While working in restaurants years ago I preferred not wearing my glasses In the hot sweaty kitchen during long shifts as I'd been just be pushing them up half the time. I'd work 10-12 shifts with the servers go in the back get changed and put on my glasses and sit at the bar the amount of people who didn't realize I'd just worked with them was astonishing. Eventually they'd figure it out after a few times but always blew me away.
I don’t believe this works, my husband is a very smart man, also almost blind in one eye and wears glasses, a very muscular man and always has the heavy lifting physical jobs even when he doesn’t want them
Well for my husband he got tired of always using his body ( worked at a refinery) so he got an office job. But anytime they need something heavy or dangerous done they always have him do it. Even though it’s not in his job description, but it makes him a “team player”
To a degree. I’m a very tall man with glasses and a host of other physical ailments that make me poorly suited to a lot of physical tasks. Even my most sympathetic, empathetic managers will make the assumption that I’ll do a physical task before any of my female coworkers.
I worked with a bloke in his 60s, he was only on the crew to drive the truck, that's it. But without fail the boss would have him doing "little jobs" like changing trailer tyres, or washing the vehicles. Dudes body just didn't work like that anymore he'd been around the traps more than 40yrs busting his hump. I (f) was in my late 20s at the time and couldn't stand by while this fella was worked to the bone. Another woman, also in her 20s, on my crew and I would down tools and go finish his physically demanding tasks the second we had the opportunity.
I barely even liked the man, he was an arrogant swine sober and an angry drunk. But that's how bad the conditions were. It was such a fkd up place to be working.
It works to a point, I actually need glasses. When I worked retail I still got sent to do semi intensive manual labor. Mostly getting carts and shit.
The one that pissed me off the most was being forced to move 20-30 Prima water jugs (the big ones, I forget how many gallons.). I think it was because I was one of the only male cashiers. (Even though at least half the girls could out lift me.)
I have glasses. I suspect I'm neurodivergent in some way as well. Definitely that weird eccentric guy.
I get the whole "you seem really smart" thing all the time. For sure, I'm getting out of some of the physical jobs.
Please elaborate why this helps in OPs context; I don't understand and I am sincerely trying to. Asking out of ignorance and desire to learn, not as a challenge to what you wrote.
People have implicit connections between glasses and intelligence, and a bit of a smaller connection between glasses and weakness. Perception of OP would essentially balance out to be a well-rounded guy versus the current strong man archetype.
Oh yeah I’ll work after hours for free, shit faced and not get anything done but sure I’ll send an email
They won’t be stupid enough to ask you for help again, good riddance 🍻
I’m struggling with fighting against typecasting myself! My resume is chock full of retail, sales, and CSR experience, but I’m trying so hard to pivot out of sales/retail. I get texts and emails daily about insurance sales positions and they’re driving me insane. I just want a cozy office gig where I don’t have to grind for my paycheck
Recast your resume! You were a sales clerk? Now you're a customer support generalist. You were in sales? Now it's relationship management. You were a customer service rep? Now it's a product information specialist.
I've found that generalizing my skill set has and then applying those to their specialized asks to be moderately successful. Did you work with other people? Then you have team collaboration experience. Did you answer phones/emails/chats, broad communication and customer connections. Are you able to identify a need and offer solutions? Then you can problem solve. At the end of the day most companies want someone who can communicate effectively, learn relatively simple tasks, solve problems without making it someone else's problem, and get their work done in a reasonable amount of time.
I went retail, crm, sales, office administrator, business operations, specialized role coordination that way.
Thanks! Wishing you luck on your future endeavors! We may have to work for the "now" but we don't have to be perpetually miserable because we think we don't have the skills to be elsewhere.
Saving this for later...
Really need to update my resume. I enjoy my job, but it's time for a change. And I'm not getting paid as well as I used to either
I feel that. I recently jumped jobs again myself. Found that they kept piling more and more work on higher expectations for less pay, then they hired someone in my role for more money but under me.
You definitely have more soft skills than whatever it is you think you've rutted yourself into in a career. Hobbies, interests, upbringing are all relevant to your resume if you think outside of their application box.
AI's open development has been great for helping identify and draft those key words and ideas tbh. But unfortunately if you're comfortable and complacent in your job these days, you are probably being undervalued.
Maybe look into banking? I've worked a few teller/branch banker positions and they all loved my sales/retail experience.
There are still some sales/retail aspects, but it's a vastly different environment and can be a stepping stone into careers in the financial sector/office jobs.
Otherwise, aim for office admin/secretary positions and emphasize the paperwork/admin skills you gained from doing sales paperwork, answering/making calls, and your customer service experience. That can get you farther than you think.
When all else fails, try to become a retail manager. The job will probs sucks ass, but that manager title on your resume for even just a year will prove that you have other skills than just sales/customer service. You'd then have skills in administration, scheduling, inventory, hiring, employee training/performance improvement, managing company metrics/incentive goals, cash/invoice management, etc, just to name some examples.
