There is a reason the movie “Office Space” (which came out in 1999) continues to resonate with so many employees.

Here’s one of my favorite dialogues between Peter Gibbons (the worker) and “The Bobs” (productivity consultants) hired by the company Peter works for (Initech).

“Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care.

Bob Porter: Don’t… don’t care?

Peter Gibbons: It’s a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don’t see another dime, so where’s the motivation? And here’s something else, Bob: I have eight different bosses right now.

Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?

Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.

Bob Slydell: Eight?

Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That’s my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.”

It is 2024 and I STILL hear employers complain that “nobody wants to work” and “people are just lazy.”

Want my .02?

Let me change a few words and correct those complaints…

1. “Nobody wants to work IN CRUMMY CIRCUMSTANCES.” Culture is curable.

2. “SOME people are just lazy.” MOST are NOT lazy. Pre-employment tests (like the Insure Survey) identify LOTS of honest, hard-working, and reliable job applicants every day across the United States. There are plenty of good people… and they are everywhere.

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