 shifts would be so much better.

3

Icy_Store_8776 t1_iu0fvjo wrote

Replying to kograkthestrong (#261,994)

I was a mechanic in the military as well....Desk job now too. Frankly i miss being with the homies working all day and night. But then I remember that sucking....But at least it sucked together. There's no comradery in office work.

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NimJolan t1_iu0g505 wrote

I’m rich and decided to larp as one of the proles for a few months. It was so quaint and fun.

1

ebisquid t1_iu0g5e2 wrote

This guy is a living “if time and money wasn’t an issue”. Ofc you’d do shit for kicks and giggles if those two factors didn’t matter.

1

Greaterdivinity t1_iu0gaef wrote

Jesus christ BI has the worst articles.

So the author was actually unemployed for 6+ months with no schedule or routine, allowing him to slip further into his depression without any kind of schedule or routine.

Starts working physical job (endorphins are great and can have positive impacts on depression) with a rigid schedule (schedules can also be very good for helping one overcome major depressive episodes!). And works it for about two months.

So...actually being exploited by one of the most profitable companies in the world is a good thing and it will apparently cure our mental health problems! Thanks for the hot-tips, tech executive and Business Insider! I guess I'll just quit my job and go wreck my body working in a warehouse and trying to keep up with Amazon's minimum daily pack requirements.

There's a kernel of truth at the core of this article in terms of how changing jobs radically can get one out of a funk, or even getting a job after being unemployed can have mental health benefits. But it's very generalized and this is, frankly, a pretty terrible, awful, no-good example of this told in a pretty terrible, awful, no-good way.

He sorta tries, but it really reads like a bad episode of "Undercover boss" where the boss gets like halfway to learning the lesson but doesn't quite make it.

1

Elrigoo t1_iu0ge6b wrote

I took heroine to cure my caffeine addiction

1

needmoremiles t1_iu0gi0s wrote

Replying to vanmoonshine (#262,092)

I didn’t read it that way in the slightest. The only conclusions you should draw from the piece are! (1) enforced exercise and routine are good for depression, (2) Amazon provides these, (3) your humanity does not matter to Amazon, and (4) Amazon will quickly destroy your body and not provide the accommodations they are required to by law and hen automatically fire you when your physical capacity fails.

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the_greatest_MF t1_iu0gj04 wrote

it sounds like curing morphine addiction by taking heroin

1

CaliforniaFreightMan t1_iu0gjey wrote

Want to know what to do about inequality in society? Support subsidized childcare.

1

whynotlikemike t1_iu0gosy wrote

yes I know only of one person who works at Amazon to be happy and it's because he is retired and financially secured. he works a part time job that let's him be away from home and it's a good job according to him.

1

jeanlenin t1_iu0gx85 wrote

Replying to WhiteJam (#261,488)

Being a ceo was so hard he decided to get a real job and lasted less than two months. Most of these people’s worst nightmare is having to do any of the actual labor required to keep this train wreck of an economy running so I guess I’ll give him credit for having the balls to even try and live like a normal human being

4

moss-n-choss t1_iu0hel5 wrote

Replying to Raynosaurus (#261,291)

>I personally have a desk job and love doing the occasional 'mindless' inventory work because it gives me a chance to clear my head, however if that was my job day in day out I would go insane probably!

used to work at a cannabis farm for a year and a half; first time doing hard farm labor like that. i come from a communications/marketing background, and in the winter i got to go back to some sales and marketing for the farm.

man i wish i could've split it evenly - half time at the farm, half time in the office. it would've been perfect.

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Bepoptherobot t1_iu0hlsv wrote

Bro id sooner self-immolate myself than work in an Amazon warehouse.

1

lounge_l1zard t1_iu0hmmu wrote

Replying to HazardPayChecker (#261,609)

It's one of the most vicious things about depression actually. You feel depressed/burnt out so you move less, moving less makes you feel more depressed, so you move less.

Exercise is one of the best things to combat the low feelings, but combatting the low feelings can feel physically impossible.

Jobs should have built in exercise schedules. You won't get your bonus if you don't get a 15 minute walk in every 3-4 hours! It would honestly do a ton for productivity and overall happiness. And yet we all sit here scratching our heads as if there is no answer to what causes depression and burnout.

3

JiovanniTheGREAT t1_iu0hoda wrote

Replying to Raynosaurus (#261,291)

Yeah, once I started working in tech, I would actually do a weekend at my old valet job every now and again. Doing it full time broke my body and mind in some aspects but a weekend here and there was refreshing because I would basically just run, drive, and shoot the shit with coworkers and guests.

