u/writing_on_the_wall_

I don't know what to make of it but I just got the confirmation that I'll be getting a promotion. I must sit in my seat better than anyone ever sat before. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I also have two interviews at the end of this week which I am both fully qualified and prepared for. I'm sure I'll be competing with other well qualified people and still won't likely get either spot but this is the most positive moment I've had in the last year. Life is so much easier since I decided to put in the minimum at WGU. I encourage everyone here to do the same.

Take all you can. Give as little back. Be as shrewd as our employer is. Position yourself to move on. Bide your time until your opportunities open up and be ready to seize them.

writing_on_the_wall_

Because I keep preaching my message to do as little as we can and because of how many of you have figured out who I am and have been asking how to do nothing... Let's talk about the obvious WGU intiative we can use to enable us.

AI

This is straight out of Fuller's HBR white paper on the Future of Work. Leveraging AI. We don't need to fact check anything. We don't need to do any testing or verification. Ask AI to do something and let it roll!

Did you know that you can record your meetings on your phone or laptop and then run it through AI? It can create a summary of the 2 or 3 sentences you will need to regurgitate. It can create action items for you. It can be asked to perform those action items.

For those of you that care about student's getting assessments that don't match the course work. For those of you that don't feel AI can reliably capture edge cases. For those of you that don't believe in the magic... This is the directive from the top of the chain.

I have no doubt we will produce a steaming pile and the students will be the ones who lose. This is what they want us to do and it frees up our time to focus on our personal future.

Take all you can from WGU. Give back nothing. Position yourself for your future.

writing_on_the_wall_

5 more days untill the poop hits the fan.

Practice saying it now... "I prefer not to"

It is a valid phrase especially when an unreasonable request is made of you. Being asked to focus under the fear of being fired, that is unreasonable and unrealistic. Ending so many communications with a threat is how you ask people to do the minimum to not get fired. All we have to do is show up. You don't get fired for underperforming. Worst thing to happen would be a PIP. In other words, it is not only in your best interest to spend the vast majority of your time during the work day looking for another company to work for, it is not only in your best interest but it is little to zero risk.

"I prefer not to"

This is a valid phrase when you are expected to pick up the slack of so many that have been pushed out or fired. They have not been, and will not be, able to fill all the positions left behind. Nor is it their intention to. If we don't set the expectation of reduced work then we are diving into the shallow end head first.

"I prefer not to"

This is a valid phrase when AI still isn't replacing people yet. Yet or ever. Whether or not it is successful, this is the road they are going down and WGU is so cut throat, they will cut you over a snickers bar. It is a for-profit company that doesn't care about you. They only care about what they can squeeze out of you before they toss you out.

"I prefer not to"

This is a polite way to preface any explanation of resetting expectations. Management knows what is going on. A lot of them are just trying to not get fired, just like we are.

Get all you can out WGU. Give as little back. Prioritize your future over WGU's future. That is what they are doing to you.

writing_on_the_wall_

I didn't want to hijack another post to insert my slightly different opinion again. This is going to go back to an earlier message of mine. We will be able to get away with doing no work, zero real work, for at least the next year.

When I say the writing is on the wall, I mean a few things...

• They want us to quit
• We no longer want to work there
• We have to make the smartest choices for our families

Coordinating a mass-quit day for the 3rd will satisfy the second item but does not stick it to them nor does rage-quitting without something else in place serve your own best interests. They want people to quit even though they know how painful the transition will be. This is a calculated thing on their part and they have accepted this. 2030 is their goal.

We may have wanted to work there once. We love what we do and what the mission used to be. These next few months are going to be a nightmare for those that still care about the mission and keep the boat afloat. WGU doesn't stand for education anymore. It is a for-profit business with a non-profit umbrella.

We have to stifle that urge to spike the ball and make the best decisions for ourselves. Not cutting our nose off to spite our face. Turn that emotion around and get everything you can out of WGU while giving as little as you can.

If you are remote, then it seems smartest to let them fire you. Especially if you are in a state like Washington that looks out for the employees. But even if you are in a state like Utah and outside that 50 mile range, let them fire you. Them changing the terms of employment and calling it voluntary termination is a bully tactic and even if the unemployment claim is denied, you appeal and fight for it. Worst thing you spend is a couple hours waiting on hold with the unemployment people. You want to stick it to WGU, this seems like what would make it hardest for them while still extracting all you can from them.

If you have always been in SLC like me, figure out the minimum to not get fired. All the communication this year with the threats and gas-lighting has nothing to do with job performance and the upcoming year will be so chaotic that you should be able to get away with spending most of your time looking for better work on your phone. This is a horrible time for the job market but things will change, especially once everyone figures out what the full impact of generative AI is. If you run out of jobs to search for then work on career development. Companies want to hire people that know how to use AI and that is something you can practice using WGU resources. I plan on showing up next Monday and doing nothing, just like I have been doing for the last long while.

Let's recognize the writing on the wall and not make emotional decisions. Get all you can out of WGU while giving nothing back. It is a demoralizing game to play but it is a lot easier to play now they have driven all love for the company out of us.

writing_on_the_wall_

What is the minimum to not get fired?

I feel this is the question we are being forced to explore. The amount of work I have had to pick up because most of my team has been laid off or quit has grown exponentially. In spite of getting through the work of three people, there is no way to keep up. No one has complained or been concerned about deadlines flying by. The only feedback we get is that if we take any of our unlimited FTO that we'll be fired.

I want to go back to my regular workload. Maybe even half or a quarter of my previous workload. I don't feel I owe them any more than that.

It almost feels like this is what they are asking me to do. If we keep our heads down and keep showing up at the office, it doesn't matter what we do. The blatant threats in all the communications we get don't threaten us for not doing our jobs, it is all about our butts sitting in the office.

I catch myself staring at my hands on the keyboard without them moving and realizing that I don't know when I typed something last. I think we all feel that burnout. That is going to get worse on its own. I'm more talking about planning for it. Intentionally scheduling the times you will work so that you don't feel so taken advantage of. The rest of the time do things that make me feel good like looking at pictures of my kids on my phone or planning what to do for dinner that night or doing literally anything other than work.

What is the minimum to not get fired?

Who is willing to explore this with me?

Do you all hate me for interpreting things the way I am?

We are only going to lose more people in the coming weeks when our team mates don't show up in August. It is up to us to balance what we give with how fast we will burn-out.

writing_on_the_wall_

What is our culture now?

See the faces in the office? People are miserable. I thought you all were supposed to be happier in person than you were remote with your families, community, and local churches.

This is our culture now. We aren't a family centered business.

We used to celebrate the cost, quality of education, and value of competency based education. Now we raise tuittion every year and our only focus is the number of graduates. What are people learning when they get a masters degree in 3 months? Irrelevant when to pass a PA, you submit garbage, get a rubric back showing what to change, when you don't pass a couple more times you get a mentor on a call telling you exactly what to do. Hyperfocus on the amount of graduates and they are going to make sure those kids pass.

This is our culture now. We are the Walmart of Education.

People are so afraid to lose their jobs right now. The layoffs are real. The constant threats that our jobs are on the line. Micromanagement so fierce. We are no longer thinking of what great things we can do. We are now consumed with how to not get fired.

This is our culture now.

I know some people will gas light these opinions. Some of those people may be sincere and we don't have to call them bootlickers when they are just "company men". However, most of us feel the way I do and this is going to only get worse.

The input I am looking for, if you were once proud of where we work and you no longer are, how are you coping with this? I can't lose my job right now and I really dislike what we have become.

writing_on_the_wall_