Cited on HN 3 times, 2016–2018, never outright recommendedscore 0
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Cited in threads about forced enthusiasm and 'service with a smile' in the workplace.
A one-minute clip of David Mitchell on a UK panel show explaining why he respects poor customer service in Britain. He argues that people who do their job well should not also be required to be nice.
“people who do their job well shouldn't also have to be nice too” (HN, 2018)
There's a QI (UK show) clip about this topic. Although the discussion is geared towards customer service, I think it still fits here. It's 45 seconds long. [this video]
Short QI clip on faking enthusiasm in service work
After working for startups, "work hard, play hard" is a red flag phrase. Employees are employees instead of entrepreneurs because they don't want the headaches of running a business. They want to do the work that they enjoy doing and have the energy at the end of the day to socialise, spend time with family and pursue other interests. Don't expect employees to be as interested and excited about [revolutionising|disrupting|dominating] industry X as you are, because they don't have the financial and social incentive an owner or executive has. It's fake and soul-destroying that modern corporate culture forces employees to feign being over-enthusiastic about the company's success for fear of getting fired. David Mitchell put it best: [this video]
I like David Mitchell said it best on the BBC series QI. He said people who do their job well shouldn't also have to be nice too it OK to "not give a shit". He respects people who work terrible jobs and act miserable it's only right. [this video]
David Mitchell on QI saying good workers needn't be nice too
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