Productivity
Productivity: The Corporate Cult of Infinite Growth
Ah yes, productivity—the golden standard of your worth as a human being. In the eyes of the system, you are not a person, you are a number. And that number? It better keep going up.
Companies love talking about "productivity" like it’s a tangible, measurable thing. As if every employee can wake up each day and churn out exactly the same amount of work regardless of exhaustion, burnout, or the slow existential realization that none of this matters.
The expectation? Endless output, no exceptions.
The reality? Human beings don’t function like that.
The Myth of Consistent Productivity
Let’s get something straight: nobody is equally productive every single day.
Some days, you’re on fire—knocking out tasks like a corporate Terminator. Other days? You spend four hours staring at a spreadsheet, wondering if you should fake a power outage. This is normal.
But the system doesn’t allow for that. Your worth is determined by KPIs, charts, and numbers that must always go up. No room for personal struggles, mental health, or simply having an off day. If you can't keep up, you're the problem.
Meanwhile, management wonders why burnout rates are skyrocketing and employee turnover is at an all-time high.
Productivity Only Works When It’s Supported
If a company actually wanted sustainable productivity, they’d invest in better wages, better working conditions, and actual career growth.
But no, they’d rather:
✔ Cut costs on everything except executive bonuses.
✔ Overwork employees, then blame them for burnout.
✔ Replace you the moment you stop being an efficient cog.
Productivity isn’t magic. If you want it to grow, you have to feed it. But instead of watering the plant, corporations set it on fire and demand to know why it stopped growing.
Employees Are Not Defective Parts
When you stop meeting your "productivity goals", the system doesn’t ask why. It doesn’t consider:
❌ If you’re dealing with personal issues.
❌ If you’re burned out from excessive workloads.
❌ If the tools they gave you are garbage.
❌ If the job has zero career progression.
Nope. You’re just a defective part. And defective parts get replaced.
A new hire will be brought in, promised the same lies about “growth opportunities” and “company culture,” and the cycle repeats—until they, too, break.
The Ugly Truth: Productivity Is a One-Way Street
The system demands constant improvement, but when was the last time it improved for you?
- Wages stagnate.
- Benefits shrink.
- Layoffs happen.
- Expectations rise.
But sure, let’s talk about how YOU need to be more productive.
Reality check: If your best effort still isn’t enough, it’s not you. It’s the system.
And that’s why nobody feels bad about quiet quitting anymore.