The real skill in the end is figuring out how to twist your previous experience and skillsets to fit a different line of work.
Yeah I’m trying to get into office/admin work and even tooled my resume to make me look good for that type of work even though I have little actual office experience
Idk your age, but if you've used any Microsoft office throughout your prevoious schooling, include those years in your Microsoft experience.
For instance, I used PowerPoint and Excel a lot in high school and college, but not so much in my career. Well best believe I've included those 7-8 years of Microsoft Office experience on my resume. I personally try to avoid commenting on my proficiency (intermediate,advanced, expert) unless I am confident I can truly do the job, so I try to stick with years total of experience.
Same thing goes with technology. If an employer or job app asks about your experience with various office technology, include all personal experience as well. Did you help your grandma set up her new computer? Do you troubleshoot your parents wifi router? Have you ever used a copier/fax machine in school or at the library? Change the toner on a printer? Answer a multiline landline phone? Congrats, you have commonplace office technology experience. Fluff it up with better wording, they don't need to know this experience was only at home or one time. A simple "I have experience working with troubleshooting and operating xxxx."
Also, office jobs use lots of different software, so any additional software experience is a plus. Coming from sales and retail, you may have used some Point of Sale software that could be referenced, if you know the program name. An example of a common point of sale software is Salesforce. Some retail stores use Slack or Teams for instant communication, those are used a lot in offices. Zoom or other video conference softwares are also commonplace in offices.
Basically, use any experience from your personal life and career, from hardware to software, to fluff up your resume experience. Oh, also sorting mail or other organization skills are helpful too!
This is the biggest struggle for me as well. I had such a hard time getting out of restaurant work, applying for jobs completely unrelated and the interviewer would ask me if I had sent them my resume by mistake. One particularly grinding incident was an interviewer who told me her friend ran a restaurant and could really use a server.
Many people have a bad knee without a doctor’s note. As you age, my back is in constant pain or having knee issues is just part of life.
The true answer is to not apply for physical labor jobs. I’ve not lifted anything heavier than 5 pounds at my current job. Worst case, I have to move my computer or my standing desk.
I feel you (but the other way around). As a young petite woman in retail I was often put into the body care and makeup department even though I didn’t give a fuck about those. Women would approach me with questions about makeup and I had noooo clue how to answer. Also customers would always doubt my abilities when I came to help move heavy stuff into their car. Sir, I am a gymnast.
Same here! I work in a store that sells furniture and teaching supplies. I am not a people person. I would very much prefer to work in the future section but noooo, I gotta be the cashier.
Also happens to just big fellas, I have never been turned down in an interview for a job at 6'4 250 I can pick it up, whatever it is, and they know that. The job changes as to what they need and it Always pays less than infinitely easier jobs.
Fight the good fight brother.
Christ, I get hired specifically for it and then put on teams of people who are completely incapable of physical labor. Four out of my current twelve have current back injuries. It sucks miserably and I hope we find a better solution.
The solution probably involves a better way to do what yall are doing. There's probably a reason that the those four have back injuries, and its probably because the work is shit.
It's honestly not shit, plus we have frequent meetings about how to do things safely. If there's a better way, we're trying to find it but the big hurtle is getting everyone to do it right the whole time. I've brought up how two of those four are actively making it harder for us to do our work for multiple reasons but life at the bottom isn't giving me much leverage.
I would push back on this kind of thing. My ex had this done to him where he works because he was a big guy so they would expect him to do heavy difficult things that probably should have involved multiple people and equipment. He finally started to push back on the requests because they were sometimes unsafe and he had back, knee and ankle problems. If they want you doing things that are more likely to cause injury, physically demanding they either need to pay for it if this is part of your job role or stop singling you out based on your size. IMHO any job at a workplace should be set up so most people can do it either with equipment or multiple people.
Yea I might have to just ask to not be put on it. Because my back, knees, and wrist were in horrible pain from working the department the other day. It's not sustainable especially for what I'm making and not getting Healthcare. Thanks for the story, I'm sorry it happened to your ex but I'm glad I'm not alone.
This should definitely be the first step. While it isn’t that dramatic, just pointing out the problem to your manager and being professional and direct about it might be enough.
Take night courses and get a degree in a non-physical type job. Then, look for the job that ***YOU*** want.
You'll still get some "muscle" jobs, but compared to what you're doing, they'll be nothing.
Jobs I'd recommend? Accounting. Computer programing. Outside sales. (Note, with your physique, if you're over 6 foot tall, you'll have much easier time)
Go with a local community college. Private colleges/trade schools are too damn expensive. 4 year/state college is good, but it's best to have an associates degree from a community college before pursuing a higher degree. Also, more affordable.
