Note: From now on I refraining from including movie stills in these posts until what is considered fair use on steemit is clarified. Film criticism sometimes necessitates visual images to analyze scenes but I will rely on my words for now.
It feels like I should start every one of these by stating who directed and starred in the film followed by a short description of the plot. I don't really like to write reviews, but rather just comment on a movie as if we all just watched this together. If you're reading this, I assume you've seen the movie already, probably at least 10 times. You should already know that the guy who created Beavis and Butthead was the director of this film. (He also plays Jennifer Aniston's boss.) Also, assume this post contains all the spoilers.
With that out of the way, I want to focus on two things:
- How has the office changed two decades later?
- Knowledge work versus physical labor
Is anything we see in this film really good for the company? The company hires consultants to figure out who to fire. Employees are boxed off into approximations of offices where any privacy is illusory due to the low height of the walls. Managers hover above the walls throughout the film.
Almost 20 years later, the standard cubicle setups have been replaced by open office plans. Am I alone in finding open offices even worse? Ideally I would have an office, with privacy. Scratch that. Ideally I would not work in an office. But let's get back to that later.
How has office life improved? Rather, has it become worse? Open offices take away any privacy and add distractions. Rather than closing an office door, conversations take place throughout the floor. Rather than for my own entertainment, headphones become devices just to shut off the noise around me. The one thing I do like is the trend of standing desks. My employer recently bought one for me. Benefits (for the employee) include:
- Increased movement
- Appearing to be more productive (not sure if I actually am)
- No longer having a manager literally talking down to you as when you are seated
Of course, it also gives the employee less screen privacy. I definitely do not feel as comfortable taking a break to surf the internet when my computer screen is elevated.
While an open office does seem less stifling, it doesn't change that the entire job is in itself stifling. Many people will assume you can eventually move up to manager. But managers are really only there to manage. Skilled workers are there because they have skills that would be wasted on managing others around them. I have seen great workers get promotions but then get demoted because they didn't have the people skills (a.k.a. ass-kissing) that are suitable to managers.
Perhaps it really is just about attitude. Is the waiter with extra pieces of flair more poised for success than the workers who see right through the charade of the modern company?
My employer recently started having me use Atlassian's Jira with a Kanban board to keep track of everything I do. I'm sure it will eventually be something I get used to, but sometimes all office technology just becomes a frustration that takes up time.
So, is it better to have a job that requires physical labor, but is not mentally stimulating? Is the only alternative a job that requires one to prove they have brain skills only to put that person at a job that is mentally and emotionally deadening?
Perhaps the laborer can be happier than the office drone. One can be drained of all creativity at the end of a day at the office. This can suck the life out of a creative person.
Whether one is better than the other may be the wrong question. Perhaps we all should ask whether what we do makes us happy. Ask whether one feels not just productive, but whether one would want to spend that productivity at a job that does nothing fulfilling. Maybe all companies should be asking if it's good for the company if employees are treated so poorly that they dream of burning it all down.