Adapted by:
Rubén Andrés
WriterWriter at Xataka. I've been working remotely for more than a decade and I'm a strong advocate of technology as a way to improve our lives. Full-time addict of black, sugar-free coffee.
Alba Mora
WriterAn established tech journalist, I entered the world of consumer tech by chance in 2018. In my writing and translating career, I've also covered a diverse range of topics, including entertainment, travel, science, and the economy.
Imagine being hired by a major company where you earn a good salary, but when it’s time to start work and be assigned tasks, no one does so. You find yourself being paid to do nothing all day long. Would you quit a job like that?
Although it may sound like the plot of a sitcom, that’s exactly what happened to a man on the East Coast. He shared his experience of working for seven months without any actual tasks to perform.
Despite the situation, the employee was content with his job. “I’m not getting a second job while I’m doing this. I’m lazy as FUCK and I don’t even want to do this job, nevermind another,” he said.
Schrödinger’s Employee: Present, but Not Working
The man was hired for an administrative position at one of the world’s largest real estate companies, earning a salary of nearly six figures.
However, just a week before he started, the person who hired him was let go. On his first day, a colleague from another department had to show him to his desk. “I’ve been sitting in an office behind the fired lady’s office all alone for months,” he shared on Reddit.
This unexpected situation left the new employee without a direct supervisor and with no clearly defined tasks from the start. Trying to navigate this unusual circumstance, he reached out to other managers and department heads to inform them of his lack of assigned tasks. Unfortunately, his requests went unanswered, and he continues to perform minimal self-assigned tasks.
His sole official responsibility is to prepare spreadsheets for the team’s payroll, which takes him about 15 minutes per week. He then sends the files to the department head and blind-copies them to the office coordinator to make it appear he’s being productive.
An Exemplary Employee
Despite having no assigned tasks and minimal supervision, this employee diligently adheres to his work schedule. He explains that he goes to the office three days a week to validate his ID card and follows the agreed schedule. However, he admits that he sometimes leaves early.
The company operates on a hybrid work model, allowing employees to work from home two days a week.
During the seven months he’s been with the company, the employee has consistently received his salary on time, despite lacking real responsibilities.
When he needs a day off, he submits a request through an app, which is typically approved without any issues. “I haven’t said a word to anyone in months,” he shared.
Some Reddit users have suggested that he consider a second remote job to keep himself occupied during his “workday” and possibly earn some extra income with minimal additional effort. However, the employee has outright refused, saying that his goal is to get by with minimal effort. He has genuinely found a job that suits him.
Although this case may seem isolated and unusual, labor audits often reveal similar situations. For instance, Meta hired engineers during the pandemic to prevent competitors from poaching them. It was later revealed that many of these hires had no actual tasks assigned and were being paid to do nothing.
Image | Greg Rosenke
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