What on earth is this man doing? And who is managing his TikTok at this point? I’m almost certain that his social manager only got themselves that job so that they could commit at acts of sabotage against him. But jokes aside, I actually want to talk about this. The £900 on that mug is referring to the latest National Insurance cuts. Rishi claims that the cuts worth £900 to anyone earning the UK average salary, which by the way is £35,400. So let’s just stop there a sec. £900 a year is equal to £75 a month. Obviously, I can’t speak for everybody out there, but for reference, for me, £75 will cover, say half, maybe two thirds of one of my weekly Tesco shops, or it would be just enough for one tank of diesel for my car. Oh, or it would pay for roughly 80 to 90% of my train fare to London, which is where I have to go to work once a month. Well, at least it would if the 900 pound thing was actually true. According to fact checking organization. Full fact, anyone earning 30 five k will only save around £340 every single year. And they also say that anyone earning 26 k or less will actually be worse off when all tax changes are included.
Do you know what, last year, I posted about a report that said that work is no longer a top priority to British people. Nearly one fifth of Brit said that work is not important in their life. And by not important, they mean that it’s not meaningful to them. They work because they have to, not because they want to. In the same report, British people were also amongst the least likely to agree that work should be prioritized over leisure time. But I think the saddest that of all, at least in my opinion, is that 61% of British people no longer believe that hard work brings a better life. But I mean, what with everything happening in this country and the wider world, are we really surprised by that? I can’t say I am. I’m with these people, with millennials now dominating the workforce and older Gen Z folks now on the playing field as well, priorities and mindsets have shifted it. But before you jump in the comments and start labeling younger generations as lazy and entitled, just listen up for a sec because this affects all of us. People are tired. We’re tired of an unfair system. The game is rigged. The cost of living is through the roof. It’s not sustainable for many of us to live comfortable lives anymore. And yet, in the last two decades, wages in the UK have largely stayed the same. So, yeah, excuse us if we don’t wanna get up at the crack of dawn to travel to an office where we’re overworked and underpaid, burnt out and taking advantage of for nothing but stale pizza and branded stationary. All the while life, real life passes us by. Yeah, please forgive us. How dare we want better for ourselves?
Now people are finally starting to stand up and say no to greedy corporations and our so called leaders. People are putting their health, their loved ones and most of all their happiness above all else. And that is exactly how it should be for everyone. Free bananas, ping pong tables, and the empty promise of next year’s bonus is no longer enough. Companies have literally gotten away with doing the bare minimum for so long.
It’s about time things changed. Today’s workers are seeking out companies that prioritize flexibility, diversity and inclusivity, social responsibility and sustainability and most importantly, an attitude of people over profits. And it’s not only millennials and Gen said that feel this way. People of all ages are throwing in the towel and switch up their priorities. We’re seeing masses of people quit their jobs. Some people are quitting because their employee is terrible and they wanna go and work for someone else. Others are switching up their career path into entirely, and some just don’t wanna work anymore.
The anti work and overemployed movements are continually growing. More and more workers are pursuing their passions and finding jobs that bring them both joy and success because the two aren’t mutually exclusive, and it is entirely possible to have both, despite what we’ve been led to believe. These are jobs with people first, companies that empower their people to create a whole new life for themselves, life that comes with more freedom and autonomy, opportunities and experiences that enrich our lives and fulfill us.
Work does not have to be a burden, nor should it be. It should be a tool for building the life that you want. Your rightful place is in the driver’s seat no matter what you want in life, whether it’s a simple day job or a full blown career, it is entirely possible to have those things without sacrificing everything else that’s important to you.
And the one fact that businesses and politicians continue to overlook is that this movement doesn’t have to be a crisis for them. What it should be is taken as an opportunity for innovation and growth. It’s called the future of work for a reason, and there’s no avoiding it as much as they try.
But anyway, that’s just my 2 pence. I would love to know what you think. Is this merely another case of generational differences or are we witnessing a huge societal shift? I’m leaning towards the latter, but let me know what you think in the comments.