本文要介紹的是瑪格麗特·海德,作為“美國資本至上和消費至上這種拼命三郎文化的前犧牲品”,她如今變成了“蝸牛女孩”。
在其公共關(guān)系職業(yè)騰飛之際,她的精神健康出現(xiàn)了大幅下滑。在將近10年的實踐中,她經(jīng)常會遭到客戶的辱罵,每天工作12小時,而且公司希望她能夠隨時隨地回復(fù)Slack短信息。她為此付出了不小的代價。
海德告訴《財富》雜志:“如果一個女孩頂著如此大的壓力,收入?yún)s達不到美國平均工資中位數(shù),任誰都會處于精神崩潰的邊緣。我曾希望將自己塑造為職業(yè)生涯中‘好說話’雇員,但這種方式很快讓自己陷入了始料未及的倦怠之中?!?/p>
海德說:“我意識到,在一家公司的代理機構(gòu)中工作,自己的權(quán)利會遭到剝奪,毫無自主可言?!币虼嗽?個月前,她辭去了公司職務(wù),干起了自由職業(yè),限定自己的工作時間,并成為了一位“蝸牛女孩”。
“反工作”(anti-work,意思就是以蝸牛的速度來開展工作)一詞迅速引燃了社交媒體,而越來越多的女性也以光鮮亮麗的“女老板”之名,告別了數(shù)年以來迫不得已的忙碌生活。
廣告經(jīng)理轉(zhuǎn)行做企業(yè)家的露西·霍爾在回憶今春靈光一現(xiàn)的時刻時問道:“我曾經(jīng)也問過自己,‘這種當(dāng)女老板的生活將持續(xù)多長時間?’我什么時候才能享受這份苦差、忙碌和犧牲帶給我的生活?!?/p>
她繼續(xù)說道:“一天大部分的時間都在工作,而且是全天候地任人使喚,隨叫隨到。我覺得自己的精神健康都出了問題,真的不能再這樣下去了?!?/p>
“懶丫頭工作”并非閑差
研究表明,大量女性正離開其企業(yè)崗位,轉(zhuǎn)而做起了“蝸牛女孩”,或轉(zhuǎn)而從事“懶丫頭工作”,也就是壓力最小、收入尚可的工作,但這些工作與懶惰毫不沾邊。實際上,像海德和霍爾這樣的女性只不過是在嘗試逃離不適合自己的工作所帶來的倦怠感。
事實上,Gallup最近在調(diào)查了超過1.8萬名員工后發(fā)現(xiàn),33%的女性幾乎總是處于倦怠狀態(tài),但有此感覺的男性僅占四分之一。
此外,自企業(yè)老板開始強制員工回歸疫情前常態(tài)之后,男性與女性之間的倦怠差距有所加大。研究稱,為了應(yīng)對這個問題,女性們期待通過開啟新工作來尋找工作生活平衡。
咨詢公司Simply Jools創(chuàng)始人朱爾斯·阿斯皮諾爾對《財富》雜志說:“雖然我們居住在一個由男人為男人創(chuàng)建的社會中,但女性是聰明的?!畱信ぷ鳌⒎鞘情e差,而是一種個人選擇以及對自我照顧的重視,因為一項業(yè)務(wù)的成功少不了辛勤付出。同時,這項工作還得契合自身的價值觀,不會導(dǎo)致倦怠?!?/p>
對于阿斯皮諾爾來說,逃離這種殘酷的內(nèi)卷生活,放慢生活節(jié)奏,幾乎耗費了自己數(shù)十年的時間。她說:“企業(yè)文化真的對我產(chǎn)生了很大的影響?!比欢?,她最近開始擁抱其內(nèi)心的“蝸牛女孩”,同時發(fā)現(xiàn)其精神和身體健康有所改善,而且其創(chuàng)意靈感不斷涌現(xiàn),生產(chǎn)力也有所提升。
海德回應(yīng)說:“蝸牛女孩并不一定就是懶丫頭。我砍掉了一半的工作量,但每周依然工作30個小時,忙的時候每周40個小時。我即將拿到的薪資創(chuàng)下了我工作以來的新高,但工作壓力小多了。”
事實上,幾乎《財富》雜志采訪過的所有女性都稱現(xiàn)在的薪資比以前高。事實證明,收獲來自巧干而不是苦干?;魻柹踔琳业搅嗽谒X時都能賺錢的方法,例如通過其兩家公司SocialDay和Digital Women,銷售線上數(shù)字產(chǎn)品和課程的票。
并非所有人都能做“蝸牛女孩”
疫情期間,自由數(shù)字內(nèi)容經(jīng)理凱特·拉佩羅薩最終實現(xiàn)了其將生活從美國搬到歐洲的夢想。然而,為了保持其6位數(shù)的收入,她不得不同時從事多項工作,這意味著她實際上并沒有時間來探索新家。
在她稱自己是“蝸牛女孩”之后,她每天工作2-4個小時,能夠光顧當(dāng)?shù)氐娜麪柧S亞咖啡館,而且每月都會休假一次,上這塊大陸的其他地方看看。
拉佩羅薩對《財富》雜志說:“是的,我的薪資是之前的一半,但這是我深思熟慮后的選擇。我現(xiàn)在過上了退休后的生活,這是所有人努力工作的終極目標(biāo),不是嗎?”
