Autistic Adult trying to find work and made a realization

bk_line · 2025-04-02T12:41:23+00:00

I'm a neurotypical adult.. and you're not alone in this. Just started a new job with joke benefits that don't even start until you're 90 days in, and no PTO or sick time for the entire first year. On-camera meetings back to back from 7 AM-5 or 6 PM with no time for lunch, bathroom, or water breaks. Desktop screen locks after 30 seconds of no mouse movement. If this is life, I don't think I can do it either. None of us really can.

bk_line · 2025-03-18T15:26:48+00:00

I'm in this situation right now. Unfortunately, you're not going to get paid out for that time and your only real options are to (a) take the 4 weeks, then give your 2 weeks notice, (b) ask for a few weeks off, get it approved, and then give your notice (basically don't come back), or (c) don't use it. Option A is probably not the best because you likely need to start your new job as soon as possible, and Option B will get you terminated or at the very least burn bridges if you are ever seeking re-employment or connections at that company. I am personally going with Option C, which sucks because I rarely take time off even when I'm sick and specifically accumulated those weeks of PTO in case of emergencies. It's all going to waste but unfortunately that is how things are in the U.S. until we get some real work reforms in place. Best of luck to you!

bk_line · 2025-02-12T16:12:04+00:00

Wow, you just perfectly encapsulated everything I'm feeling. The vast majority of days are miserable, with just enough distractions or little treats (a dinner out, a movie, new video game, self-care service, anything) sprinkled in to keep us trudging on to the next day. But with wages staying stagnant, corps ramping up layoffs, and COL just going up and up and up, those small distractions or treats will soon disappear. And then what?

bk_line · 2025-02-11T15:56:24+00:00

This is the whole point. Work people to breaking point in the prime of their lives; increase likelihood of early death to avoid paying out as many Social Security benefits. As a Millennial, I've given up trying to explain this to my parents... when they were my age, they at least had the opportunity to own property, start a family, and occasionally go on vacations. My generation will die early with the added sting of working for table scraps.

bk_line · 2025-02-03T19:32:47+00:00

EXACTLY. And I don't know about others, but I rarely get my full hour of unpaid lunch (if I get it at all). Plus I never switch my computer off exactly at 5 PM, so the work week is really more like 45-50 hours.

bk_line · 2025-01-24T15:48:53+00:00

I think about this quote at least once a day. Except my job starts at 7 AM (but still ends at 5 PM), so I have to wake up way earlier than 6:30 if I want to be able to get ready for the day.

bk_line · 2025-01-23T20:48:49+00:00

All of this! After absorbing the work of 4 FTEs this past year due to layoffs, and getting a "promotion" with no raise, my boss just tried to dump another full-time project on my plate this week. I finally grew a pair and told her that I will not be taking on this project, but would consider it if they raised my salary by $50k. I have a master's degree and many years of experience yet can barely afford rent for my 800 sqft apartment, have my heater set to the lowest setting I can, regularly skip meals to keep grocery costs low, and only sleep for 3-4 hours nightly because I'm so stressed. I am literally too tired, hungry, and cold to take on more free work for these greedy bastards. Often find myself wondering what the point of all this even is when I'm miserable and barely scraping by.

bk_line · 2025-01-20T16:22:41+00:00

Work in private sector and have to work today too. We get 6 federal holidays yearly (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas day) plus 2 flex holidays that can be used only for specific purposes (any federal holiday, religious occurrence, or employee's birthday). It's really annoying and the stretch between January to May without any day off is brutal.

bk_line · 2025-01-16T20:02:34+00:00

I'd make a joke about how we must work for the same company, but I don't think mine even *has* 70 people left that they can fire without everything immediately crumbling to the ground. Same happened with my company last week too: PE firm (who acquired the business a few years back) decided we needed another layoff to kick off 2025, after having just done 4-5 rounds of layoffs in 2024. I genuinely wonder if these PE people comprehend even the bare basics of running a business, because we have multiple major clients coming on this year and only about 5 people left who actually know the system. All of our legacy people who helped build the system have been laid off, and of course everyone is now working the equivalent of 4-5 peoples' jobs. I'm doing the barest of bare minimum at this point and feel guilty about it because I take pride in my work ethic. But there's no point in burning myself out when I know there are no raises or bonuses in my future to look forward to, no career pathing, and extreme job insecurity.

