HACKER Q&A
📣 dakiol

Cynic attitude towards my employer


I have noticed that no matter what kind of company I work for, I have developed this sort of disdain towards my employer. People talk about “owners” vs “mercenaries” and I think I identify myself as the latter, but on steroids: I will do my job as professionally as possible, but I couldn’t care less if the company goes bankrupt the next month (in Europe you usually have a notice period of at least a month, and well, I have enough savings to survive until finding another job). The thing is, i’m not sure why I feel like this. I think it started after Corona and the possibility of WFH: I think I realised how much companies in the past were taking advantage of me by forcing me to go to the office (doesn’t make sense perhaps since I always signed a contract allowing them to do so… but I guess I never thought of doing it differently was an option).

I don’t think i’m burned out (I still enjoy from time to time the adrenaline of writing code and pushing it to prod; I also work on personal projects).

Or perhaps is this feeling normal? I’m also becoming older (i’m not in my 20s anymore), so perhaps it’s just part of life (as we realize that we won’t get everything we wanted when we were younger, and somehow we look for someone to blame).

In any case, it’s not something that doesn’t let me sleep; more like an interesting thought of self reflection.

  👤 elzbardico Accepted Answer ✓
This is perfectly normal. It is a business relationship. Are you doing what is agreed between you and your employee on your contract? Are you honest and a good worker in exchange for a payment? that's ok.
👤 billybuckwheat
Don't stress (or even think too deeply) about this. You're not the only one who thinks or feels this way.

As someone once told me, your employer is in their business. You're in the business of you -- if that means adopting a mercenary mindset, then adopt that mindset. A job is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Your employer could go under or let you go tomorrow. Just do your work as best you can, but don't let working at any company be your anchor or source of identity or anything like that.

👤 devonnull
All you owe your employer is to do work at a professional level and not make your fellow employees feel threatened or uncomfortable. You don't need to get emotionally invested in your job. And, yes, what you're feeling is very normal and very widespread.