不過,她也承認(rèn),她在自己的家鄉(xiāng)——紐約——無法維持當(dāng)前的生活方式。因為那里的生活成本要高得多,而且一旦有了孩子,自己就沒法從事這份數(shù)字領(lǐng)域的自由職業(yè)了,也無法靠這份并不豐厚的薪資養(yǎng)家。
她還表示:“如果你的唯一責(zé)任就是照看寵物狗,那么當(dāng)一名蝸牛女孩要容易得到。不過,這也是我為什么要享受當(dāng)下的原因?!?/p>
最終,那些宣揚這種“反工作”趨勢的數(shù)千萬TikTok用戶最終將面臨一個事實:只有在經(jīng)歷了數(shù)十年的磨練之后,人們才能說服客戶花大價錢購買僅僅數(shù)個小時的服務(wù)。
霍爾建議說:“我之所以能做一名懶丫頭,是因為我過去十年一直在拼命地工作與忙碌,不斷打磨自身技能,并積累了客戶群?!?/p>
她總結(jié)說:“可以肯定的是,如果Z世代覺得他們可以在毫無經(jīng)驗和資質(zhì)的情況下,從大學(xué)畢業(yè)之后就能獲得懶丫頭工作,那么現(xiàn)實會讓他們大吃一驚。這種舒適的生活需要自己去努力爭取?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:馮豐
審校:夏林
本文要介紹的是瑪格麗特·海德,作為“美國資本至上和消費至上這種拼命三郎文化的前犧牲品”,她如今變成了“蝸牛女孩”。
在其公共關(guān)系職業(yè)騰飛之際,她的精神健康出現(xiàn)了大幅下滑。在將近10年的實踐中,她經(jīng)常會遭到客戶的辱罵,每天工作12小時,而且公司希望她能夠隨時隨地回復(fù)Slack短信息。她為此付出了不小的代價。
海德告訴《財富》雜志:“如果一個女孩頂著如此大的壓力,收入?yún)s達不到美國平均工資中位數(shù),任誰都會處于精神崩潰的邊緣。我曾希望將自己塑造為職業(yè)生涯中‘好說話’雇員,但這種方式很快讓自己陷入了始料未及的倦怠之中。”
海德說:“我意識到,在一家公司的代理機構(gòu)中工作,自己的權(quán)利會遭到剝奪,毫無自主可言。”因此在3個月前,她辭去了公司職務(wù),干起了自由職業(yè),限定自己的工作時間,并成為了一位“蝸牛女孩”。
“反工作”(anti-work,意思就是以蝸牛的速度來開展工作)一詞迅速引燃了社交媒體,而越來越多的女性也以光鮮亮麗的“女老板”之名,告別了數(shù)年以來迫不得已的忙碌生活。
廣告經(jīng)理轉(zhuǎn)行做企業(yè)家的露西·霍爾在回憶今春靈光一現(xiàn)的時刻時問道:“我曾經(jīng)也問過自己,‘這種當(dāng)女老板的生活將持續(xù)多長時間?’我什么時候才能享受這份苦差、忙碌和犧牲帶給我的生活。”
她繼續(xù)說道:“一天大部分的時間都在工作,而且是全天候地任人使喚,隨叫隨到。我覺得自己的精神健康都出了問題,真的不能再這樣下去了?!?/p>
“懶丫頭工作”并非閑差
研究表明,大量女性正離開其企業(yè)崗位,轉(zhuǎn)而做起了“蝸牛女孩”,或轉(zhuǎn)而從事“懶丫頭工作”,也就是壓力最小、收入尚可的工作,但這些工作與懶惰毫不沾邊。實際上,像海德和霍爾這樣的女性只不過是在嘗試逃離不適合自己的工作所帶來的倦怠感。
事實上,Gallup最近在調(diào)查了超過1.8萬名員工后發(fā)現(xiàn),33%的女性幾乎總是處于倦怠狀態(tài),但有此感覺的男性僅占四分之一。
此外,自企業(yè)老板開始強制員工回歸疫情前常態(tài)之后,男性與女性之間的倦怠差距有所加大。研究稱,為了應(yīng)對這個問題,女性們期待通過開啟新工作來尋找工作生活平衡。
