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My husband had a very low-stress job with total autonomy, no supervision. he didn't miss more than 3 days of work in thirty years. He liked most of the people he worked with and really enjoyed the customers. Most important to him: it was an outside job. He hated to be encased in walls. He never made more that $42k. He got better offers. But he knew that being happy was more important than money. The job let him focus on our home and his hobbies. I didn't appreciate enough how rare and wonderful it was to be with someone who was so totally happy in life that it was contagious. I didn't realize just how spoiled I was by him until he was gone.
I bet this thread goes over most folks heads, but how low of a salary would you accept to work in a low stress slow paced position. One where everyday wasn't a fire drill and you actually liked your boss.
I understand we have all been brain washed to believe that the more more money we make the better off we are. But would you take a pay cut to move to a career that wasn't a daily battle of stress, backstabbing, rushing, and being dumped on?
Definitely! As long as my bills are paid, a little $$ goes into savings I'd happily take a low stress job. I've had high stress jobs that paid well and all I got for it was an ulcer and panic attacks.
I bet this thread goes over most folks heads, but how low of a salary would you accept to work in a low stress slow paced position. One where everyday wasn't a fire drill and you actually liked your boss.
I understand we have all been brain washed to believe that the more more money we make the better off we are. But would you take a pay cut to move to a career that wasn't a daily battle of stress, backstabbing, rushing, and being dumped on?
I would take a big paycut. I've already applied to such jobs.
However, the 'less hours' and 'less stress' is an assumption.
But let's start with the obvious...
Is working at Best Buy or Shop-Rite (whatever your local supermarket is) or Target, or the local pizza parlor less stress than my job?
ABSOLUTELY x10, with no doubt in my mind. It's also less mentally taxing work, so I'd have more energy at the end of the day. But that's probably a little more paycut than I would like and no benefits.
Let's go with another obvious. Do the people below me at my job have less stress? Yes, they do, but they may work close to as many hours as I do. But generally less. Again, I've done their job.
The people above. A few of them have much harder jobs than I do. The others? Let's not go there...
BTW, one of the things that raising minimum wage will do is close the gap between non-skilled jobs and skilled ENTRY level jobs, which I think should have happened a long time ago.
You can work at Target and get paid $17/hour or you can work as an entry level say, Chemist, Social Worker, or Geologist for $20/hour.
It's going to keep professional owners from abusing their junior employees to fill their own pockets, because if they push too hard ... 'Well forget this, I'm just going to go work at Target.'
People who really want to be in those careers and do a good job will stay in those jobs, not just because ... 'it pays more'.
My husband had a very low-stress job with total autonomy, no supervision. he didn't miss more than 3 days of work in thirty years. He liked most of the people he worked with and really enjoyed the customers. Most important to him: it was an outside job. He hated to be encased in walls. He never made more that $42k. He got better offers. But he knew that being happy was more important than money. The job let him focus on our home and his hobbies. I didn't appreciate enough how rare and wonderful it was to be with someone who was so totally happy in life that it was contagious. I didn't realize just how spoiled I was by him until he was gone.
The crazy thing is ... when you have a low stress job, you really get to know your co-workers. That kind of job can make even a difficult person seem not too bad.
You know the saying ... 'he's a pretty cool guy outside of work'...
OTOH, a high stress job where every 30 minutes of the day must be filled with making decisions and high productivity is destined to be a place where all the unpleasantries of people come out. And people don't get to know each other because 15 minutes spent talking to you, is 15 minutes that could have been put towards the never-ending productivity expectations.
I bet this thread goes over most folks heads, but how low of a salary would you accept to work in a low stress slow paced position. One where everyday wasn't a fire drill and you actually liked your boss.
It depends on the person and the amount of stress - chronic negative stress - that a job is causing someone.
For some....and I think many....lower stress with a lower salary (yes, it depends how much lower though) would be better.
I knew a person who did this. Took a pay cut for less stress and that = more genuine happiness in life.
Quote:
I understand we have all been brain washed to believe that the more more money we make the better off we are. But would you take a pay cut to move to a career that wasn't a daily battle of stress, backstabbing, rushing, and being dumped on?
Yes, in the US more money = being "better off".....
True? Depends also, but in general it's only on the surface.
With more money often comes more debt with people it seems.
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There were plenty in my company who made their jobs low stress. (And earned $150k+) $96k was about average
It was really up to the individual how much they chose to take on as stress.
The company was quite conducive to giving employees the freedom to make their own choices and schedules.
Flex hours (no time clocks since pre 1960) / profit sharing / stock awards / volunteer pay to work in public schools and charities / free coffee and donuts and fruit (since pre 1960), wellness centers (including swimming pools at some sites), employee retreat centers worldwide (Free)...
There were also plenty of opportunity to 'stretch' into stressful work contributions.
We accomplished great things (Inventing for science), had great co-workers and great bosses (for 60 yrs w/o a layoff), until 'The Witch' arrived. She destroyed the company culture, but not the people. Many went elsewhere and did great things, often to adult education and non-profit organizations (can be very low stress).
"Peaceful employment" was never had there again, but still many practiced "Low Stress" employment. Several friends did 3 or 4 day work weeks, others job shared, we all could make our own schedule and leave for errands and resonsibilities any time we needed.
It was a great job, and many of the ex-employees stay engaged with each other and in technology / public service.
In a heartbeat! I assume you're not talking about going from an executive job to McDonalds. Though I've seen many a Walmart greeter from all walks of life - they are true people lovers.
Problem is, it's not always easy to know which employee/boss/department head will be a complete jerk until you are actually in the job.
And it seems to take many people (self included) quite a few of their working years to actually figure that out.
I've had more than one boss express their frustration that I wasn't financially motivated when they wanted me to pick up extra hours - and I'm not rolling in dough. But I hit my point in my 40s where I started to appreciate less stress. By the time I hit 50, I decided the $20+ job could pound sand and thoroughly enjoyed the $14 job that I didn't bring home with me.
Now I work for myself and make more. Clients can still be stressful, but they can be fired too.
People should stop judging others' worth by what they earn or do.
You want to judge your life by materialistic standards, go ahead. But do not judge others.
If people of ability have any real obligation to society that is do what they do best as well as reasonably possible and teach their kids to do the same.
People on the left absolutely need a large cadre of very successful private sector types to pay for all the things the left wants.
Society won't survive the next 50 years without the brainpower and leadership of those with ability and desire actually leveraging those things.
What if Jonas Salk had decided........"man this medical research thing is just too hard......I'm going to sell shoes at Bloomingdales instead." ?
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