The Future of Work: A Bleak Outlook

I have observed a troubling pattern in the workplace. As someone who likes to pay attention to details wherever I go, today’s experience at the post office reinforced my growing concerns about the future of work.

Before noon, I went to the post office to mail something. When I arrived, there was no one at the front desk. I called out, "Hello, anybody here?" but received no response. I repeated myself three times and then simply stood there, waiting. Soon, an older woman arrived, followed by another. The first woman took over from me, calling out “Hello!” in a loud voice, and the next person was even louder. This finally caught the attention of a man, who appeared to be a supervisor.

As he emerged, a young woman also appeared. Rolling her eyes, she muttered to the supervisor, "I had to use the bathroom." But this was untrue. She had been behind a partition the entire time I was there. My guess is she was either listening to something or engaged in a conversation via her headset and had not heard us. When she finally assisted me, she scanned my mail, confirmed it was good to go, and I left.

Why am I writing about this? Because it’s a trend I see everywhere, including at work. People are more eager to get off work to browse their phones than to actually do the jobs they applied for. It’s frustrating to see employees glued to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or other attention-consuming platforms, even when someone desperately needs their help.

This phenomenon is especially concerning in fields where attentiveness is crucial. If someone cannot focus on a simple customer service role at the post office, how much worse is it in places where people's lives depend on attentiveness, such as in healthcare? I’ve seen it firsthand: patients in distress while staff remain distracted by their phones.

The woman at the post office displayed an attitude when we called for assistance, as though we were inconveniencing her. But when we arrived, there was no sign that she had just gone to use the restroom. Instead, it was clear she had been preoccupied with something else right behind the front desktop. Perhaps something that diverted her attention away from her paid responsibility to serve customers.

This is why I believe the concept of work is in trouble, especially with the newer generation. While I have reservations about technology, the idea of robots replacing inefficient workers and providing consistent, attitude-free service is becoming increasingly appealing.

What do you think? How are things at your workplace? Are you seeing the same trends?

I remain your observing friend.

Ronnie Law