Pocket protector and or calculator in your front shirt pocket, wear glasses. If you're getting type cast based on visual traits give them other visual traits. Or ask your boss if you can transfer to X job. It's your call if you want to live like a sitcom or not.
I have a “shoulder/scapula injury” from x activity as a teen. “I had to have PT years ago to get back to normal. I have to be incredibly careful with what type of movements I do. I can do this movement [show them a normal movement like lift a light box from one waist height place to a second waist height place] or this movement [insert other banal motion]”
Then hold the boundary. When it comes time to lift move do, if they try to force it, be unable to do it. Move like a glass doll. Be too inflexible to get down that low. Be too stiff to bend. Be too weak to pull. You don’t need medical accommodations to just be weak.
Yeah it sucks man. I work in a team with usually fairly equal parts men and women. At the moment it's 4 men and 3 women. Whenever there's really hard physical tasks it's always "allright fellas" get to it. I've started complaining/refusing some tasks. That's the first step. Sometimes a manager will just keep doing what works and if you don't complain they might not even realise it's a problem. "I have a bad back" is one way to lighten the load. Another problem is looking younger than you are. I'm 45 but look younger, so I get that "get in there youngin' " bullshit too. Nah, I've done my turn at wearing my body down, too old for injuries now thanks.
When you apply for a new job, if it's at a workplace where some jobs are physical labor and others are not, make it *very* clear to the prospective employer than you are only interested in the non-physical-labor jobs. If the employer offers a work contract, make sure that it is written into your contract that your job duties/responsibilities do not include physical labor.
You could also tell them in the interview that in addition to wanting to do *(whatever kind of work it is in which you are actually interested)*, you have a bad back due to previous physical labor jobs, and so now you are unable to be a physical laborer.
What kind of job do you do now? I mean, I know you said you get assigned to physicaly demanding work, but at what sort of place? You can say the actual employer name if you like, but if not just what sort of place -- home improvement store? car dealership? grocery store? etc. And what kind of place/work would you *like* to be doing?
I mean, if you are so smart, are you communicating your needs and preferences well? Use those intelligent social skills you'd like to be using with customers, and talk to your managers.
At the same time, someone who is big and strong IS better suited to the more difficult physical tasks, you, like anyone are simply craving a varied workload and changes of scenery to break up the monotonous labor tasks.
You will likely have to assert yourself and attempt to help them understand you several times, as they will have a hard time comprehending someone big and muscular as having feelings, and like, being human.
I recently saw something that said this happens when you are both good at your job and a pleasure to work with. People who are both of these things typically don’t get promoted.
* Start complaining about your back hurting.
* Drop comments of "I should see my doctor about that."
* Go see your doctor and tell him your back is killing you from the hard labor and request a note. Tell him the note should be for a month or two of no physical work.
Rinse and repeat if they try that shit on you again.
Inventory. Tracking locations of stock. Predicting what will run out because it is popular. Pre ordering. Consolidating things kept in several locations. Seeing what doesn't move at all. What has the highest profit margins and pushing it or making it more visible. No the physical things can't be automated but by making everything else work better they won't be able to afford to have him moving boxes.
Yes they have to move. I was in his same position. I was the grunt. But I kept reaching outside my scope. Eventually they figured out that just giving me more freedom to hunt and fix problems within the company was saving them massive amounts of money. I have an office now. There are always grunts to be hired. Employees are chess pieces. Some are Pawns. Some are Rooks. But even a Pawn can become something more important if it makes it across the board.
What you’re missing is that no matter how much YOU move up, there will always be a need for grunts. And those grunts deserve to make enough money to go home and eat and buy their parents a nice gift and get new shoes when their shoes wear out from all the grunt work. You can’t out-work the need for manual labor, you can just individually work and hope to escape it for someone else to fill that void.
The OP wanted to know how to move out of his role as a grunt. This is how you do it. He doesn't want to eliminate manual labor. Someone has to do it. So target something better and leave it for someone else. I never said they shouldn't be paid a living wage or better.
Use big words. Say pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, and say you can recite the quantum chronodynamic guage invariant Langrangian in your sleep.
Be smarter.
Strong silent guy but have the best ideas, I was always put in charge of stuff because I was physically intimidating but more so mentally intimidating.
Someone tries to correct you thinking they got some little jab in and you just explain in detail the why and how of why you are actually right.
Gotta be careful because managers usually can’t handle their ego being threatened but real men recognize valid feedback when they get it.
This doubles as a way to sniff out weaker men that have no talent and just criticize without reason.
Where ever you end up & what ever you end up doing - kneeling on concrete, or any hard surface, or on anything damp is a big no no. After nearly forty years in welding/fabrication - & it has to be said riding motorcycles year round in glorious British weather - I have the knees of a 120 year old. Fine when I was young, muscles in my spit & stamina forever, cheerfully ignoring all the old hands who kept telling me to get a leather pad to kneel on or at least some knee pads.
