Corporate jobs are violent. Here's how I protect myself.

How to keep your soul (and sanity) while collecting a paycheck... with a touch of corporate sabotage

May 06, 2025

Last week I shared how my silly corporate job radicalised me. This week I'm sharing how I protect myself from slipping into the Kool-aid. (Also I had to buddy-tape two of my fingers while writing this, so if you see any typos, no you don't. 🙃)

Corporate jobs are violent. This is how I protect myself.

The stupidly-simple truth is that the more I detach my identity and my value from my job, the more I feel like myself and (cliche warning) the more I feel alive.

I still get a lot of anxiety and feelings of shame when my needs are pitted against what my employer (and society in general really) expects of me. But the more I practice listening to my gut, the easier it gets.

And the more fired up I get when I see others struggling too.

What’s helped me (so far)

These are some of the things that have helped me protect my time, energy and sense of self. I hope they’ll be useful for you too.

You gotta be your own protector. Boundaries are non-negotiable.
One way corporate jobs control us is by gaslighting us into not having needs. Take your breaks. Don't work outside your working hours. Find safe ways to say 'no' until you feel more comfortable refusing bigger asks. I deliberately pace myself, in defiance of productivity culture. You're not being lazy or selfish – you're taking care of your physical and emotional health. (Or you might just say ‘no’ because you don’t want to, and that’s just as valid!)
Maintain loyalty to yourself first. Don't be fooled by emotional manipulation.
Your coworkers aren't your family, and your employer would drop you immediately if it benefited them. Make choices based on what’s best for you – don't be a martyr! Betraying your needs not only harms you, it also makes it harder for those around you to maintain healthy boundaries.
Fight isolation. Find ways to create solidarity with your coworkers.
Talk openly about salaries, as uncomfortable as it may feel at first. Point out when your employer does something that doesn't make sense – people will probably be relieved someone said it. Oh, and join your union!
Find joy without consumerism.
Little treats are great, but when I realised capitalism makes our lives inconvenient so they can sell us convenience... it got a whole lot easier to stop buying things, simply out of spite! Practice finding joy in what’s already available to you. Can you make your day feel special without spending money? It might sound restrictive, but I promise it doesn't take long for it to feel empowering. Plus every penny saved adds to your financial safety net, giving you more freedom and flexibility.
It's just a job! It's just a job! It's just a stupid little job!
I know it’s easier said than done, but try your hardest to detach your identity from your job. Start in small ways. When someone asks, ‘What do you do?’, lead with your hobbies and interests instead of your job title.

You are not your job; work is not your life.
You are not what you must do in order to survive.

Bonus strategy for pigeons ready to peck back

If the above reminders feel like old news and you’re ready for something a little more… actionable 😈 you’ll probably enjoy Specific Suggestions, a collection of ‘practical, everyday actions for reducing systemic harm while minimising vulnerability’.

It’s basically a toolkit for subtle sabotage. Here’s an example suggestion:

Did any of my strategies hit home? Or is there anything you’d add to the list? Let me know!

Snails against the machine

Small ways we’re taking back control of our world

Right to Repair advocate Louis Rossmann (@rossmanngroup) has created a toolkit to walk people through setting up their own self-managed digital life using open-source software and tools that focus on privacy.

Why might you want to do this?

Setting up your own server means you have more control over your data and media, lessening your reliance on corrupt for-profit SaaS like Google Drive, Netflix or any other service you use.
You’re able to set up your own network-wide VPN and ad blocker (rather than browser- or software-based). This means devices are protected by default and you don’t have to manage tools separately across multiple devices.
Understanding even a small part of the digital environment demystifies technology and makes you less susceptible to manipulation (whether marketing or scams).
You’ll be joining a community of others who are working toward digital independence!

Louis has said he’s tried to make the guide so easy his grandmother could follow it, so if you’re interested but aren’t the most tech-literate, I hope you’ll give it a go!

I’m planning to follow the guide once I’ve moved house later this year. I’m especially excited to set up a network-level ad blocker. 👀

Learn more or get started here:

Introduction to the guide (YouTube video)
The guide (Wiki.org page)
Video walkthrough, part 1 (YouTube video)
Video walkthrough, part 2 (YouTube video)

Have a personal rebellion to share? I’d love to hear it!

Late-stage updates

This week in capitalist whatthefuckery

This week I wanted to use this section to highlight my wonderful employer (though not by name so I can still keep my job…).

Recently my employer announced plans for restructuring, meaning lay-offs. Not surprisingly, many employees were upset and made comments that reflected this.

A few weeks later, we all got an email from the Chief People Officer basically scolding those who didn’t respond in ways that ‘reflect the values’ of the company.

This tone policing pissed me off, because if company values actually meant anything, we wouldn’t have a CEO that earns literally 500 times the average employee salary – the highest-paid CEO in our industry and one of the highest-paid of S&P500 companies.

That email from the CPO showed me just how easily company values can be used to control employees instead of inspire them.

And is the CEO taking a voluntary pay cut to help ease the financial impact of the restructuring? Of course not.

Leadership keeps stressing that change is necessary for the company, that we need to be adaptable like Meta and Microsoft to avoid being left behind like Blockbuster or Blackberry. But that adaptivity doesn’t include the CEO’s paycheck, natch.

Shiny things from the curio cabinet

Things I’m noticing, loving or want to share

Last week I had one of those days that reminds me just how disabled I am.

I’ll spare the details, but basically I had to travel into London for a doctor's appointment during one of the hottest days of the year, and between the weather and the crowds and some unexpected Tube suspensions, it was a lot.

It’s been days and I’m still recovering. I feel like crud and have very little energy.

I’ve gotten a lot better about accepting my limitations and treating myself with kindness, but it does still get frustrating. How one unfortunate day can negatively impact my capacity to do other things for days or sometimes weeks.

But there’s no forcing myself past my limits – I didn’t understand that when I was younger, but I know it now. All I can do is be careful about my priorities and how I spend my energy. And it seems to be getting easier to do the more I do it.

If you're reading this, I hope you're taking care of yourself too.

Join the crawl 🐌

Connect and share how you’re taking back control

Want to share something from your life or just say hi? Feel free to leave a comment. 👇