Burnt out employee shares how their life has improved since they adopted 'act your wage' notion

As an employee, disappointment oftentimes becomes part and parcel of work life. People might enter an establishment with idealistic aspirations, believing the harder they invest, the more returns will be bestowed on them. Though, as time goes by, reality turns out to be totally different. It becomes evident that most corporations are nothing but exploitative machinery. u/TerrBear5317 also had this same trajectory at their workplace. They entered the establishment with many hopes, but all were dashed repeatedly. After being in the rut for 8 years and seeing absolutely no improvement, they made the call to adopt the "acting their wage" notion. They shared the entire story on Reddit.

The employee has been working for the last 8 years in a stressful medical setup which seemed to have no improvement since they joined. In order to prove their worth, they have always tried to go "above and beyond" when it comes to their work responsibilities. The last 4 years had become increasingly difficult for them to manage on their work front. Unfortunately, the paychecks did not seem to match their effort. Despite all of this they had been pushing forward at their job, afraid of making a change.

However, this approach to work changed when they suffered from a "mental breakdown." It had been the accumulating effect of everything that was building up within the employee in the last few years. Having gone through that, and not wanting to feel like that ever again, the employee decided to change their way of handling things at work. They decided to take a step back and only involve themselves with the job responsibilities they were hired for. This notion is known as "acting your wage."

As defined by Hive, "act your wage" is a way for employees to establish boundaries and protect themselves in an environment where they feel exploited. This is done by only doing the work that they are contractually obligated to do, and foregoing extra tasks that they have not been paid for. The employees do not make themselves available for 24 hours to further the company they are working for and instead focus on personal development. 

The method of "acting one's wage" worked for the employee, as they had more energy to invest in things that they really liked. The employee ensured that they used this newfound energy and zeal to further themselves in their personal life. They end the post by giving fellow users a message, "Remember it's only a job, do what you have to and clock out."

The comment section applauded, u/TerrBear5317 for their decision. u/eac555 shared their own experience, "I’ve called it 'staying in my circle' for many years. I do what I’m paid to do. Was once looked upon as having a bit of a bad attitude for this. But I have always done MY job very well and was never punished for staying in my circle. Have had more than one manager over the years say they finally understood staying in your circle and it was a good thing. I have been offered salaried management positions over the years but declined them. Saw the ways it changed people and how they were used and abused."

u/Feminafoeda was completely in agreement with the employee, "Agree with you. Last year I really made an effort to leave work right on time. I wasn’t staying just to finish work I could do the next day. I don’t stay to 'chat' with coworkers talking about work because it’s not worth it, I just bounce and leave once my time is done. I think that simple thing for me has helped me tremendously because I’m putting myself first." The Reddit user also revealed in the comments section that they are "planning to resign at the beginning of the year," therefore, they are at "so much peace."