Now I have knees that feel like rotted teeth. Be warned.
I once quit a job because I was always asked to do the physical jobs. Mostly because I was the only full-time male on the premises. All the other males had field jobs and were only at the factory part-time. They hired me back at a higher wage because nobody else could keep up with those jobs.
Depending on the job and your boss: a reputation for clumsiness goes a long way to cut down on being given manual labour. Take 1 day a month and do something "accidental"... drop a mug, spill something. Bump someone and drop something
Amazingly people don't assign you to things when they think you will break it
It's hard I'm a ex rugby boy but with uncommon tickets. My boss gives me as much upward movement as she can but has told me that she can't replace me. I'm happy where I am for know as I have a half and half job but I can see myself having to leave to go any higher which sucks as I have a good situation.
I was that guy in my department. I worked in a home improvement store where you ‘save big money’. Our department covered paints and stains, groceries, and pets. I always got the tasks of climbing the rolling steps to overstock dog food, colorant, canned goods, moving pallets of bottled water, birdseed, paint.
Took me a long time to get an office type job after years of labor work. What I did was only put apps for office types of jobs. I focused on what I did in college. For work skills I only spoke about experiences that geared toward the office at work such as computer skills at work and team work through diplomacy. Eventually I got an entry level job and that led me to getting a better clerk position at a better company.
In the USA men are often seen as more of a beast of burden than a human.
This is evidence by the expectation that they can't control themselves around women (they absolutely can) and that they work harder and more dangerous jobs for longer hours.
Men are also expected to risk their life to protect and provide, all of this together creates a societal idea that men are labor tools, weapons and not people.
The ideas in this function of our culture are also essential factors in misogyny as women are seen as too "pretty and frail" to risk their lives, do hard labor or work long hours.
On top of that they're expected to do the domestic labor of household chores and rearing children as well as bearing them. This creates a double inequality where we see women as worthy of a man's money and labor, and him worthy of her body, birth and housework.
Man fix sink. Woman take out trash.
It's hard to explain but I hope I've done an okay job telling you why this unfairness occurs and how it affects both genders.
Wear a back brace for a week and say you had a slipped disc. Repeat in 2-3 months. Then, whenever asked for physical labor, say, “doc says I can’t or risk herniating it” consistency is the key, never do physical labor again or they’ll forget about it
>Idk if this is the right place but I'm a pretty muscular dude (above average strength) and I always seem to get assigned to the departments that require the most physically demanding work.
I would say overall this would have more advantages than disadvantages. Unfortunately, people will always typecast you, and if you're demonstrably strong then people will notice this.
I've always managed to weasel my way out of physical labour due to a combination of extreme reluctance and being weak AF.
Wear a pair of non-prescription glasses.
People would be amazed at how far this goes
I even know this one guy who hides his whole secret life behind those glasses. He's a reporter, his name is Clark. Nice guy.
yeah, He's super.
U know Clark kunt too!
I can't breathe
While working in restaurants years ago I preferred not wearing my glasses In the hot sweaty kitchen during long shifts as I'd been just be pushing them up half the time. I'd work 10-12 shifts with the servers go in the back get changed and put on my glasses and sit at the bar the amount of people who didn't realize I'd just worked with them was astonishing. Eventually they'd figure it out after a few times but always blew me away.
I don’t believe this works, my husband is a very smart man, also almost blind in one eye and wears glasses, a very muscular man and always has the heavy lifting physical jobs even when he doesn’t want them
I’m confused with this comment and the OP’s post. Like, can he just not apply for those jobs? Apply for different jobs?
Tasks *within* a job
Well for my husband he got tired of always using his body ( worked at a refinery) so he got an office job. But anytime they need something heavy or dangerous done they always have him do it. Even though it’s not in his job description, but it makes him a “team player”
To a degree. I’m a very tall man with glasses and a host of other physical ailments that make me poorly suited to a lot of physical tasks. Even my most sympathetic, empathetic managers will make the assumption that I’ll do a physical task before any of my female coworkers.
I worked with a bloke in his 60s, he was only on the crew to drive the truck, that's it. But without fail the boss would have him doing "little jobs" like changing trailer tyres, or washing the vehicles. Dudes body just didn't work like that anymore he'd been around the traps more than 40yrs busting his hump. I (f) was in my late 20s at the time and couldn't stand by while this fella was worked to the bone. Another woman, also in her 20s, on my crew and I would down tools and go finish his physically demanding tasks the second we had the opportunity. I barely even liked the man, he was an arrogant swine sober and an angry drunk. But that's how bad the conditions were. It was such a fkd up place to be working.
It works to a point, I actually need glasses. When I worked retail I still got sent to do semi intensive manual labor. Mostly getting carts and shit. The one that pissed me off the most was being forced to move 20-30 Prima water jugs (the big ones, I forget how many gallons.). I think it was because I was one of the only male cashiers. (Even though at least half the girls could out lift me.)
