How Work Became Toxic In 2024
The real reason for the death of motivation in the workplace
The entire working world in 2024 seems to have a permanent case of the Mondays.
For those not aware, “a case of the Mondays” is a throwaway line from Office Space, a brilliant movie by Mike Judge, and a line that’s still quoted today for how neatly it sums up the death of motivation in the workplace.
I’m being a little facetious. The malaise we’re all collectively suffering through right now is much more serious than that. There are real mental health issues cropping up in the workplace that are unprecedented and complex.
Now, I’m also not a huge fan of the term “toxic.” It’s one of those descriptors that started out right but then got all bent to mean whatever the finger-pointer wants it to mean.
But in this case, I’ll make an exception because it’s pretty much spot on.
Work, as we’ve come to know it in 2024, has become corrosive, noxious, unpalatable. It smells like farts.
It’s not just the long hours and low pay. It’s not just the lack of a clear career path. It’s not just eight different bosses coming to talk to you about the cover sheet on your TPS reports.
