According to the Meriam-Webster dictionary, the rat race is defined as “the unpleasant life of people who have jobs that require them to work very hard in order to compete with others for money, power, status, etc”.
In April of this year, 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, keeping on trend with the high quit rate that was first observed around January of last year.
In fact, if one visits the website for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, you can see that beginning in January of 2021, the rate of quitting has continually increased, peaking in November and December last year at 3.0%. Looking at this year, the number has dropped down a bit by 0.1% to a 2.9% quit rate. Sorry capitalists looks like the labor shortage isn’t going anywhere.
I am one of those millions of Americans who decided to quit their job. I began working again in March of last year and at first, I was absolutely ecstatic to return to work. That all changed rather quickly, however.
Working in customer service, I think people can relate to how emotionally draining the work can be, but never like anything I’ve experienced before.
After not working for nearly a year, I returned to my old position at the front desk of a major hotel on Fremont St. My experience was nothing short of a living nightmare. I was cursed at and constantly abused by guests; I had to try my hardest to bite my tongue and not speak up, not fight for myself. My coworkers and I would come to work already drained and leave exhausted. Our morale was nonexistent. We were angry, short, and emotionally, psychologically, and physically drained. And we had to suck it up every day, 5 days a week, with no support from management.
Not only that, the company I was working for retaliated against us for being in a union and finally having our first contract. We were micromanaged and constantly given write-ups for the smallest infractions. So, not only were we terrified of dealing with abhorrent customers (I know I was), we were now being “big-brothered” by management and afraid of making the smallest mistakes. Each new frivolous write-up was a step closer to suspension or even worse, fired. I cannot describe the anxiety of being pushed up against the wall, no room to breathe, and a feeling that there was no way out.
We started quitting in droves. Employee after employee quit. I was sick of the favoritism, the crappy benefits, no raises, no respect, and no reward for my hard work. I was solely existing to field and suffer (emphasis on the suffering) complaints from upset guests and make money for a CEO who doesn’t care about us.
I was tired, and so, like millions of Americans, I quit my job in search of greener fields. My next job had higher pay, slightly better benefits, a better EDR (Employee Dining Room), and a better appreciation for their employees, or so I believed at the time. I would be working in a call center of a major new resort in Las Vegas and I was beyond excited, feeling privileged to land such a great position. I hit the ground running and was prepared to show this new company my worth.
The honeymoon didn’t last long and I quit after four months. Again, I was dealing with angry guests and being constantly abused and berated for problems far beyond my control. I was one person and I felt I was doing the job of 10 people. I had to badger housekeeping to clean rooms, I had to book spa appointments for some reason, book reservations, book casino host reservations, book restaurant reservations, call security for issues, and fix billing mistakes on reservations (which there were A LOT of), and so much more, all while trying to keep a smile on my face and pretending to be happy.
Did the higher-ups fix any of the numerous problems with the hotel? No. Did they hear the concerns of their guests and their employees? No. Did they offer bonuses or raises for our tremendous hard work? No. Did they even care? Absolutely not.
So one day, after being sick of it all, and not having the strength to take another abusive call, I quit. I simply turned off my monitor, packed my bag, and walked out. I left my badge on the time clock, went to my car, drove off, and never looked back. I didn’t even bother to tell my managers I quit; I was so disillusioned that I didn’t even care about the resume point anymore. What did it matter? What would I get out of it anyway?
I decided to take a few months off and found a new job. I bet you can guess how long I lasted at that job and I quit for the same reasons I quit every other job: low pay, rampant abuse, crappy management, and being overworked to the bone.
I’m a worker, always have been. I’ve been working since I was 13 years old, as soon as I entered high school. I have never, and I mean never, had such a difficult time working in my entire life. I actually nearly panic from the thought of looking a customer in the eye; that’s how afraid I am of doing customer service now. I have always worked and I am glad that millions of Americans are alongside me in the struggle for better working conditions. We are not alone.
I’m sick of working hard for no reward. I’m sick of the low wages, while there is rampant inflation and a freaking bag of potatoes costs $5. I’m sick of being underappreciated for my hard work. I’m sick of working hard only to be rewarded with more hard work. I’m sick of having no paid sick leave, no paid family leave, no vacation time, and none of the worker benefits that every other developed nation has.
Basically, excuse my french, I’m fucking tired and so is everyone else. I want a 32-hour workweek, $21 minimum wage, PTO, vacation time, bonuses, annual raises to keep up with the cost of inflation, paid sick leave, paid family leave, and nationwide free healthcare. And these are not crazy ideas, this can be done in the richest country in the world, but there are forces that exist to prevent this from happening.
And so, now I’m here. I don’t know what to do with myself, but I’m tired of being treated like utter shit for doing my job and doing it well.
This is where Listless Las Vegas comes in. I have time and I don’t know what to do with myself, so I’m creating this website in hopes of independently making something of myself. I want something that’s mine and if I’m gonna work so damn hard, I might as well do it for myself and not someone else. All I know is that I’m a writer and all I feel like doing is dedicating myself to writing.
I’m not sure entirely what type of content I will produce for this website, but I think I’m just gonna go crazy with it. I live in Las Vegas, so expect a lot of Las Vegas content and Las Vegas issues. I’ll write my two cents on current world events and events in America. I’ll be blogging about personal issues, random funny things, and just about anything I can think of. And hell, hopefully, it grows and maybe it can be a real publication!
So, to all who stumbled upon this tiny little independent writer’s website, welcome to Listless Las Vegas! If you like my content and what I write about, hopefully, you’ll stick around to see what comes next!