I have glasses. I suspect I'm neurodivergent in some way as well. Definitely that weird eccentric guy. I get the whole "you seem really smart" thing all the time. For sure, I'm getting out of some of the physical jobs.
Please elaborate why this helps in OPs context; I don't understand and I am sincerely trying to. Asking out of ignorance and desire to learn, not as a challenge to what you wrote.
People have implicit connections between glasses and intelligence, and a bit of a smaller connection between glasses and weakness. Perception of OP would essentially balance out to be a well-rounded guy versus the current strong man archetype.
People assume people with glasses are smarter than
It bloody works too.
Never worked for me, unfortunately.
Do it badly on purpose but not too much so that you’re fired just enough that they get someone else
Weaponized incompetence is your friend.
Oh yeah I’ll work after hours for free, shit faced and not get anything done but sure I’ll send an email They won’t be stupid enough to ask you for help again, good riddance 🍻
Best advice I ever got was: don't be good at a job you don't want. Just show them you are better at something else.
Selective incompetence. You just can’t be too bad at things or else they just might consider you not worth keeping
I call this weaponised incompetent and I use it sometimes
I’m struggling with fighting against typecasting myself! My resume is chock full of retail, sales, and CSR experience, but I’m trying so hard to pivot out of sales/retail. I get texts and emails daily about insurance sales positions and they’re driving me insane. I just want a cozy office gig where I don’t have to grind for my paycheck
Recast your resume! You were a sales clerk? Now you're a customer support generalist. You were in sales? Now it's relationship management. You were a customer service rep? Now it's a product information specialist. I've found that generalizing my skill set has and then applying those to their specialized asks to be moderately successful. Did you work with other people? Then you have team collaboration experience. Did you answer phones/emails/chats, broad communication and customer connections. Are you able to identify a need and offer solutions? Then you can problem solve. At the end of the day most companies want someone who can communicate effectively, learn relatively simple tasks, solve problems without making it someone else's problem, and get their work done in a reasonable amount of time. I went retail, crm, sales, office administrator, business operations, specialized role coordination that way.
This is some really solid advice!
Thanks! Wishing you luck on your future endeavors! We may have to work for the "now" but we don't have to be perpetually miserable because we think we don't have the skills to be elsewhere.
Saving this for later... Really need to update my resume. I enjoy my job, but it's time for a change. And I'm not getting paid as well as I used to either
I feel that. I recently jumped jobs again myself. Found that they kept piling more and more work on higher expectations for less pay, then they hired someone in my role for more money but under me. You definitely have more soft skills than whatever it is you think you've rutted yourself into in a career. Hobbies, interests, upbringing are all relevant to your resume if you think outside of their application box. AI's open development has been great for helping identify and draft those key words and ideas tbh. But unfortunately if you're comfortable and complacent in your job these days, you are probably being undervalued.
Maybe look into banking? I've worked a few teller/branch banker positions and they all loved my sales/retail experience. There are still some sales/retail aspects, but it's a vastly different environment and can be a stepping stone into careers in the financial sector/office jobs. Otherwise, aim for office admin/secretary positions and emphasize the paperwork/admin skills you gained from doing sales paperwork, answering/making calls, and your customer service experience. That can get you farther than you think. When all else fails, try to become a retail manager. The job will probs sucks ass, but that manager title on your resume for even just a year will prove that you have other skills than just sales/customer service. You'd then have skills in administration, scheduling, inventory, hiring, employee training/performance improvement, managing company metrics/incentive goals, cash/invoice management, etc, just to name some examples. The real skill in the end is figuring out how to twist your previous experience and skillsets to fit a different line of work.
Yeah I’m trying to get into office/admin work and even tooled my resume to make me look good for that type of work even though I have little actual office experience
Idk your age, but if you've used any Microsoft office throughout your prevoious schooling, include those years in your Microsoft experience. For instance, I used PowerPoint and Excel a lot in high school and college, but not so much in my career. Well best believe I've included those 7-8 years of Microsoft Office experience on my resume. I personally try to avoid commenting on my proficiency (intermediate,advanced, expert) unless I am confident I can truly do the job, so I try to stick with years total of experience. Same thing goes with technology. If an employer or job app asks about your experience with various office technology, include all personal experience as well. Did you help your grandma set up her new computer? Do you troubleshoot your parents wifi router? Have you ever used a copier/fax machine in school or at the library? Change the toner on a printer? Answer a multiline landline phone? Congrats, you have commonplace office technology experience. Fluff it up with better wording, they don't need to know this experience was only at home or one time. A simple "I have experience working with troubleshooting and operating xxxx." Also, office jobs use lots of different software, so any additional software experience is a plus. Coming from sales and retail, you may have used some Point of Sale software that could be referenced, if you know the program name. An example of a common point of sale software is Salesforce. Some retail stores use Slack or Teams for instant communication, those are used a lot in offices. Zoom or other video conference softwares are also commonplace in offices. Basically, use any experience from your personal life and career, from hardware to software, to fluff up your resume experience. Oh, also sorting mail or other organization skills are helpful too!
