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25 ‘Normal’ Workplace Practices That People Wish Would Disappear In The Future
Article created by: Dominyka
What is considered normal or socially acceptable is changing all the time. Less than a century ago, doctors were endorsing cigarettes, and people were smoking on planes as casually as we sip juice on flights today. 50 years ago, the world was a very different place, and it’s likely that in another half century, we’ll be saying the same thing.
One aspect of our lives that’s likely to undergo major changes in the coming decades is the workplace. And according to Reddit users, there are plenty of common practices they believe will be considered unethical or illegal in the future. Below, we’ve gathered some of their most thoughtful responses, so enjoy reading through and imagining how much better work environments might be for our children and grandchildren.
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#3
Tipping culture being so prevalent, and even required, for some workers to barely make a living wage.
#5
Forcing a 40-hour work week when there isn't 40 hours worth of work. If it's a salary position and there's nothing to do, we should just be able to go home. We work late when there's deadlines, but when nothing is going on we can't go home early.
#7
Physicians being forced to work 80+ hours/week, 50 weeks/year, for 4-7 years after graduating medical school, while spending precious “free time” studying for board exams, completing tedious research projects, etc.
#8
Paying people different for same/similar jobs and prohibiting people from talking about it with each other.
#10
On call 24/7 365, even on vacation and not being compensated for anything off hours because you are salaried.
This includes the hospital as my child was born, getting written up for not answering my phone when I was under for back surgery (they knew I was having it, but my stand in couldn't answer something so they said I failed my due diligence, and cost POTENTIAL productivity.
Fun fact, I quit and they refused to take my resignation 3 times. It took 6 weeks for them to finally stop hounding me.
#11
Attempting to encourage resignation in order to get an employee to quit without having to pay out severance or unemployment benefits.
#12
Being expected to work while sick.
Im currently about to start a ten hour shift even though Im ill and have a doctors note. Because I was negative for flu and covid, my work will count the absence against me even with a doctors note.
#14
Working for decades with a skeleton crew where each employee has the tasks of 3 employees and is paid 1/3 the wage, so they need to find a second or third job just to survive.
#15
This probably won't take 50 years, but forcing people to work in an office when their job does not require it.
#16
Probably stretching but I hate when places tell you to come in for an interview for giving a wage estimate. Some situations it makes sense, but if you are running a local business offering people $7.25 US minimum wage whether they are 16 with no experience or the top of the field then you should state it and not waste people's time.
So many of the "no one wants to work" crowd are trying to offer less than McDonald's pays for positions that require years of experience, education, or training.
#17
Unpaid training. My very first job I worked at a pizza place I "trained" for 2 weeks, never getting paid. At the end of the 2 weeks, I was informed that I would actually be a cook instead of the cashier position I applied and trained for. I left immediately.
#19
boss giving you infinite amount of work and if you can't do it then it's the employee's fault.
#20
Drug testing for what people do off the clock.
Tying job performance or bonuses to number of OSHA recordables, it just encourages people to hide injuries.
#22
Unpaid overtime is dying out again as we enter a Covid fuelled period of low unemployment - people are not afraid to say 'no'
If a client tried to get me to work unbillable hours I'd first refuse, and if they insisted would bill the hours on other days
#24
**"Clopening"** as it currently exists in the U.S.
As it stands currently OSHA suggests scheduling a person no sooner than 8 hours of their shift if the shift is 8 hours. Thankfully most companies do follow this suggestion. However, there are two problems 1) it's a suggestion and not law so some companies may schedule sooner 2) 8 hours sounds great, but it does not account for the fact that commute time back to home, cooking/eating/getting ready for bed, getting ready for the day and commuting back take up time that would be used for getting rest—you could very realistically end up with just 4 hours or rest due to a long commute, having to cook dinner, fulfill parental duties, etc.
#25
Rotating shifts and night shifts for less necessary positions. Obviously *some* staff has to be on call or work nights at least occasionally (LEO, healthcare, emergency response) but the average utility worker, for example, should not be required to work rotating shifts. My partner is a wastewater operator and at his previous employer he had to work two weeks of day shifts followed by 2-3 days off, then two weeks of night shifts. This lovely combination ended up giving him unprecedented, unprovoked seizures! (How fun.) His employer wouldn’t work with him to move him to more normal shifts. He went on temporary disability while he couldn’t drive, during which time they hired a replacement to fill his position, forcing him to quit and move to a different company for less pay (luckily on normal, 8-10 hour, day shifts.)
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