Even though some people would love to be paid for doing nothing, not everyone is equally enchanted by the idea of killing time for hours.

Redditor u/TheProphetDave seemingly wasn’t. He told the ‘Mildly Infuriating’ community about having to sit around and do nothing as the person that enabled him to do his job was missing. The only thing left for the OP to do was to count the hours he spent actually working out of all the ones he spent at the workplace. Scroll down to find the full story in his own words.

Some jobs might entail sitting around doing nothing

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

This person was killing time during his 12-hour shift as there was no one enabling him to do his job

Image credits: RoseBox رز باکس (not the actual photo)

Image credits: TheProphetDave

Working in healthcare entails facing a certain set of challenges

Emergency medical couriers are an essential part of the medical system. They are typically responsible for transporting healthcare-related items, such as blood products or even organs, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and others, which can save people’s lives.

In the comments under the post, the OP revealed that he got into the field in order to help people, which is why he was upset about not being able to do his job; even if that meant getting paid for doing nothing. Research shows that the level of achievement and relationships with their colleagues are among the main motivating factors for healthcare workers, while rewards play a secondary role.

During his shift, the OP wasn’t able to form relationships with his colleagues, or do his job, for that matter, as they simply weren’t there. The redditor pointed out that in order for him to proceed with the deliveries, there has to be a certified person to receive and process the order first.

Health eCareers suggested that organization problems are one of the main challenges healthcare workers face. Others include burnout and stress, employee shortage, and student loan debt, among other things. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the healthcare sector employs over 18 million people in the US.

Some people dedicate their free time at work to learning new skills or taking up a hobby

Some redditors in the comments pointed out that the OP was simply working on stand-by, which could have been the case if there was a person taking care of pulling the product and packaging it if need be. Being on stand-by typically means that the employee has to be present at a specified location and has to be available to work immediately after being called up during a specified period of time.

Working on stand-by might entail quite a few hours spent looking at the ceiling, or—in the OP’s case—the phone. However, ActiTIME suggested that the time spent doing nothing at work could be invested into improving one’s productivity. For example, during the slow moments at work, the employee could do personal research, watch educational videos, take up learning a foreign language, or read.

As a matter of fact, reading is one of the most popular activities people enjoy in their free time. Whether it’s a way to kill time at work or something one takes up after the workday is done, more than a third of Americans seem to enjoy it. Statista revealed that it is the second most popular hobby, surpassed only by cooking and baking. The two are followed by spending time with pets, playing video games, and taking part in outdoor activities respectively.

Fellow redditors also suggested the OP takes up a hobby or spends his time developing a skill of some sorts. Some seemed surprised he was annoyed about doing nothing and getting paid for it, but the redditor cleared up what exactly was bothering him by answering some of the comments.

The OP answered some of redditors’ comments providing more information and sharing his views

People had plenty of suggestions on what to do with the free time

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