3

Evanje53 t1_iu0i961 wrote

Brainless article. Nice atempt to spin the reality of being an amazon warehouse worker. Rich guy get depressed shares none of the normal stresses an average amazon employee shares. Physical movement helps depression. That seems to be what he was lacking. Everyone hates working as a amazon warehouse worker. From seattle, the horror stories are real. Written by amazon hr as no one wants to work there.

1

DeeNYC45 t1_iu0ias2 wrote

The title is kind of misleading, it makes it seem like he had a great time at Amazon. He saw how inhumane people are treated and he actually got carpel tunnel and he acknowledged the choices Amazon gave him could devastate someone who depended on that job. Amazon is a cruel inhumane workplace.

This guy just needed some structure in his life, that happens to people who have nothing but free time and an abundance of money.

1

Lil_Moody247 t1_iu0izwd wrote

Replying to Dry-Dog5396 (#261,979)

I think what he meant was the responsibilities associated with the work, warehouse workers just don’t have the same responsibilities as a CEO. The “worries” you’re talking about is the security of the job, not the responsibility

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unicornlocostacos t1_iu0j2g9 wrote

100% Amazon ad campaign to hire. They know they are running out of people for the meat grinder.

1

Popbobby1 t1_iu0jlgl wrote

... everyone is shitting on this guy. Read the damn article.

1.) He's not a trust fund baby, he's a hardworking man who saved as much as he could to be financially stable... not a billionare.

2.) He worked holidays for 7 weeks. Ever tried seeing what it's like in a Walmart on Black Friday?

3.) He says it's very difficult, and grueling. But in a DIFFERENT WAY than creative work.

1

lounge_l1zard t1_iu0k4i4 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#261,647)

The title reads that way. The article and this guy's story is actually one of the most realistic looks at Amazon warehouse work that I've read. The dude literally spent most of the time comparing his experience to if he'd actually needed the job to support a family and he concludes that it is fucked up.

You sure you even read it?

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discgman t1_iu0kf22 wrote

"How I learned to piss in a Gatorade bottle"

1

lounge_l1zard t1_iu0kfr0 wrote

Replying to Dry-Dog5396 (#261,979)

He literally specifically mentions that you can be called in the next day with as little as 16 hours notice and talks about how horrible that would be if you actually had a family to care for. This kind of comment implies either severe lack of reading comprehension or that the article wasn't read at all.

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RepresentativeKeebs t1_iu0lv0c wrote

Can I get a $100k+ CEO job for a few months, to cure my burnout?

1

phdoofus t1_iu0n0ku wrote

How about not voluntarily working 80 hours a week? I hear that works too.

1

ChadMcRad t1_iu0nkn8 wrote

Replying to Cactusjack666226 (#262,341)

I have a master's in the life sciences and am looking at leaving my PhD. position. I would be making like $36,000-$40,000 most jobs that don't need a PhD. I honestly fantasize every day about working in a warehouse for similar wages than being miserable doing this shit with an advanced degree...

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DNGR_S_PAPERCUT t1_iu0tfk9 wrote

Replying to WhiteJam (#261,488)

I think the key take away was that working at Amazon was so fucked up it made him appreciate life. The job gave him carpel tunnel and he had to go to urgent care. The medical problems went away once he stopped working at Amazon.

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marocain_iii t1_iu0vybu wrote

  • /r/hailcorporate

Amazon recently created a social media division

I see they are already at work

3

jeanlenin t1_iu12us9 wrote

Replying to VetusMortis_Advertus (#264,056)

No I’m just anticipating the whole “CEO’s work harder than you” bullshit. Im not even sure why I’d be insecure about my job to be honest

Edit: he seems to think I meant gardening so I think that was a fair assumption on my part

1

funnyprofessor t1_iu1azux wrote

Replying to fpcoffee (#262,603)

Not exactly. I have a spouse that makes a good salary which allowed me to take a lower paying job. I would have done it anyways and figured put how to live on less as the stress of working around the clock in a bad environment was taking a toll on my health.

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littleMAS t1_iu1zead wrote

Torture as a cure for depression, Freud might approve.

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ditheringFence t1_iu7xz7u wrote

Honestly every privileged white collar worker should do this, especially those at the executive level.

That said, change of pace is sometimes the cure for burnout. He acknowledged its a shitty job, is thankful he only had to do it for a bit, and is well aware of how incredibly privileged he is

1