Worker Admits She Sees Her Boss As A ‘Clown’ For Caring So Much About Her Job
She's not willing to sacrifice her health & wellbeing for her 9 to 5.
Nicoleta Ionescu / Shutterstock With such a large societal emphasis on work, it often feels impossible not to tie our identities to our jobs. We learn early on that our pathway in life is tied to the career we dream of. From kindergarten to college, we're told to “dream big” (but only if it makes you money).
But post-pandemic shifts and the younger generations' desire for a healthy work-life balance have started challenging those traditional ideals. People have begun to realize that their jobs truly don’t mean as much as those around them and often aren't worth the stress they cause.
One worker admitted she views her boss as a ‘clown’ for being so invested in her job.
Content creator Ciara Ruffalo recently admitted on TikTok that she has stopped tying her identity to her job — and finds her peers silly for doing so. “I do look at my boss like a clown because she cares so much about things happening [at work],” she said.
Not only are people struggling to find fulfillment in their work lives, but they’re also finding it difficult to even find a healthy work environment to get a paycheck — with almost 20% of employees reporting they feel “miserable” at work and over 60% saying they’re “detached.”
If you’re looking to start a family, travel, or simply maintain a daily routine at home, you need money to support yourself. However, even for those who spent years — and thousands of dollars — getting a degree, it’s become nearly impossible to get a paycheck that allows you to live comfortably. So, why burn yourself out and sacrifice your physical and mental health for a job that’s not truly helping you to thrive?
On hard days or when things go wrong, Ruffalo reminds herself that it’s just ‘not that deep.’
“Even if stuff goes wrong, I just don’t care,” she admitted. “This is just not my livelihood, and I’m here for a paycheck.”
While she and other creators on TikTok have been criticized for “quiet quitting” at work, she’s unabashedly honest about why she does it. There are more important things in life than the problems that occur at work — “It’s just not that serious.”
“We’re not saving lives," she added, "so can we please just relax.”
Like many other people in the workforce today, she views her job as simply a means to a paycheck. Fulfillment comes from her personal life.
“I’m working for my dream life outside of my job,” she explained. “That consists of waking up, going to the gym, and then going to a craft store … that’s all I really want to do with my life.”
Reading an excerpt from “The Refusal of Work” by David Frayne, another TikTok creator, emphasized just how work-driven our society has become.
“In the traditional or pre-capitalist society, work was only tolerated insofar as it was necessary," she read. "Work has not always been at the center of society's moral, cultural, and political life."
Now, however, our ability to work is ingrained in our personal self-worth, societal expectations, and survival. From social policy regulations to food stamps — work has sadly become a pillar of one’s ability and worthiness as a human.
So, if you’re simply working your job for a paycheck or doing the “bare minimum” to get paid, don’t let societal norms of “hustle culture” persuade you to do more. You’re doing the necessary work needed to sustain yourself and provide for the personal life that truly fulfills you.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.