Lloyd

Can we normalize the idea that, just like everyone has certain levels of physical labor they can’t perform, everyone also has certain levels of emotional labor they can’t perform? Like, yeah, when you work retail you should be considerate and friendly to all customers, but not everyone can have an energetic mood for 8 hours in a row. That guy that works at the register who’s always got an ear-to-ear smile and has long conversations with every customer about any topic under the sun is not the standard by which all employees’ friendliness should be compared, he’s the equivalent of the guy that works out every day that moves huge items like they’re nothing. Yeah, Joe the unloader can lift 50-pound boxes onto pallets for 8 hours straight, but I can’t. Yeah, Dan the cashier can smile and laugh and be energetic for 8 hours straight, but I can’t. Just like the former doesn’t mean I’m lazy, the latter doesn’t mean I’m rude.

I really wish this was normalized. People decide how much work and what type of work someone should be able to do based on others and that is not okay. Everyone has different abilities and limits. The standard of work should remain the same, not change based on who is/was doing it.