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
| Apr 15, 2013
Using software and the power of the cloud to connect your back office to your field operations [webinar]
This webinar will focus on a new software subscription service that will help construction companies, general and specialty contractors connect their back office infrastructure with all of their field operations. The service will help capture, manage and report on the progress of existing construction jobs and help in the planning of new ones.
| Apr 12, 2013
Nation's first 'food forest' planned in Seattle
Seattle's Beacon Food Forest project is transforming a seven-acre lot in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood into a self-sustaining, edible public park.
| Apr 12, 2013
Chicago rail conversion puts local twist on High Line strategy
Plans are moving forward to convert an unused, century-old Chicago rail artery to a 2.7 mile, 13 acre recreational facility and transit corridor.