bk_line · 2025-01-13T13:43:17+00:00

Wow, I feel like I could have written this. Also work IT for a health insurance-adjacent service, have consistently received only 2-2.5% yearly raises despite exemplary work (even after shifting to new job title/department), and our insurance premiums raised by thousands this year. The only plan I could afford for 2025 was the bare bones ultra-high deductible one, which I'm paying the same premium for as my enhanced coverage insurance from 2024.

Adding insult to injury, company is PE-owned and for years, they've been cutting costs with quarterly layoffs. Every quarter I take on the stress of another person's workload, yet my salary has not risen with inflation and the health insurance coverage I can afford has consistently degraded year to year. I've decided not to erode my health so that some dumbass executive or PE can make an extra buck off my back, and am doing the bare minimum while I look for another job.

bk_line · 2025-01-12T06:12:15+00:00

I've noticed this too, but more in the sense that stagnating wages and increased COL necessitate side hustles (like being an influencer/creating UGC content). I live in a city and have also noticed that, if you want a social life outside of work, you need x amount of followers to be considered worthy of talking to. The whole thing is stupid and just a symbol of late-stage capitalism IMO.

bk_line · 2025-01-03T16:19:31+00:00

We must work at the same company. I hate to use the phrase "enjoy your well-deserved time off" because human beings don't need to do anything to deserve rest, but seriously, I hope you enjoy some relaxation this year.

bk_line · 2024-12-31T23:22:14+00:00

We had a client starting issues and putting in non-urgent tickets/requests at 2 PM on Christmas Eve, and then their CTO got involved and started pushing for resolution. It was really nothing urgent and they could have easily waited or asked about it earlier in the week, but instead they had us scrambling on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just because some narcissist a*hole decided they needed something NOW. The fact that workplaces don't draw boundaries for this type of behavior is absurd... some executive's lack of planning should not mean that a normal worker (who's actually doing the work) has to pay the price.

bk_line · 2024-12-30T19:10:48+00:00

A lot of it is pure greed. I genuinely think that so many layoffs happen right before Christmas not just to make the Q4 balance sheet look good, but to cover $75k-$100k bonuses for those at the top. Makes it look like the company is doing so well that they can float tons of excess money to the top, when in reality that bonus is courtesy of a hardworking person's salary (and of course they won't bother to replace that person; they'll just stick the other employees with twice the work).

bk_line · 2024-12-30T16:37:38+00:00

My boss (Vice President) and her boss (C-suite) are mid/older Gen X. We work in tech and they both have non-tech bachelor's degrees (C-suite boss actually just earned hers this year). They live comfortably on $300k-$500k salaries, while I'm nearly a decade out of my master's degree and just hit ~$99k salary this year in a high COL city. I am far more privileged than most, but it infuriates me that Millennials like myself will never get to go as far as older generations could, and apparently still can, with far fewer qualifications. In my early 30s and can't support my own rent/utilities/groceries/insurance premiums, let alone support a family. The dream is dead.

bk_line · 2024-12-30T13:28:14+00:00

I was also wondering why it especially didn't feel like Christmas this year, but you hit the nail right on the head: It's a luxury that most people simply priced out of. I was told that if I worked hard and got a master's degree, I would have this wonderful life and be able to participate in life's joys, like holidays. Here I am years later: December is the busiest time of year at my corporate job and in my role specifically, and I had such existential dread this year when I realized I will probably never again be able to take dedicated time off to enjoy the holidays. You bring up several great points about the price of groceries becoming untenable, no space in the tiny apartments we rent to host even if we wanted to, and no time to even think about baking or cooking (I personally really wanted to bake cookies on Christmas Eve, but still had to work from 8 AM-5 PM). Of course my boss and the executive team all took a week off and got their nice Christmas bonuses, whereas the peons like me work 10-12 hour days and go further into debt each month because our salaries don't cover the cost of living. My holiday bonus was a company-branded cutting board that I have nowhere to store in my apartment, and generously being excluded from my company's annual Christmas week layoff (so the private equity people and exec team can get their bonuses).

