Many citizens who don’t want to explain their employment status pay to rent a position in a fake office, with some even assigning fictitious tasks and organizing supervisory rounds
For a daily fee of between 30 and 50 yuan ($4-$7), these companies offer desks, Wi-Fi, coffee, lunch, and an atmosphere that mimics any work environment.
According to a report in Beijing Youth Daily, although there are no contracts or bosses, some firms simulate them: fictitious tasks are assigned and supervisory rounds are even organized.
For a fee, the theatricality can reach unimaginable levels, from pretending to be a manager with his own office to staging episodes of rebellion against a superior.
I can see many use cases. Here’s one.
Imagine Joe.
Joe makes well over $250k/year doing furry porn livestreams. Nobody knows Joe’s face but they are intimately familiar with his penis and anal sphincter.
Joe doesn’t want to explain to his friends and family what he does for a living.
Joe deepfakes himself a career.
His deeply conservative parents are very proud of Joe.
Found no furry porn posts on your account. I am the disappoint.
my alt account be like…
Yes. We definitely do not want people like Joe mixing with polite society.
Well that’s just it. You might know Joe. You just don’t know.
I’ll ask Bo. Bo knows Jo.
Lies. I do not
At least not publicly. What would people say…
Joe knows.
Well my name’s not Joe, so I don’t think this is doxxing.
What an example.
Wait, he does furry porn livestreams and also shows his body off? Got, uh, a link? For theorycrafting purposes
Jo gets deepdived by a dozen people. No … not the title of the next furry porn, just what is happening now on Lemmy.
This is dystopian on so many levels, I need a branded powerpoint to explain them.
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Finally, a third space!
It’ll be hilarious when one person is trying to prove employment to another and they both ‘work’ in the same fake office…
Reminds me of the internet legend known as The Forgotten Employee
deleted by creator
Anyone else read the headline and think it’s about going to a real job but just scrolling the Fediverse all day?
Coffee and lunch for $4-7/day?
I’m in.finally, no gaps on my resume
Sounds like a cheap way to actually run a one person business. I know that this has been a thing forever–renting a single office in an office building that provides a front desk with a greeter, and secretarial services as part of the deal, but I suspect this option is even cheaper.
I’m pretty sure that’s what these places are. At the end of the article it says people are mostly there for collaboration and office space, but that some people are there for fake work. Whenever I see articles about China now, I have to question the validity of them. Are there people there for fake work? Clearly, but that’s not what that office is for according to the article itself. And you’d have to ask the simple question, does that happen in other nations as well? Absolutely. But for some reason, news about China, they’ll only admit that at the very end. Suspicious
Right? It seems like a WeWork, except they will help you front as well.
For most circumstances, I would imagine this extends no farther than using their mailbox and address.
The lead-in of the article doesn’t well represent the details. Pretty interesting, regardless.It looks like a lot of people in this comment section didn’t read the article. Because I expected something far more dystopian, and honestly this is not that big a deal. Maintaining your confidence and avoiding distractions during a job search is actually a real challenge, and if they offer lunch and WiFi, then spending a few dollars a day to get dressed and leave your apartment sounds like a totally reasonable service.
I think it sounds a little fucked up, but just in the way that most work stuff is fucked up today. I wish multi-purpose short term space rentals in the US were this cheap.
Based on the headline it also implies the process of trying to find a job isnt work in itself.
In the West, this is called a coworking space and people work on their ‘startup’.
I wish I could pay those prices for a co-working space! Wow, it is so cheap.
Wasn’t this a whole episode of what we do in the shadows?
Damn that is weird.
Weird they pay to fake working at an office?
I get paid for that.
From what I hear, Japan kind of does this too or maybe I heard wrong. Idk. Maybe the long hours are still around?
not all companies, but companies trying to fire an employee till they willigly quit will force them to do remidial stuff. due to strong labor laws in japan, its required that BOTH the company and employee agree to quit/get laid off to actually be an official transaction. its part of the reason why an employee might feel like theyre stuck in a company their entire life.
emphasis again, this does NOT apply to all companies
Thx for finally explaining this for me. I’ve not quite understood it till now.
Not knowing this detail made some Japan stories very odd.its more or less the pro/con of strong labor laws vs at will.
strong labor laws guarantees both sides will have some body to work a position, but theyre almost handcuffed together forever, so its extremely imperative to find the correct candidate.
at will has poor job security, but you have the freedom to get out of the contract with the other party as long as its not a protected reason. at will lets people jump jobs more often which is better for increasing your pay. but it has a shit saftey net, so the people at the bottom struggle.
Chaining someone to a job sounds more like indenture than strong labour laws.
Actually strong labour laws let employees choose to work for a different employer, while requiring the employer to have a valid reason to dismiss the employee.
For a fee, the theatricality can reach unimaginable levels, …to staging episodes of rebellion against a superior.
Okay, the whole trend is bizarre, but this is especially wild.
Does the “rebellion” happen in just one day, or over a longer period of time? I could see this being very cathartic for someone who hates their boss and can’t afford an expensive vacation.
I read this and thought “This would be an incredible training simulation for union organizing”.
I’m guessing it’s just a fun gimmick to blow off steam. But overall, I approve. I genuinely think more people should role play standing up for themselves to practice the skills.