咨詢公司Simply Jools創(chuàng)始人朱爾斯·阿斯皮諾爾對《財富》雜志說:“雖然我們居住在一個由男人為男人創(chuàng)建的社會中,但女性是聰明的?!畱信ぷ鳌⒎鞘情e差,而是一種個人選擇以及對自我照顧的重視,因為一項業(yè)務(wù)的成功少不了辛勤付出。同時,這項工作還得契合自身的價值觀,不會導(dǎo)致倦怠。”
對于阿斯皮諾爾來說,逃離這種殘酷的內(nèi)卷生活,放慢生活節(jié)奏,幾乎耗費了自己數(shù)十年的時間。她說:“企業(yè)文化真的對我產(chǎn)生了很大的影響?!比欢?,她最近開始擁抱其內(nèi)心的“蝸牛女孩”,同時發(fā)現(xiàn)其精神和身體健康有所改善,而且其創(chuàng)意靈感不斷涌現(xiàn),生產(chǎn)力也有所提升。
海德回應(yīng)說:“蝸牛女孩并不一定就是懶丫頭。我砍掉了一半的工作量,但每周依然工作30個小時,忙的時候每周40個小時。我即將拿到的薪資創(chuàng)下了我工作以來的新高,但工作壓力小多了。”
事實上,幾乎《財富》雜志采訪過的所有女性都稱現(xiàn)在的薪資比以前高。事實證明,收獲來自巧干而不是苦干?;魻柹踔琳业搅嗽谒X時都能賺錢的方法,例如通過其兩家公司SocialDay和Digital Women,銷售線上數(shù)字產(chǎn)品和課程的票。
并非所有人都能做“蝸牛女孩”
疫情期間,自由數(shù)字內(nèi)容經(jīng)理凱特·拉佩羅薩最終實現(xiàn)了其將生活從美國搬到歐洲的夢想。然而,為了保持其6位數(shù)的收入,她不得不同時從事多項工作,這意味著她實際上并沒有時間來探索新家。
在她稱自己是“蝸牛女孩”之后,她每天工作2-4個小時,能夠光顧當(dāng)?shù)氐娜麪柧S亞咖啡館,而且每月都會休假一次,上這塊大陸的其他地方看看。
拉佩羅薩對《財富》雜志說:“是的,我的薪資是之前的一半,但這是我深思熟慮后的選擇。我現(xiàn)在過上了退休后的生活,這是所有人努力工作的終極目標(biāo),不是嗎?”
不過,她也承認(rèn),她在自己的家鄉(xiāng)——紐約——無法維持當(dāng)前的生活方式。因為那里的生活成本要高得多,而且一旦有了孩子,自己就沒法從事這份數(shù)字領(lǐng)域的自由職業(yè)了,也無法靠這份并不豐厚的薪資養(yǎng)家。
她還表示:“如果你的唯一責(zé)任就是照看寵物狗,那么當(dāng)一名蝸牛女孩要容易得到。不過,這也是我為什么要享受當(dāng)下的原因。”
最終,那些宣揚這種“反工作”趨勢的數(shù)千萬TikTok用戶最終將面臨一個事實:只有在經(jīng)歷了數(shù)十年的磨練之后,人們才能說服客戶花大價錢購買僅僅數(shù)個小時的服務(wù)。
霍爾建議說:“我之所以能做一名懶丫頭,是因為我過去十年一直在拼命地工作與忙碌,不斷打磨自身技能,并積累了客戶群?!?/p>
她總結(jié)說:“可以肯定的是,如果Z世代覺得他們可以在毫無經(jīng)驗和資質(zhì)的情況下,從大學(xué)畢業(yè)之后就能獲得懶丫頭工作,那么現(xiàn)實會讓他們大吃一驚。這種舒適的生活需要自己去努力爭取。”(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:馮豐
審校:夏林
Meet Margaret Hyde, a “former victim of America’s capitalistic and consumeristic-obsessed hustle culture” turned “Snail Girl”.
