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A long day at the office can drain your energy and fill you up with the desire to get takeaway and spend the evening on the sofa.
For anyone who isn't familiar with the setting, this might sound strange, but just scroll through the Instagram account @work.facts and you'll immediately understand everything.
It sheds light on the main factors contributing to this occupational exhaustion by sharing memes that humorously illustrate the challenges arising in the corporate world.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Jill Rhodry 1 year ago
8 hour day also assumed you lived and worked close by - none of this 90 min commute each way.
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However, for everyone who's interested, there might also be a scientific explanation for why so many of us feel empty after coming home from the office.
A recent study that scanned people's brains at different points in their work day found that high-demand tasks that require intense, constant concentration can lead to a build-up of a potentially toxic chemical called glutamate.
Normally used to send signals from nerve cells, in large quantities glutamate alters the performance of a brain region involved in planning and decision-making, the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC).
#5
Kimberly Alison 1 year ago
And your sick leave. You’re not a hero for getting other people sick.
The authors of the study divided their 40 participants into two groups and had both groups sit in an office in front of a computer for six and a half hours.
One group had to do challenging tasks that called on their working memory and constant attention.
For instance, letters were displayed on a computer screen every 1.6 seconds and participants had to sort them into vowels and consonants or, depending on the color of the letter, upper or lowercase.
The second group had similar but much simpler tasks.
#8
Interestingly, both groups managed an average 80% correct response rate.
But the researchers used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to scan participants' brains and measure levels of metabolites.
The authors of the study took readings at the beginning, middle, and end of the day.
They discovered fatigue markers, such as increased glutamate concentration, but only in the high-demand group. (The build-up of toxic chemicals was only observed in the lateral prefrontal cortex and not the primary visual cortex.)
#10
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Try working midnights. Two nights off feels like one. One night off feels like nothing.
#11
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
The corporate overlords love this language. They want people working 40+ without overtime. It's evil.
#12
Hard as pumpuli 1 year ago (edited)
So wrong… I get so much work done from home. Introvert here.
#13
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
YES! I worked the same place for 12 years and they are in this death spiral right now and I feel like I need popcorn because I got out three years ago.
After the high and low-demand cognitive tasks, the two groups also had decision tests. This included choices about their willingness to ride a bike at different intensities, to perform harder or easier versions of cognitive control tasks, and how long they were willing to wait to receive a larger reward (the rewards themselves ranged from approximately $0.11 to $52.80 and the delays for receiving the reward ranged from immediate cash after the experiment or bank transfer after to one year).
#14
Rick Johnston 1 year ago
I used to work for a government department where we held meetings to discuss what should be on the agenda for the next meeting
#15
Gustav Gallifrey 1 year ago
Yeah, why should i work for a management that so inept at organising things that everything is always done 'under pressure'?
#16
Howl's sleeping castle 1 year ago
The place I used to work, they sent a trainer who had never worked in our department and had zero knowledge to train the new employees. I was assigned the mentor once they finished the training. First thing I told them is to forget whatever they have learned because she knows s**t. 'we-were-told-to-do-xyz-for-abc-situation' became a usual statement followed by my 'forget-what-she-taught-you-if-you-want-to-continue-working'. And yes, each one of them cleared the accreditation.
#17
jsgriffith 1 year ago
Boss makes a dollar. You make a dime. Take your shits on company time. Found scratched into a wooden sign on the restroom door that said," only use restroom on scheduled breaks.
In the end, the high-demand group preferred choices that were less taxing. These participants' pupils were less dilated (dilated pupils suggest arousal) and took less time to make decisions, which indicates they experienced this part of the experiment as undemanding.
So the study raises questions about the structure of our office routine. According to the results, we probably should break up tasks that need working memory and constant attention and take into account the fact that performance takes a hit.
"Science has shown ... that mental fatigue has real effects," Zoltán Molnár, a Professor of Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and Tamas Horvath, a Professor of Neurobiology and Ob/Gyn at Yale University, commented on the study.
Furthermore, they pointed out that we have plenty of similar examples. For example, after a long day in court, judges are more likely to deny parole (which is considered the safer option) and clinicians are more likely to prescribe unnecessary antibiotics at the end of a tiring clinical session.
#26
Robert Millar 1 year ago
Sensible wages, sensible taxes. Enough with the minimum wage below subsistence level. Pay according to value delivered. You'll get a surprise at how much retail and service personnel are worth.
#27
#30
Vasana Phong 1 year ago (edited)
I found in a fortune cookie a saying that goes like this “ everyone has a photographic memory, some just don’t have film” I put that little thing on the copier, doubled the size, took that and doubled that size, cut it out and put on my wall, when my coworkers repetitively ask me the same questions I point to it
#36
jsgriffith 1 year ago
Oh so true. Take a five day vacation, with weekends before and after. By the end of the first day, it's like there was no time off. Nobody did s**t except put it on my desk.
#40
Worst Cop in Britain 1 year ago
Literally got mad at my coworker when I bumped into him on the stairwell, he comes in earlier than I do and I hadn't even clocked in yet and he's tryna ask me questions and say oh I need xyz in an email I'm like ??? My guy can I CLOCK IN FIRST??