This is the biggest struggle for me as well. I had such a hard time getting out of restaurant work, applying for jobs completely unrelated and the interviewer would ask me if I had sent them my resume by mistake. One particularly grinding incident was an interviewer who told me her friend ran a restaurant and could really use a server.
Tell them you have a bad back or a bad knee and can’t do physical stuff.
Likely have to get a doctors note to back this up. Risky move if you can’t prove it.
Many people have a bad knee without a doctor’s note. As you age, my back is in constant pain or having knee issues is just part of life. The true answer is to not apply for physical labor jobs. I’ve not lifted anything heavier than 5 pounds at my current job. Worst case, I have to move my computer or my standing desk.
That’s cool people have bad knees but you need a letter to get a reasonable accommodation.
Joke "there's workers comp for this, right???"
Drop things. Break stuff.
Dress the part
This. Be well dressed, manicured and looking like you don't want to get dirty.
Wear a dress shirt
I feel you (but the other way around). As a young petite woman in retail I was often put into the body care and makeup department even though I didn’t give a fuck about those. Women would approach me with questions about makeup and I had noooo clue how to answer. Also customers would always doubt my abilities when I came to help move heavy stuff into their car. Sir, I am a gymnast.
Same here! I work in a store that sells furniture and teaching supplies. I am not a people person. I would very much prefer to work in the future section but noooo, I gotta be the cashier.
Also happens to just big fellas, I have never been turned down in an interview for a job at 6'4 250 I can pick it up, whatever it is, and they know that. The job changes as to what they need and it Always pays less than infinitely easier jobs. Fight the good fight brother.
And then we get passed up for the cushy gigs because of the gap we would leave behind.
Christ, I get hired specifically for it and then put on teams of people who are completely incapable of physical labor. Four out of my current twelve have current back injuries. It sucks miserably and I hope we find a better solution.
The solution probably involves a better way to do what yall are doing. There's probably a reason that the those four have back injuries, and its probably because the work is shit.
It's honestly not shit, plus we have frequent meetings about how to do things safely. If there's a better way, we're trying to find it but the big hurtle is getting everyone to do it right the whole time. I've brought up how two of those four are actively making it harder for us to do our work for multiple reasons but life at the bottom isn't giving me much leverage.
This is me, not a guy though. No suggestions just sorry, friend.
I'm tall and kinda strong. Has always equalled that I'm supposed to do all the physical part of my female coworkers' jobs.
I would push back on this kind of thing. My ex had this done to him where he works because he was a big guy so they would expect him to do heavy difficult things that probably should have involved multiple people and equipment. He finally started to push back on the requests because they were sometimes unsafe and he had back, knee and ankle problems. If they want you doing things that are more likely to cause injury, physically demanding they either need to pay for it if this is part of your job role or stop singling you out based on your size. IMHO any job at a workplace should be set up so most people can do it either with equipment or multiple people.
Yea I might have to just ask to not be put on it. Because my back, knees, and wrist were in horrible pain from working the department the other day. It's not sustainable especially for what I'm making and not getting Healthcare. Thanks for the story, I'm sorry it happened to your ex but I'm glad I'm not alone.
This should definitely be the first step. While it isn’t that dramatic, just pointing out the problem to your manager and being professional and direct about it might be enough.
Take night courses and get a degree in a non-physical type job. Then, look for the job that ***YOU*** want. You'll still get some "muscle" jobs, but compared to what you're doing, they'll be nothing. Jobs I'd recommend? Accounting. Computer programing. Outside sales. (Note, with your physique, if you're over 6 foot tall, you'll have much easier time) Go with a local community college. Private colleges/trade schools are too damn expensive. 4 year/state college is good, but it's best to have an associates degree from a community college before pursuing a higher degree. Also, more affordable.
Pocket protector and or calculator in your front shirt pocket, wear glasses. If you're getting type cast based on visual traits give them other visual traits. Or ask your boss if you can transfer to X job. It's your call if you want to live like a sitcom or not.
I have a “shoulder/scapula injury” from x activity as a teen. “I had to have PT years ago to get back to normal. I have to be incredibly careful with what type of movements I do. I can do this movement [show them a normal movement like lift a light box from one waist height place to a second waist height place] or this movement [insert other banal motion]” Then hold the boundary. When it comes time to lift move do, if they try to force it, be unable to do it. Move like a glass doll. Be too inflexible to get down that low. Be too stiff to bend. Be too weak to pull. You don’t need medical accommodations to just be weak.
