Seven years before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the U.S. and forever changed how many Americans view their career, work environment, and true value to their employer, the Reddit subreddit r/Antiwork was born, largely as a protest against—and discussion forum about—the mounting pressures everyday workers face in a purely capitalistic society. Bad bosses, low wages, long hours, lack of overtime, dwindling benefits, dead-end positions, ever-demanding customers, meaningless jobs, brutal commutes, to name a few.
Now, nearly two years into the pandemic, the underlying message of r/Antiwork’s forums is ringing truer than ever. The subreddit is one of the fastest-growing and most-active discussion boards on the social media platform, with 1.66 million subscribers, up from a little over 100,000 at the outset of the COVID-19 outbreak.
At its core, r/Antiwork isn’t about abolishing work or people quitting their jobs—although examples of the latter can be seen throughout the feed, with screenshots of dramatic and often humorous text exchanges with supervisors at the moment of resignation. Rather, the subreddit is about empowering the labor force by any means necessary—ask for that raise, negotiate a hybrid work schedule, demand a reasonable workload. If all else fails, be confident enough to walk away for a better opportunity. Don’t settle for the norms that Corporate America has established.
While the architecture profession is not featured prominently in r/Antiwork—lower-paying, hourly jobs like retail, restaurant, and small business positions tend to be the focus—the industry is not immune to the ills that plague American work culture. Architects stand with doctors and lawyers as among the most highly educated and credentialed professionals in the nation. They work long hours, with demanding deadlines and little schedule flexibility—yet with meager pay relative to their peers in the legal and medical professions.
It’s no surprise, then, that signs of the r/Antiwork movement are starting to appear in the architecture field. The most glaring example is at New York City-based SHoP Architects. There, employees of the 135-person firm announced in late December that they are advancing a plan to form a union, citing low pay and long hours. If formalized, the effort would be the first to successfully create a union at a prominent private-sector architecture firm in the U.S., according to the New York Times. At the time of the report, more than half of SHoP’s eligible colleagues had signed cards supporting the union, which would affiliate with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
The Times reported that two other prominent New York firms are following suit. I expect other AE firms to join the movement in the coming months.
Related Stories
Senior Living Design | Jan 24, 2024
Former Walgreens becomes affordable senior living community
Evergreen Real Estate Group has announced the completion of Bellwood Senior Apartments. The 80-unit senior living community at 542 25th Ave. in Bellwood, Ill., provides independent living options for low-income seniors.
AEC Tech | Jan 24, 2024
4 ways AEC firms can benefit from digital transformation
While going digital might seem like a playground solely for industry giants, the truth is that any company can benefit from the power of technology.
Giants 400 | Jan 23, 2024
Top 60 Parking Structure Architecture Firms for 2023
Choate Parking Consultants, Page Southerland Page, Gensler, AO, and Elkus Manfredi Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest parking structure architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Industry Research | Jan 23, 2024
Leading economists forecast 4% growth in construction spending for nonresidential buildings in 2024
Spending on nonresidential buildings will see a modest 4% increase in 2024, after increasing by more than 20% last year according to The American Institute of Architects’ latest Consensus Construction Forecast. The pace will slow to just over 1% growth in 2025, a marked difference from the strong performance in 2023.
Giants 400 | Jan 23, 2024
Top 110 Medical Office Building Architecture Firms for 2023
SmithGroup, CannonDesign, E4H Environments for Health Architecture, and Perkins Eastman top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest medical office building architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 22, 2024
Top 100 Outpatient Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
HDR, CannonDesign, Stantec, Perkins&Will, and ZGF top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest outpatient facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes design revenue for work related to outpatient medical buildings, including cancer centers, heart centers, urgent care facilities, and other medical centers.
Construction Costs | Jan 22, 2024
Construction material prices continue to normalize despite ongoing challenges
Gordian’s most recent Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report for Q4 2023 describes an industry still attempting to recover from the impact of COVID. This was complicated by inflation, weather, and geopolitical factors that resulted in widespread pricing adjustments throughout the construction materials industries.
Transit Facilities | Jan 22, 2024
Top 40 Transit Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Perkins&Will, HDR, Gensler, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and HNTB top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest transit facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes design revenue for work related to bus terminals, rail terminals, and transit stations.
Hotel Facilities | Jan 22, 2024
U.S. hotel construction is booming, with a record-high 5,964 projects in the pipeline
The hotel construction pipeline hit record project counts at Q4, with the addition of 260 projects and 21,287 rooms over last quarter, according to Lodging Econometrics.
Modular Building | Jan 19, 2024
Virginia is first state to adopt ICC/MBI offsite construction standards
Virginia recently became the first state to adopt International Code Council/Modular Building Institute off-site construction standards.