# Why do people love bragging about how hard they work?



## Tofuescape (Jul 18, 2016)

So I've realized I'm in the minority of people who feels like a full-time corporate American job is a waste of time and life and it takes up the entire day. I have goals and hobbies and friends that I don't get to spend time with because 90% of the day is spent grueling for some useless corporation that doesn't even pay a decent wage. 

When I search the internet it's littered with comments from people who like to brag about how many hours they work and how they still have time left to do plenty. Is this an American only problem? Why the hell is everyone a workaholic? 

The thing I've noticed about workaholics is they get a lot of hours in but the quality is terrible most people dick around at work all day. I get people calling into my call center all day making personal calls at work, **** I wish I did have a job where I didn't have to be productive 24/7.

I have a job where I have to answer the phone every 2 minutes or I get reprimanded. The other thing I noticed is that some people brag about how they have 2 jobs and they are equally full **** because they have two part time jobs so technically it's like working one full-time job with a little overtime *eye roll* 

Then there's people who count working on their start up as a second job, which I never do because it's a business it's not a day job. A day job is only a real day job when you have very little freedom to do anything. 

These I work 80 hours a week people are full of ****. I bet half of them count time they sleep at their desk smh.


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## gisellemarx (Feb 1, 2010)

It's largely an American thing from what I understand. It's also worth mentioning that millennials are the biggest damn workaholics you'll find. It's like it's so hard to earn a living wage, you need to work those 80 hours to have a roof over your head and have a normal life....so glorifying it is a complex people have rather than having a miserable attitude about it. It's just easier to cope that way, I think, as obnoxious as it is.

I'm in the minority, too. I hate working. I think it's a waste of time because all I do is work and sleep, my job is very stressful because I make very little money and put up with a lot of sh** and an unbelievable amount of responsibility... I'd rather be doing creative things, singing and learning the piano, writing a novel. I waste all my potential working because it sucks the life and creativity out of me. I'm disabled, too, but can't get disability because it takes up to 2 years and I don't want to deal with all that BS. I guess I'll just work till I die like everyone else.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

gisellemarx said:


> It's largely an American thing from what I understand. It's also worth mentioning that millennials are the biggest damn workaholics you'll find. It's like it's so hard to earn a living wage, you need to work those 80 hours to have a roof over your head and have a normal life....so glorifying it is a complex people have rather than having a miserable attitude about it. It's just easier to cope that way, I think, as obnoxious as it is.
> 
> I'm in the minority, too. I hate working. I think it's a waste of time because all I do is work and sleep, my job is very stressful because I make very little money and put up with a lot of sh** and an unbelievable amount of responsibility... I'd rather be doing creative things, singing and learning the piano, writing a novel. I waste all my potential working because it sucks the life and creativity out of me. I'm disabled, too, but can't get *disability because it takes up to 2 years and I don't want to deal with all that BS.* I guess I'll just work till I die like everyone else.


So you'd rather work for over 4 decades than deal with 2 years of trying to get disability? Makes sense.


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## gisellemarx (Feb 1, 2010)

nubly said:


> So you'd rather work for over 4 decades than deal with 2 years of trying to get disability? Makes sense.


I don't want to deal with the fact that I'm disabled. I'm stubborn and try to be independent. Maybe someday I'll go for disability, but I'm still young and it hurts to think I have to label myself with something like that... it's not the 2 years part exactly


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## railcar82594 (Mar 1, 2016)

I've actually seen salespeople sleeping at their cubicles waiting for calls or messages. Know what you mean about talky workers wasting 15-20 minutes each hour just gabbing, texting, or web messaging. For SA outcasts it's harder where you want to keep busy to not look so awkward but most others who are competitive will just imply you're a dumb slow worker anyways.


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## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

Because they have boring crappy lives otherwise. It's just ridiculous. All they are doing is giving up their life to make some rich owner or rich corporate shareholders richer. And they somehow think that working 80 hours a week will get them farther in their career. They probably still believe that one day they too can become a rich guy if they work hard enough....hahahahaha.... , yeah right.

