I, now over 30, graduated with a degree in a major I did not enjoy. After university, I joined an international company, then left to start my own venture. I spent the next four years working on projects across the country.
After I felt I had gained enough experience, I decided to return to my hometown to build a small house near my parents, get married, and start a family.
I then joined a nearby company that had just been established with only a few dozen employees. I gave my best effort to the work and watched it grow day by day into a 3,000-strong firm.
After some time, the company formed a new department handling employee relations and began looking for someone to lead it. Since the role was similar to my background, I applied and was selected as the department head. After six months of managing both my original job and the new role, I decided to focus entirely on the new department.
Two years later, I realized I was no longer the right fit for the role, mainly because I could not find the passion for it. Since I had an agreement with management that allowed me to return to my previous position if needed, I did exactly that. I handed over my responsibilities properly and stepped back without dispute.
But upon my return, my former boss greeted me with feigned friendliness and gave me no assignment or meetings. “Just sit here for now, we’ll figure things out later,” he said.
Within weeks, I realized I was experiencing what people these days call “quiet firing.” Since they could not turn me down due to the earlier agreement, they plan to have me do nothing at all.
Upset, I asked for a short break to blow off steam. Back then, my mind was filled with questions: Should I quit? If I stayed in my hometown, what would I even do? My wife was pregnant, how would we manage if I quit now?
But halfway through my break, I started to have a new outlook. I needed to prepare before I left, so I looked for another source of income, one that is preferably not tied to a boss or company.
After returning, I immediately started building a livestream sales business based on products that I was passionate about and had personally used for years. My first few promotional videos were nerve-racking as I did not know if anyone would watch or buy anything. Then the first order came, then more followed. My audience gradually grew.
I then built up a follower base across multiple platforms, including a personal blog and a small community forum of like-minded people. My income from this side job is now double my full-time salary.
While my boss thinks I am sitting idle, I am actually accepting orders to later ship out when I come home after hours.
At work, I have been isolated by colleagues, not included in casual group chats and not invited to any gatherings. Feeling invisible in a place you once belonged is not easy.
But as I focused on my own business, those negative feelings gradually faded. I began to enjoy the fact that my boss is paying me to work on my own venture during office hours.
Some bosses may refuse to give employees meaningful work to slowly push them out of their jobs. Illustration photo by Pexels |
My boss has occasionally tried to assign me menial labor tasks, but because my contract clearly defines my responsibilities, I made it clear that I would escalate the matter to human resources if necessary. As a result, he was left with only two options: give me meaningful work or nothing at all. He has continued to choose the latter.
Over the last three years, I have continued to arrive at work on time, enjoy my free daily meals, and then head home to pack and ship orders.
Whenever my annual review comes around, I ask for real, meaningful work and remind my boss that I am just as capable within my area of expertise as my colleagues. He listens, nods, and then changes nothing. We are both still waiting for the moment that finally breaks the stalemate.
I have no intention of quitting. The salary helps support my family and gives me the stability to pursue something I genuinely love.
Some people may think I am taking advantage of the company. Some may think I am wasting my potential. Some may think I am brave. All of them may be right.
Sometimes, I ask myself whether I should feel ashamed of receiving a salary without doing any meaningful work, and what my boss could possibly be thinking about the situation.
But I know one thing for sure: if one day the company decides to let me go, I will happily leave with my severance pay and focus on my business.
I once heard the saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” To me, my current situation is the sweetest glass of lemonade that this particular lemon could have produced.
*This opinion was submitted by a reader and translated into English. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match Read’ viewpoints.
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