On Work, Non-Work, and Anti-Work

I was asked to solve a staffing problem.

I placed advertisements.

I answered calls.

I interviewed candidates.

The interviews converged.

The offered wage was too low.

I reported the observation to the owners.

The answer was:

“These are just not our candidates. Keep up your good work.”

Loop continued.

Weeks later staffing became urgent.

The direction of responsibility of my work had changed.

“Why didn’t you offer more pay?”

…

This morning I woke up thinking about another arrangement the owners had informed me of yesterday. R works with T.

At six in the morning I woke up T and R, asking if they had been informed how they work by the ones who made the changes.

They had not.

I confirmed the arrangements, waking up a couple more people.

Participants are awakened to a situation of their “non-work” resulting in my “work.”

The revelation of me being at work at 6 am when I officially start at 9 am led to a next request:

Could you send your paperwork on in-service training for us to copy for our place of work — that is a “non-work” place?

I said “sure.” )

…

Non-work leaves a gap.

I can fill the gap.

…

Anti-work is more interesting.

The work is done.

The observation is reported.

The report is dismissed.

The predicted consequence arrives.

The completed work returns as an accusation.

Why didn’t you…

The system transforms completed work back into unfinished work.

…

Anti-work creates recursion.

The resignation letter becomes the base case.

The next arguments enter the recursive function. )