In the era of “checkbox mentality”, where “agile” work is highly emphasized, many people lose sight of the big picture on the job.
It’s no longer their task to think beyond their small list of predefined tasks. Those who do see a broader picture, are gradually becoming individuals with a handicap or perceived as negativists. This is a by-product of the way our fiat-system works: the end-stage of old industrialism has a larger scalability and hits a wall of human emotions.
Most employees, therefore focus (comfortably and correctly, safe and sound) on their own tasks, solely on what is stated in their job descriptions and the few things that can be measured. Their statistics are their dictators, their life is no more than a X and Y axis.
At the same time, they lose sight of the larger picture, while trying to stay sane.
These individuals become what I’ve started to call “theater employees”: people who play their roles, recite their lines (with or without a prompter beside them) and have no soul.
They disregard the end result or the real customers, because that is “not my job.” Motivation has become entirely secondary. The economic reality of unhappy customers (which was once a strong incentive to do better) is also gone, as the scale of stupidity has grown out of proportion.
If a customer is unhappy (and we’re all these customers!) then they can’t go anywhere anymore.
Just like in a Soviet command economy, only we have different brands of the same state-owned corporations with the same administrative futility behind it (and endless debt-and-war cycles).
This results in those who, unlike these theater employees, are still engaged in their work and the quality of the services and products they deliver, increasingly becoming a minority. They’re the confused John Travolta in an empty world of cookie-cutter ‘solutions’ and ‘KPIs’.
Our education system, which continues to produce “theater students” for a “theater employee” status after they get their worthless piece of state-issued paper, produce at a relentless pace, contributes to this issue.
“Don’t let it bother you”
The phrase some of the still engaged individuals hear often (from colleagues and family) is: “Don’t let it bother you so much”, “don’t mind them, just do your work” … usually followed by “What does it matter to you?” or “If that’s how it goes, then so be it.”
The advice given is usually an encouragement towards apathy.
Many people working at a company or organization simply want to do their tasks (preferably not too enthusiastically) and be paid in return. They have no real affinity for the core activities of the company and how it earns money. They are primarily there for themselves, a natural human trait, but in my opinion, this becomes the excuse through which they deny, debunk, and actively ignore the essence of what they are doing. That’s precisely the poison that seeps in.
Many people who experience bore-out or burn-out, in my opinion, are not causing it to themselves but work for companies where they’ve become the minority among a lot of theater-employees.
They not only fight a losing battle but also bear the social disadvantages of being “more aware.”
They are actively portrayed by their peers as “negative”, losers, oddballs, or people who should show less emotion, which is especially infuriating! Those who express themselves, vent their frustrations, or provide feedback are immediately ridiculed, sidelined, or scorned. Never actually taken serious, as this would ask for an admission from the theater playing kind.
That’s not their business. There business is being obedient fiat-cashing yes-men. That’ what they’re good at anyway.
This situation is also exploited by many companies who realize the power of apathy.
When you have a large number of employees it’s so much easier to work with data, statistics and a cumbersome structures filled with theater employees than to actually provide quality and a good working place atmosphere.
Being human is optional here.
You have less hassle, and any problems that may arise in the long run are left for the next owner or manager to solve. The next fool to buy the statistics, the promises and the bull**** from the upper-management or corporate type box movers.
Due to this checkbox mentality and compartmentalized “agile” (fake)work, people lose the big picture and focus only on their own tasks. Everything is based on tickets, statistics, scores, and usually poorly measured data. In the end everything becomes a pool of mediocracy.
This leads to a loss of cohesion and often, people who do see the big picture (or at least more than their box) are overlooked. They want to change something because they are HUMAN, because they still want to make an effort, have motivation and feel useful (or proud).
They often react emotionally (especially if they have been working somewhere for a long time) or worse, they are systematically not placed in management positions as this would lead to chaos (something positive always comes from chaos, as it breeds innovation).
Slow Apathy Production
However, those who don’t get too worked up, clock their hours, remain blissfully neutral, and never think in the morning, “Oh, now I have to pretend everything is okay at work again…” don’t suffer from this. They show up, get paid and that’s enough for them to satisfy their consumer carousel little life of HEFE garbage talk.
They don’t get too emotional or make comments; they, like obedient theater employees or robots, perform their tasks, even when they are entirely useless. Over time, they become the majority because such an attitude implies group formation and mediocrity. They multiply, like fruit flies in a garbage can.
They often bring in others who are equally accommodating, can chat about TV programming and engage in lighthearted, harmless neutral conversations about their pets, renovations, cars, their view on imposed current events and variations of utter boredom.
Those in the small minority are socially looked down upon and often perceived as a “negative element.” This leads to a vicious circle of increasingly worsening products and services, which are then covered up by marketing. However, we all find ourselves as customers at the end of this cycle. But that, too, is ignored.
You see this as a customer with many companies and services:
In Flanders, Belgium we have useless vehicles like “VDAB” or “B-Post” and almost all telecom providers but it’s also taking hold of our education system, cities and municipalities and even in some local private firms.
If you feel engaged in your work and the goods services it delivers you risk ending up with a bore-out, burn-out, or even being fired because you “no longer fit the company culture.” (a non-culture of vultures-like proof-of-stake’ism). Their so-called team players are boring anyway. But boring and predictability is what most companies like these days.
This can lead to feelings of misunderstanding and injustice. It mainly leads to a deteriorating structure within the companies, where those who play their roles but know that something is amiss simply shut off that part of their brains and convince themselves that they “do their best within their boundaries.” Usually, the umbrella opens at the slightest criticism. They’re right in their own mind.
Happiness in slavery is their main cause of action.
However, theater employees are adept at this: covering each other, playing the same scripts, texts and scenes. None are allowed to do anything other than listen to the criticism or remarks with a straight, emotionless face, like a staring drone… and then think about their salary.
Even when customers scream on the phone out of frustration. Who cares anymore? “Don’t let it bother you, or else you’ll get a burnout!” is the explanation.
The solution is not straightforward because, by now,
the minority is fighting against the tide almost in every industry and the sheer stupidity, groupthink mentality and institutional mediocrity has reached depressingly high levels.
deadeyes
