This was an email we got earlier this week. We’ve reached out to the author to ask about how they’d like it to be posted but have not gotten a response, so here it is in its original form (with some images added in). I think all of us have felt like this at one point or another:

The Shitco Suck

They will ask for more…

Just this one time.
Please get it done faster, we know it’s a lot to ask.
Let’s just power through this hurdle and things will get easier.
We need you to work longer hours.
Can you work on Holidays?
It’s extremely important.
All of our jobs depend on it.
It will look really bad if we don’t get this done.
Push harder to get that agreement back.
Can you call them again and ask for an update?
What’s the holdup on this?

If you don’t sleep for a week just to get that one thing done, you know they’re going to ask for that again next time. They want to make you feel like your job depends on this and if you don’t do it, you’ll get fired. Or everyone will get fired. The pressure will keep building. No matter how fast you run, they’re going to want it done faster.

That 3 week permit process that’s required by the county? Well, we only have 2 weeks this time, so beg borrow or steal whatever you need to in order to get it done in time. When you pull off a miracle by expending any and all social/professional capital you had with the county officials, the standard assumption will be that permits only take 2 weeks now.

Right when you get off the phone asking someone for a huge favor…they’re going to call and say “hey we need you to ask for a little more.”

It’s never enough.
A little more time.
Put in A Bit more effort.
Maybe a Tad more push.
Just a little more work.

The more you give, the more they will take.
The more you let them take, the more they will expect.

Eventually you’re going to realize that they have taken bits and pieces of your life, because you will never get that time back. Missing friends or family celebrations, being out of town away from loved ones, and sacrificing your mental and physical health in return for…what? The option to do it all again next week?

When times get tough they are going to tell you to sacrifice like everyone else. Take a pay cut, so we can all keep working. Layoffs will happen, but the amount of work is never going to decrease. When things get better, there will be hesitation about getting your pay back to what it was…but they’ll probably be hiring people regardless.

Get married, have a child, lose a friend or family member, or have any other life event… “we’re here for you.” You still have to answer the phone. How many times will they say “we won’t bother you while you’re on vacation…” and the second you’re on the road or at the airport, the emails start flooding in?

They’ll give you more responsibilities.

But not more money.

It’s a promotion, without additional pay.

You’re gaining valuable experience! We’re just not paying you for it.

This makes you more indispensable to the company. But not actually, indispensable.

Use that vacation time before it expires! We’re too busy for you to take a vacation right now.

I don’t know the answer to the problem, but I feel a little better now that I’ve vented. Sorry this is so dark, it’s just been a tough couple of years. Hopefully some of you have found a way out of the Shitco Suck.