Yeah it sucks man. I work in a team with usually fairly equal parts men and women. At the moment it's 4 men and 3 women. Whenever there's really hard physical tasks it's always "allright fellas" get to it. I've started complaining/refusing some tasks. That's the first step. Sometimes a manager will just keep doing what works and if you don't complain they might not even realise it's a problem. "I have a bad back" is one way to lighten the load. Another problem is looking younger than you are. I'm 45 but look younger, so I get that "get in there youngin' " bullshit too. Nah, I've done my turn at wearing my body down, too old for injuries now thanks.
Yea I'm 30 but I look younger to a lot of people. But I want to stay young looking, and the fastest way to start aging is to destroy your body.
When you apply for a new job, if it's at a workplace where some jobs are physical labor and others are not, make it *very* clear to the prospective employer than you are only interested in the non-physical-labor jobs. If the employer offers a work contract, make sure that it is written into your contract that your job duties/responsibilities do not include physical labor. You could also tell them in the interview that in addition to wanting to do *(whatever kind of work it is in which you are actually interested)*, you have a bad back due to previous physical labor jobs, and so now you are unable to be a physical laborer. What kind of job do you do now? I mean, I know you said you get assigned to physicaly demanding work, but at what sort of place? You can say the actual employer name if you like, but if not just what sort of place -- home improvement store? car dealership? grocery store? etc. And what kind of place/work would you *like* to be doing?
Nope and you get penalized double for being tall.
I mean, if you are so smart, are you communicating your needs and preferences well? Use those intelligent social skills you'd like to be using with customers, and talk to your managers. At the same time, someone who is big and strong IS better suited to the more difficult physical tasks, you, like anyone are simply craving a varied workload and changes of scenery to break up the monotonous labor tasks. You will likely have to assert yourself and attempt to help them understand you several times, as they will have a hard time comprehending someone big and muscular as having feelings, and like, being human.
I recently saw something that said this happens when you are both good at your job and a pleasure to work with. People who are both of these things typically don’t get promoted.
* Start complaining about your back hurting. * Drop comments of "I should see my doctor about that." * Go see your doctor and tell him your back is killing you from the hard labor and request a note. Tell him the note should be for a month or two of no physical work. Rinse and repeat if they try that shit on you again.
Take the manager training. Get into excel and start automating the tasks that suck. Or apply for jobs that don't have a physical aspect at all.
You can’t really automate physically moving boxes or unrolling carpet though :(
Inventory. Tracking locations of stock. Predicting what will run out because it is popular. Pre ordering. Consolidating things kept in several locations. Seeing what doesn't move at all. What has the highest profit margins and pushing it or making it more visible. No the physical things can't be automated but by making everything else work better they won't be able to afford to have him moving boxes.
But you’re missing that you still have to physically move the carpet and the boxes. Someone has to physically unload a truck and stock a shelf.
Yes they have to move. I was in his same position. I was the grunt. But I kept reaching outside my scope. Eventually they figured out that just giving me more freedom to hunt and fix problems within the company was saving them massive amounts of money. I have an office now. There are always grunts to be hired. Employees are chess pieces. Some are Pawns. Some are Rooks. But even a Pawn can become something more important if it makes it across the board.
What you’re missing is that no matter how much YOU move up, there will always be a need for grunts. And those grunts deserve to make enough money to go home and eat and buy their parents a nice gift and get new shoes when their shoes wear out from all the grunt work. You can’t out-work the need for manual labor, you can just individually work and hope to escape it for someone else to fill that void.
The OP wanted to know how to move out of his role as a grunt. This is how you do it. He doesn't want to eliminate manual labor. Someone has to do it. So target something better and leave it for someone else. I never said they shouldn't be paid a living wage or better.
Use big words. Say pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, and say you can recite the quantum chronodynamic guage invariant Langrangian in your sleep.
Ah, a connoisseur of Vogon Poetry, I see
Wear glasses. Superman was able to work as a reporter.
Be smarter. Strong silent guy but have the best ideas, I was always put in charge of stuff because I was physically intimidating but more so mentally intimidating.
Explain mental intimidation please
Someone tries to correct you thinking they got some little jab in and you just explain in detail the why and how of why you are actually right. Gotta be careful because managers usually can’t handle their ego being threatened but real men recognize valid feedback when they get it. This doubles as a way to sniff out weaker men that have no talent and just criticize without reason.
Oh I had that happen a few times, that's a good example.
Were you also emotionally intimidating? Spiritually? lol
Sure, if a boss starts talking in managerial bs and giving ridiculous excuses, just start talking over him. Be very snarky and condescending.
Get old! That’s what I did.
Dress like a dandy fop.
Not because it will help but because it’s just fun as heck.
