These are difficult times in the world of work. Though many people moan about the stresses of remote communications or covid-compromised commutes and working conditions, millions are worrying about whether they will have a job tomorrow – or have already been laid off. The only thing that seems certain is change.
A gamut of euphemisms has long been employed to describe this reality. To that end “getting the sack” has its origins in the pre-modern economy, when workers would haul their tools and belongings around in a sack to use as necessary: when their labour was no longer needed, they’d be handed the sack back and move on. At least that’s a little less brutal than being given the axe.
Many companies now use robotically faceless expressions to refer to the fate of their staff: firms restructure, streamline and downsize, they reposition, realign and integrate. Perhaps worst of all, they make “efficiencies”. Only occasionally do they say it like it is. Workers, too, have their own lingo to describe modern employment. So, whether you’re a Zoom zealot who can’t stop working, or are enjoying the escape from the scrutiny of your boss, in an uncertain climate, it pays to understand the subtext.
Toxic productivity
An unhealthy compulsion to work (noun)
Doing too much can be hazardous
Office workers foresaw a welcome change of pace as they were banished to their living rooms at the start of lockdown. Frenzied commutes would give way to lie-ins. Lunch, usually a pre-packaged sandwich wolfed down between meetings, could be savoured. They might even sneak in a mid-afternoon yoga session. For many the reality has been different. Hours saved travelling have been filled with high-speed email traffic. The distinction between workplace and home has blurred, and bosses now call on subordinates at all hours of the day. Every waking moment is a slot to achieve things in.
The term for this inability to switch off is “toxic productivity”. It’s a very modern platitude; today “toxic” is used to describe everything from sexism (“toxic masculinity”) to inequality (“toxic wealth”). It was the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year in 2018. Britney Spears showed Nostradamus-like powers of perception when she released a single of the same name in 2003, though she probably didn’t have an overflowing email inbox in mind.
The pandemic hasn’t made workaholics of us all, as Netflix’s swelling subscriber count attests. Yet the fact that many of us are as busy as ever, even when theoretically this time offered a chance to reconsider our own priorities in life, seems like a toxic waste.
Bo Franklin
瑳儱虎 (kubikiri)
Decapitation, or lay-offs (noun)
In Japan you can lose your head along with your job
When samurai reigned Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1867, serious criminals were often punished by beheading with a sword….
Read More: Brave new word – From zumping to fried squid: the new language of work |