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Comment by benjaminwootton | Hacker News Reader

The amount of engagement and passion for work feels at an all time low based on the circles I move in in the UK.

Almost everyone I know has half an eye on the exit or they are making decisions like cutting back to one person businesses or taking big pay cuts for remote. Nobody seems hungry for promotions or more money. There’s so much apathy.

I’m guessing it’s partly post Covid but feels like something is fundamentally changing in our culture. Or it could be that me and my circle are our 40s now!

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>Almost everyone I know has half an eye on the exit or they are making decisions like cutting back to one person businesses or taking big pay cuts for remote. Nobody seems hungry for promotions or more money. There’s so much apathy.

it's not apathy. it's realization that game is rigged, promotions are irrelevant as they increase workload/pressure on in a way that outpaces the monetary gains.

Also the fact that you can't get rich, or advance on social ladder by working anymore. There is hard cap, and it is visible to everyone younger.

COVID and remote work showed just how much rigged the game was and how the system is broken.

The Covid response seems to have really turned things upside down in relation to work. Inflation and cost cutting and this big readjustment in people’s values. I think apathy has ratcheted up and I don’t see how it reverts back.

European and 40 now as well. I think it is threefold: A) Age - I realise that the career I did set out for is not that glamorous as I thought (airport travel is not fun anymore, climbing the ladder is even more of sandwich/impostor syndrome, etc) B) Cost of living is so high in cities that you better optimise either where you live (parents for kids, stay in subsidised appartment or buy with a good deal, probably for remote work). So you make sure you have time for DIY instead if beeing consumed by your job… C) Layoffs - everywhere. The gras is not greener on the other side. So better to just “do your (minimal) work” while you can, fly under the radar and enjoy life on the side (hobbies, family etc).

Another 40-year-old European here.

The family business was hit hard in 2008 and has never recovered,

Relationships and marriage have been hit hard by the covid,

Last year, instead of being promoted, I was fired to make way for my boss's friend.

Fuck that.

Now I'm working on my own project.

Health and family is what is the most important.

Skills and mobility are what count, not my 'commitment' to other people's businesses.

> There’s so much apathy.

While I agree with what you say, I disagree about the "apathy" part. In my circles, people focus on what is important for them - and fortunately for their mental health work is not their top priority.

The UK's economy has been stagnant since the financial crisis and the inflation since Covid has not been matched by salary increases... So all in all things are looking down, which is obviously not good for motivation.

A pay cut for remote can make sense. If you're in the South East and need to commute into London you can sometimes take a £10k pay cut for remote and see no change in income in the end because of the massive saving in train fares.

But this means that at least I am definitely looking for more money!

This guy is worth following for commentary on the situation in the UK economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeH5UXYEzPE

Yeah, I was surprised that the article didn't mention the elephant in the room here. Not sure if the 2020 figure already reflects the effect of Covid, but (purely anecdotally) my job satisfaction and engagement was also higher in 2020/2021 than today. That probably had something to do with the novelty of working from home, finding out that it's possible to do your job well without two hours of commuting, and also the expected economic downturn that didn't actually materialize. After ~2022, return to office mandates and layoffs worked "hand in hand" to drive my job satisfaction down. The article mentions that "Engagement fell in the finance and insurance, transportation, technology, and professional services sectors" - except for transportation, these are mostly office jobs, so probably had similar experiences...

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