#42
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 year ago
Current goals: Survive the Holidays, January: get a new PCP and get the whole body checked out, including teeth. Find out if my insurance covers a vasectomy, they are way more expensive than I thought.
#48
Sylvia Schmitz 1 year ago
Was that when Rose brought that very short man home and Blanche said something about shrimps?
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What do you think ?
VonBlade 1 year ago
My one is always : Me "Can you send me that stuff so I can do my job". Them : "Sure" *Three days pass*. Them : "Here you go". *30 minutes pass*. Them "Have you finished yet? There is a rush you know". Me : O_o
Larry Thanos, Jr. 1 year ago
Q: “How long will this take?” A: “Eight working days.” Q: “Ok, we’ll think about it.” (Seven days later, after hearing nothing from them the whole time) Q: “Can you have it ready tomorrow by 9 am?”
Load More Replies...
denise hattingh 1 year ago
Besides barely above minimum wage pay, I have an a*****e of a boss that insults or belittles me at least 4 times a day, then complains the business doesn't make any money WHILE GIVING AWAY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES as he sees fit. AND I went back to work almost immediately after having a brain tumour removed and during radiation therapy I worked every day. Never take my lunch time.
similarly 1 year ago
In Japan, this is called "power harassment", when bosses treat their employees like emotional punching bags.
Load More Replies...
Jack Harris 1 year ago
Here's some food for thought: Imagine all the people who are dissatisfied with their job/working conditions. Now, think about how effective of a strike it would be if they all cared enough to collectively change things instead of just posting memes about it.
Joel Nossoff 1 year ago
[#32 "Companies should legalize 5 'no mood to work' leaves every year".] It's called "Calling in well": Me: "Sorry, Boss, I feel too good to come to work today"!
Joy 1 year ago
I work with so many s****y people. They call in "sick" constantly whenever they feel like it knowing they won't be fired because we are so short staffed. It forces others to have to cover their shifts. Weekends are the worst. I have coworkers flat out admit that they call in "sick" to catch the football game. Then we have folks who get mandated to cover for someone, then call in "sick" themselves for their next shift.
Larry Thanos, Jr. 1 year ago (edited)
They promoted a guy over me, no problem. I’m a VP, he’s a Senior VP. I can deal with the SVP being paid more than me. Thing is, he’s smart, but he has the robotic personality of a Roomba, and tends to be bossy - even to clients. In the past nine months three big clients have each angrily told our manager they never want to see him again. My manager told me to fix each of the relationships and then take over those clients for the Senior VP. I did and those clients love us again. No mention of a bonus, though….
Mithun Pandit 1 year ago
We are the people with the same pain points! Glad few raised their voice 😃
John Harrison 1 year ago
Some of these were funny. Most of them were just the complaints of people who haven't learned how to manage their lives and communicate with others yet. I can sympathize — I was like that in my 20s.
VonBlade 1 year ago
My one is always : Me "Can you send me that stuff so I can do my job". Them : "Sure" *Three days pass*. Them : "Here you go". *30 minutes pass*. Them "Have you finished yet? There is a rush you know". Me : O_o
Larry Thanos, Jr. 1 year ago
Q: “How long will this take?” A: “Eight working days.” Q: “Ok, we’ll think about it.” (Seven days later, after hearing nothing from them the whole time) Q: “Can you have it ready tomorrow by 9 am?”
Load More Replies... denise hattingh 1 year ago
Besides barely above minimum wage pay, I have an a*****e of a boss that insults or belittles me at least 4 times a day, then complains the business doesn't make any money WHILE GIVING AWAY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES as he sees fit. AND I went back to work almost immediately after having a brain tumour removed and during radiation therapy I worked every day. Never take my lunch time.
similarly 1 year ago
In Japan, this is called "power harassment", when bosses treat their employees like emotional punching bags.
Load More Replies... Jack Harris 1 year ago
Here's some food for thought: Imagine all the people who are dissatisfied with their job/working conditions. Now, think about how effective of a strike it would be if they all cared enough to collectively change things instead of just posting memes about it.
Joel Nossoff 1 year ago
[#32 "Companies should legalize 5 'no mood to work' leaves every year".] It's called "Calling in well": Me: "Sorry, Boss, I feel too good to come to work today"!
Joy 1 year ago
I work with so many s****y people. They call in "sick" constantly whenever they feel like it knowing they won't be fired because we are so short staffed. It forces others to have to cover their shifts. Weekends are the worst. I have coworkers flat out admit that they call in "sick" to catch the football game. Then we have folks who get mandated to cover for someone, then call in "sick" themselves for their next shift.
Larry Thanos, Jr. 1 year ago (edited)
They promoted a guy over me, no problem. I’m a VP, he’s a Senior VP. I can deal with the SVP being paid more than me. Thing is, he’s smart, but he has the robotic personality of a Roomba, and tends to be bossy - even to clients. In the past nine months three big clients have each angrily told our manager they never want to see him again. My manager told me to fix each of the relationships and then take over those clients for the Senior VP. I did and those clients love us again. No mention of a bonus, though….
Mithun Pandit 1 year ago
We are the people with the same pain points! Glad few raised their voice 😃
John Harrison 1 year ago
Some of these were funny. Most of them were just the complaints of people who haven't learned how to manage their lives and communicate with others yet. I can sympathize — I was like that in my 20s.
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