2mo ago

Going to an office and pretending to work: A business that’s booming in China

english.elpais.com

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.

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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.
- 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.
This comment is sponsored by the voices in your head.
- Voices in your head:
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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

Anyone else read the headline and think it's about going to a real job but just scrolling the Fediverse all day?
- I did, and I am.
  
  I too chose this guys dead career

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.

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.

Damn that is weird.

Weird they pay to fake working at an office?
I get paid for that.

Wasn't this a whole episode of what we do in the shadows?

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.

japan, korea both have busy work.

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.

4-7$? So I can basically save a little in the west, and live a stressfree life there? (When ignoring the CCP etc. ofc)

Wasn't this an episode of Seinfeld?

It must be nice not having to have a real job for healthcare.

Damn. I thought these kinds of things only exist for a fully automated society, where AI and robots replace all the jobs, and everybody gets UBI. Some people might have nothing else to do, so they voluntarily go to (role play) work so they have a predictable life filled with purpose.
- Did you read the article? They're sold as a productive workspace for job seekers.

If those guys had hobbies, China would be an unstoppable juggernaut.
- China would be an unstoppable juggernaut.
  ...Isn't it?
  
  lmao

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