Blech. God, I hate it here. I wish I could move to Australia.


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## h2016 (Dec 1, 2016)

This is why I didn't bother applying to big 4 accountancy firms. Boring work and they expect you to stay behind if a project isn't completed... all for average pay.


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## funnynihilist (Jul 29, 2014)

Being a work martyr is as American as apple pie.


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## Tymes Rhymes (May 28, 2014)

Most people are quite narcissistic in one fashion or another.

These types that like to brag that they work 80 hours a week only brag because it puts them in a more favorable light amongst their peers. "Or poor Billy/ Susie; They work 80 hours a week, go to school, have kids." Et cetera et cetera. It gets them attention and if they can garner attention, they are more likely to feel fulfilled in their lives.

My job is very inconsistent, although I never work 80 hours a week, I can work anywhere between 20-40 hours a week. When I do get a "light" week, I often get chastised by my co-workers and superiors as to why I do not stay and why do I not blindly accept a managerial position. My answer typically is about how I want to figure out what to do properly and not just work blisteringly hard because others do it too. When I do only work 5 hours in a day, I hold them to that and offer no overtime.

Other people have been fooled into believing that working blisteringly hard now, can gain them wealth in the future and while that is possible, it is also possible that working hard will just chip away at your health both physically and mentally.

I'm of the idea that the avenues you take are more important than how many hours total you work. Some people are very well off but don't work nearly as hard as some of these 80 hours drones. 

I'm planning to quit my job in 6 months. After 3 years, I've had enough. The worker life isn't for me and I plan on trying to pursue either my hobbies or something that I atleast enjoy.


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## hardasnails (Dec 2, 2016)

Tymes Rhymes said:


> Most people are quite narcissistic in one fashion or another.
> 
> These types that like to brag that they work 80 hours a week only brag because it puts them in a more favorable light amongst their peers. "Or poor Billy/ Susie; They work 80 hours a week, go to school, have kids." Et cetera et cetera. It gets them attention and if they can garner attention, they are more likely to feel fulfilled in their lives.
> 
> ...


At least you have a job...

Nice subtle brag.


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## Tymes Rhymes (May 28, 2014)

hardasnails said:


> At least you have a job...
> 
> Nice subtle brag.


We all do it to an extent. No one is exempt.


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## SplendidBob (May 28, 2014)

Cracks me up this tbh.

It's likely partly because people largely run on automatic and have been conditioned in this way.

So being productive is, mostly useful. It's useful because it gets you stuff, and tends to improve your standard of living, and so forth. Over time, the association gets stronger, similar to how a dog starts to salivate when you use a clicker and give it a treat (the clicker itself can induce the reward response in the brain). So I suspect it is with things that usually lead to a better outcome, such as hard work, or freedom of speech. Society (and people) confuse the "click" with the good outcome. Hard work eventually becomes seen socially as an inherent moral good in its own right, whereas its really only good if the consequence is good.

Regardless of the reasons why being busy or working hard is mistakenly taken as an inherent good (what I just typed is likely nonsense ), the reason why people bang on about it is clear.. it makes them look good to do so (since other people also buy into it).

I find it especially amusing though because it reveals that the individual hasn't realised it isn't a good in itself (and that means they aren't too perceptive). Their motivations for the boasting are also painfully transparent . To be extra disappointing, an individual should find something _immoral_ about someone who doesn't buy into it.

When people engage in "who is the most pointlessly busy" competitions, it's a thing of great hilarity.


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

People who work hard don't brag about it. I've worked with people who spend several hours every day telling people how overwhelmed they are because they have so much work to do. Maybe if they actually did some work, they wouldn't be so overwhelmed. People like that are never competent, which is why they're overwhelmed.

It's sad when managers believe them or when they become managers.