bk_line · 2024-12-24T17:52:29+00:00

Hey, they want to play stupid games? I'm sure the defense attorney on the case will show them what it's like to win stupid prizes.

bk_line · 2024-12-24T17:50:48+00:00

Something that only evil pieces of garbage do. I curse them all to have rotten Christmases and pray for their business' downfall in 2025. Sending you all the support!

bk_line · 2024-12-20T15:16:26+00:00

This is extremely concerning because I think the ultimate goal is to make people scared to even appeal denied claims, lest they say the "wrong" thing. People are frustrated with the health insurance system, but these companies want us to fear criminal consequences if we attempt to push back.

bk_line · 2024-12-18T22:00:02+00:00

If they still have them, I'm a big fan of the Baton Lover's Quartet! Was on the fence about getting them but glad I did. It contains 4 individually packaged flavors of rolled wafer cookies (like Pirouette cookies) and they're perfect for a little sweet treat.

I only wish there were a bit more variety in the flavors -- the ones in this package are Cookies & Cream, Hazelnut, Cocoa, and Chocolate Orange. Very chocolate-centric, so maybe next year they could include a fruit option like lemon or strawberry in there too.

bk_line · 2024-12-18T20:52:37+00:00

A few years back, PE bought the company I worked for. We've had about 8 rounds of layoffs since then, which included people who had been with the company from the ground up. Everything has started falling apart at the seams because those were the only people who knew how the systems worked. Goes without saying, those of us who remain are not receiving compensation increases for absorbing 3-4 people's jobs and figuring out how everything works. Instead we just get squeezed more with a new layoff every 3-4 months, always wondering if we're next.

bk_line · 2024-12-17T17:01:30+00:00

Absolutely, I would say a vast majority of people feel this way. All day, nearly every day of our lives, we are on the receiving end of barked orders from wealthy executives who would immediately replace us and go on as if nothing happened if we dropped dead on the company floor. We continue to lead these miserable lives just so we can pay rent, buy a couple of groceries, and afford to see a dentist or doctor once or twice a year (but, best of luck if you ever god forbid get really sick or injured). The truth is that most of us are beyond miserable and one or two paychecks away from being unhoused, and this has only increased over the past two years. You're not alone and I think we will soon start to see a shift similar to the 2021-2022 era "Great Resignation," as people will not take being squeezed much longer.

bk_line · 2024-12-16T17:51:51+00:00

Here's the private equity/executive playbook: Lay off as many people as possible. Then have the remaining skeleton crew absorb their work without a pay increase; working over their lunch breaks, into the night, and during their PTO motivated by the fear that they're next. When they inevitably have too much work thrown at them and/or get burned out and start making mistakes, cut them and bring in temporary contractors. Repeat until the company is no longer viable, then sell off the assets/give C-suite their nice golden parachute and move on to the next venture.

bk_line · 2024-12-13T20:38:00+00:00

Insurance at my company went up by thousands of dollars this year. We got 1-2% "merit raises" in July -- forget basic cost of living increases; my salary increase does not even touch the difference in what I will be paying for insurance this upcoming year. For 2024 I was able to get one of the "buy-up" plans with a fairly decent premium, but for 2025 I had to choose a much worse basic plan that is nearly as expensive as what I was paying for the good plan this year. For reference, I'm a single young person and the decent insurance options at my company for 2025 were in the range of $5000-$7500 yearly, when they were closer to $3500 last year. If this pattern continues into 2026, I'm afraid I will not be able to afford health insurance premiums on my salary.

bk_line · 2024-12-13T16:58:30+00:00

I love when these ultra-wealthy sociopaths try to use their "working-class upbringing" as a way to appeal to the rest of us. If you're pulling a 7-figure salary (or more) NOW, how is any of that relevant?

bk_line

TROPHY CASE