Self-employed landscaper schedules job interviews just to call companies offering ridiculously low wages

Nowadays, it can sometimes feel like you have to jump through hoops just to get a decent job interview. Disappointment can be crushed when you find out that you only have to.

That’s why I decided one man was enough.Below, this jaded landscaper recently share On the Antiwork subreddit, he details how he’s trying to get back at these stingy companies, with the landscaper himself bored panda.

Interviewing for pittance-paying positions can feel like a waste of time

Image credit: Tima Miroshnichenko (not actual photo)

So this self-employed landscaper decided to waste the time of a company offering insultingly low wages.

Image credit: Ariz, Coconino National Forest (not actual photo)

Image credit: u/Nowjamessayswtf

The landscaper then answered some questions from curious readers and provided more information about the situation.

It is important for companies to understand that they should not raise salaries with pathetic excuses forever

To learn more about how the idea for these interviews came about in the first place, we reached out to Reddit user Nowjamessayswtf, the landscaper in question. “I came up with this idea mainly by reading the anti-work sub and wanting to do something about this issue,” he shared with Bored Panda, hoping the interview might make a small difference. “Even if it doesn’t cause much change, it might help some of the recruiters build more empathy and understanding.”

I was also curious why it was so important for this landscaper to call these companies. “I started working in the industry and was exploited for $14 an hour with no profit,” he shared. “For quite some time I did not know how much profit I was making from my labor and believed that there was a small profit margin. are the hardest-working, most exploited people I know, and it goes home with me.

Image credit: Nathan Dumlao (not actual photo)

“The people I’ve worked with are the hardest working, most exploited people I’ve ever known.”

and he is right. Zippia The average US landscaper’s income is reported to be about $13.92 per hour. federal minimum wage. but, landscape marketing boss explains on its site that “a landscaper’s salary can be up to 35% of gross income” due to the low overhead costs of landscaping. If a landscaping company makes more than $500,000 a year, the owner’s salary should not exceed 15% of the total profit generated, but still be three times his employee’s annual income. may become.

And according to the architectural design studio Terremoto” $93 billion landscaping industry It’s built against a background of nearly two-thirds of the immigrant workforce, most of whom, at least on the West Coast, hail from Mexico and Central America. Terremoto’s team contributed an article to Metropolis analyzing the labor approval issues that exist in the landscape his architect’s field, stating: We are working on the realization of these projects. Now is the time, as a professional community, to do better in recognizing, respecting and properly compensating their work. “

But apparently, the people offering these jobs don’t like being called out for exploiting their employees. “Interviewers usually try to be sincere at first and explain that it’s a fair compensation for the job,” Nowjamessayswtf told his Bored Panda. “When I told them that I was aware of the fact that it was an exploitative amount of money for profit and no one could afford to live on what they offered, the interview went off with less fireworks.” Basically, they try to justify it for a little while until they realize they can’t do it, and then they show me the door.”

Image credit: William Adams (not actual photo)

“Nobody can afford to live off of what they offer.”

We were also curious as to whether this self-employed landscaper would still be available for interviews. “I did a total of four interviews and have yet to receive a callback to schedule another interview,” he shared. I hope it will soon.” He also added that he has plans to document it, as he stated on Reddit that he lives Single Party Consent condition, but he warns that “it may not be as dramatic as people imagine.”

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, Panda. What are your thoughts on scheduling an interview just to call the company behind the interview? Let us know if you would do the same. And if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing companies offering far lower salaries than they should, look no further. Here.

Some readers applauded the landscapers’ efforts and left supportive comments

But not everyone participated in these confrontational interviews