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## Tofuescape (Jul 18, 2016)

hardasnails said:


> Tymes Rhymes said:
> 
> 
> > Most people are quite narcissistic in one fashion or another.
> ...


A fair amount of people on here have jobs, that's what my entire post was about, the person who commented wasn't subtle bragging. I have a job too....they made a good point. I feel like I get way more intelligent responses on this forum than I do from people in real life. I feel like not wanting to be a worker bee is a sign of intelligence.


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## M0rbid (Jan 11, 2011)

Working hard ≠ Working smart. They're naive not to realize they're all disposable. The smart lazy ones get promoted, the hard working ones get replaced. *chuckle*


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

M0rbid said:


> Working hard ≠ Working smart. They're naive not to realize they're all disposable. The smart lazy ones get promoted, the hard working ones get replaced. *chuckle*


That's somewhat true. The lazy whiners are too busy complaining so management gives the bulk of the work to the hard workers since they're reliable.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SilentLyric (Aug 20, 2012)

brainwashed by the system. they want good hard working drones to pump out their product for profit.


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## Innerwolf (Jul 23, 2016)

Like everyone here is saying the system is definitely effed up. The way American society is set up is not conducive to a fulfilling work-life balance at all. You slave it up at a 9-5 plus overtime to keep a roof over your head that you barely stay in, drive and tend to a car to go to a place where you make someone else rich.

Immigrants come to America hoping to live the American dream, only to realize how much of a fantasy it is for most and end up breaking their backs to get their first generation children to achieve that dream by pressuring them in school so they can earn scholarships, go to an Ivy league university, become a business man, a doctor, an engineer, computer programmer...

The American dream is a poisonous concept. It's hard to be motivated to work hard for when you don't have any intrinsic motivation to do so.


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## 2Milk (Oct 29, 2014)

Because doing difficult things, in general, is something that humans naturally admire. Where I work there are many people that work two jobs, usually between 12-15 hours of total (daily) work hours.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Maslow said:


> People who work hard don't brag about it. I've worked with people who spend several hours every day telling people how overwhelmed they are because they have so much work to do. Maybe if they actually did some work, they wouldn't be so overwhelmed. People like that are never competent, which is why they're overwhelmed.
> 
> It's sad when managers believe them or when they become managers.


In my case, I am the recipient of the extra work. I complain because the work my colleagues are supposed to be doing, or are incapable of doing, falls on me alone.

It's shocking to see how little/less technical my more senior coworkers do, having been with the company over twice as long as me and I am in my 13th year! I am cheaper labor to them. They spend more time doing repetitive work, while I have to program to "make their lives easier" a.k.a. they don't program.

I fought to "work smart", keeping my hours under 50 per week. The work load for me got worse - and I was compensating for what my coworkers couldn't do - I was having to figure out how to do everything and then speak up on their portion while "they were on vacation".

about 80% of my vacation time is now, because whenever I wanted to take a day off, my Indian coworker had a holiday and I had to fill in for her - nobody else has that responsibility unless she's gone for an extended period of time and I have my own work to do.

Management then tries to rationalize it.


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## 629753 (Apr 7, 2015)

millenniumman75 said:


> In my case, I am the recipient of the extra work. I complain because the work my colleagues are supposed to be doing, or are incapable of doing, falls on me alone.
> 
> It's shocking to see how little/less technical my more senior coworkers do, having been with the company over twice as long as me and I am in my 13th year! I am cheaper labor to them. They spend more time doing repetitive work, while I have to program to "make their lives easier" a.k.a. they don't program.
> 
> ...


Switch places\company


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

impedido10 said:


> Switch places\company


I wonder about that.
They did give me a promotion for 2016's work, but I have to wonder about 2017.

I am using this to stand up for myself a bit more often. My boss is clearly in over his head with the work he is promising his bosses. That's what you get for being a people-pleaser.

We had big trouble making deadlines due to outside factors, and even I had trouble, but made them enough to pass for an "above expectation" rating. I was already doing the work; I didn't get the props until now.


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