Imagine being hired by an important company in which you are going to collect a good salary but, when it is time to incorporate and assign your tasks, nobody does. They pay you for doing nothing throughout your day. Would you give up such a job?
Although this argument may seem plucked from a sitcom, that is exactly what happened to a Reddit user who shared his experience working at a job for seven months without any assigned tasks.
Despite the unusual circumstances, the employee expressed satisfaction with his situation: “I will not seek a second job while I do this. I am a *lazy individual * and I do not even want to talk about a second job.”
Schrödinger’s Employee: He Is, But He Doesn’t Work
The user, a resident of the East Coast of the USA, recounted in his publication that he was hired by one of the world’s largest real estate companies for an administrative position, with a salary nearing six figures.
However, a week before he was set to start, the person who hired him was fired . Consequently, on his first day, he had to be shown to his desk by someone from a different department. “I’ve been sitting in an office behind the cubicle that the woman who hired me used, completely alone,” he lamented.
This unexpected situation left the new employee without a direct superior and without clearly defined tasks from day one. Faced with this unusual scenario, he attempted to contact other managers and department leaders to inform them of his lack of assigned duties. However, his requests went unanswered, leaving him to perform the minimal tasks he managed to assume on his own.
His only official activity consists of developing spreadsheets for the equipment list, which takes him no more than 15 minutes each week. He later sends the files to the department head while also attaching a hidden copy to the office coordinator, just to save appearances.
An Exemplary Employee
Despite the total absence of tasks and supervision, the employee has chosen to fulfill his working hours diligently. He explains that to keep a record of his attendance, he goes to the office three days a week to validate his credential and stick to the agreed schedule. Nevertheless, the employee admits that he sometimes leaves early, presumably without pending tasks.
His company employs a hybrid model, allowing him to work from home for the remaining two days of the week.
The employee noted that during these seven months, he has always received his salary on time, despite lacking genuine responsibilities. “They pay me every month, even though I hardly have a job. No one seems to be aware that I exist,” he remarked in his post.
According to other users, when he requires a day off, he simply submits a request through an application, which is promptly approved. However, he confirms, “I haven’t spoken to anyone in months.”
Some users suggested exploring a second job for remote work, allowing him to occupy his time during the “workday” and earn extra income without dedicating additional hours. However, he completely declined, opting instead to maintain minimal effort. In reality, he has found his niche in this job.
While this case may seem isolated and peculiar, work audits often uncover similar situations. Even in Spain, such instances have occurred where companies hired professionals during the pandemic to prevent competitors from poaching them, only for them to confess later that they really had no assigned tasks and were paid for doing nothing.
Image | Pexels (Startup Stock Photos, Andrea Piacquadio)