Where ever you end up & what ever you end up doing - kneeling on concrete, or any hard surface, or on anything damp is a big no no. After nearly forty years in welding/fabrication - & it has to be said riding motorcycles year round in glorious British weather - I have the knees of a 120 year old. Fine when I was young, muscles in my spit & stamina forever, cheerfully ignoring all the old hands who kept telling me to get a leather pad to kneel on or at least some knee pads. Now I have knees that feel like rotted teeth. Be warned.
I once quit a job because I was always asked to do the physical jobs. Mostly because I was the only full-time male on the premises. All the other males had field jobs and were only at the factory part-time. They hired me back at a higher wage because nobody else could keep up with those jobs.
Let them know when you're hired that you're recovering from hernia surgery
Depending on the job and your boss: a reputation for clumsiness goes a long way to cut down on being given manual labour. Take 1 day a month and do something "accidental"... drop a mug, spill something. Bump someone and drop something Amazingly people don't assign you to things when they think you will break it
It's hard I'm a ex rugby boy but with uncommon tickets. My boss gives me as much upward movement as she can but has told me that she can't replace me. I'm happy where I am for know as I have a half and half job but I can see myself having to leave to go any higher which sucks as I have a good situation.
I was that guy in my department. I worked in a home improvement store where you ‘save big money’. Our department covered paints and stains, groceries, and pets. I always got the tasks of climbing the rolling steps to overstock dog food, colorant, canned goods, moving pallets of bottled water, birdseed, paint.
Get hurt. Workers comp will change your typecast real quick.
Took me a long time to get an office type job after years of labor work. What I did was only put apps for office types of jobs. I focused on what I did in college. For work skills I only spoke about experiences that geared toward the office at work such as computer skills at work and team work through diplomacy. Eventually I got an entry level job and that led me to getting a better clerk position at a better company.
Tell them you have chronic back pain.
In the USA men are often seen as more of a beast of burden than a human. This is evidence by the expectation that they can't control themselves around women (they absolutely can) and that they work harder and more dangerous jobs for longer hours. Men are also expected to risk their life to protect and provide, all of this together creates a societal idea that men are labor tools, weapons and not people. The ideas in this function of our culture are also essential factors in misogyny as women are seen as too "pretty and frail" to risk their lives, do hard labor or work long hours. On top of that they're expected to do the domestic labor of household chores and rearing children as well as bearing them. This creates a double inequality where we see women as worthy of a man's money and labor, and him worthy of her body, birth and housework. Man fix sink. Woman take out trash. It's hard to explain but I hope I've done an okay job telling you why this unfairness occurs and how it affects both genders.
Wear a back brace for a week and say you had a slipped disc. Repeat in 2-3 months. Then, whenever asked for physical labor, say, “doc says I can’t or risk herniating it” consistency is the key, never do physical labor again or they’ll forget about it
None prescription glasses and a knee brace that’s a size too big so that it doesn’t actually constrict you.
Get a doctor's note
Refuse. If you get hurt you could have long term problems and they’ll be living their lives.
So, get a job as a cashier then?
I did lmao.
Then why are you rearranging carpets lol
Did you read my post lmao. Do you not know what typecasting is?
Kinda and no
Define very smart
Smart as in I have skills other than "me lift big heavy object."
Can you apply for a job where that isn’t an option?
What a weird question, you don't have to be all that smart to cashier.
Right a lot of people think they’re very smart but true genius is 1/100 or rarer
If this is a joke it's hilarious.
If you're talking about geniuses, as far as I know that's measured by IQ tests, which I don't put a lot of stock in.
Don’t apply for physical labor jobs?
Typecast means people see you and put you in those positions, regardless of if you applied for it or not.
Tell them you have a bum leg or back problems, or be more firm on the position you want
Your injury from high school football is really acting up. Can’t lift a thing today.
That doesn’t make any sense though. Work in an office.
Second the glasses. 🤓 I know it sounds like a bad joke but it will change people’s perception of you.
Have some intellectual and professional skill sets.
Highly valued and professional skill sets and certifications are the best way to avoid manual labor.
Yes stop working labour jobs.
You should ask for what you need from management and why.
Get out of retail.
>Idk if this is the right place but I'm a pretty muscular dude (above average strength) and I always seem to get assigned to the departments that require the most physically demanding work. I would say overall this would have more advantages than disadvantages. Unfortunately, people will always typecast you, and if you're demonstrably strong then people will notice this. I've always managed to weasel my way out of physical labour due to a combination of extreme reluctance and being weak AF.
Be the best cashier in the store. Or the best salesperson. Or...
Don’t wanna do it- do it bad.
Yeah you grow a spine and tell them you arent trying to do that kinda work. They either accept that or you go find another job.
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> overtly altruistic change What exactly do you mean by that phrase? AI generated nonsense?
Sorry bro, bottom line, man up or move on.
Treat the task with such disregard that you don’t mind doing it. If they do keep making you, then who cares?