As her public relations career took off, her mental health took a nose dive. Almost 10 years of being yelled at by clients, working 12-hour days, and being expected to drop everything to respond to a Slack message at any moment, had taken its toll.
“Pair this tension with the less-than-average media pay in America, and you’ll have yourself a girl who is at a borderline psychological mental breakdown,” Hyde told Fortune. “As a ‘yes’ employee I wanted to grow in my career, but this approach quickly turned into unpredicted burnout.”
“I realized working in an agency, for a corporation, my rights were removed. Self-sovereignty had been swept away,” Hyde added. So three months ago she packed in her corporate career to go freelance, ring fence her time, and become a “Snail Girl”.
The anti-work term—which translates to taking work at a snail’s pace—has exploded on social media, as a growing number of women reject years of being pressured to hustle under the glamorized “girlboss” guise.
“I just had a moment where I asked myself, ‘When will the girlbossing end? When can I enjoy my life that this hard work, hustle, and sacrifice have brought me?’” asks advertising manager-turned-entrepreneur Lucy Hall, recalling the light bulb moment she had this spring.
“I was working most of my day, being at the beck and call of everyone all the time, and I felt like my mental health was suffering,” she adds. “I decided that enough is enough”
‘Lazy girl jobs’ aren’t lazy
Research shows that women in their droves are leaving their corporate careers to become a “Snail Girl” or turn their hand to a “l(fā)azy girl job”—one with minimal stress and decent pay—but they’re far from lazy. Really, like Hyde and Hall, they’re just trying to escape burnout in jobs they’re ill-suited for.
In fact, Gallup recently surveyed over 18,000 workers and found that 33% of women are almost always burned out. Just a quarter of men feel the same.
What’s more, the burnout gap between men and women has widened since bosses have begun forcing workers to return to pre-pandemic norms. So, as a coping mechanism, women are looking for work-life balance from their next role, according to the research.
“We live in a society built by men for men—but women are smart,” Jools Aspinall, the founder of the consultancy firm Simply Jools, told Fortune. “’Lazy girl jobs’ are not about being lazy but about being selective and prioritizing self-care—running a successful business definitely involves hard work, but it’s work that aligns with my values and doesn’t lead to burnout”
For Aspinall, escaping the rat race and slowing down has been almost a decades-long process. “Corporate culture well and truly had its grip on me,” she says. But she’s recently begun embracing her inner “Snail Girl” and has found that her mental and physical health have improved, her creative juices are flowing and her productivity has risen.
“A Snail Girl is not always a lazy girl,” Hyde echoes. “I’ve cut my workload by half but I am still putting in 30 hours of work a week—40 hours on a busy week—and I’m on a trajectory to make the most money I’ve earned in my whole career to date with a fraction of the stress.”
In fact, nearly all of the women that Fortune spoke to claim now to be earning more money. As it turns out, working smarter—not harder—pays. Hall has even found ways to make money while she’s sleeping, such as by selling tickets to digital products and courses online through her two businesses, SocialDay and Digital Women.
But not everyone can be a ‘Snail Girl’
Kat Lapelosa, a freelance digital content manager, finally realized her dream of uprooting her life in the U.S. to Europe during the pandemic. But taking on multiple gigs to maintain a six-figure salary meant she didn’t have the time to actually explore her new home.
Now that she’s become a self-confessed “Snail Girl”, she works two to four-hour days, enjoys the local Serbian cafés, and goes on vacation to see another part of the continent at least once a month.
“Yes, my salary is about half of what I was making before, but that was a deliberate choice,” Lapelosa tells Fortune. “I live like I’m retired, which is what everyone is working so hard to do anyway, right?”
But she admits that she couldn’t afford to sustain her current lifestyle in her hometown, New York, where the cost of living is much higher—nor could she be a digital nomad and live off her lean salary if she had children.
“It’s easy to be a Snail Girl when your only responsibility is taking care of a dog—but that’s why I’m taking full advantage of it while I can,” she adds.
Ultimately, the millions of TikTokers who are popularizing these anti-work trends will face a reality check: It generally takes decades of experience to be able to bill clients the big bucks for just a few hours of work.
“I can be a lazy girl because I worked and hustled hard for 10 years, honing my skills and building an audience,” Hall advises.
“I really think Gen Z might be in for a shock if they think they can get a lazy girl job straight out of school with no experience or qualifications,” she concludes. “You earn a soft life.”