Messenger Birds, Burn Out, and Fair Work.
Hey, Gulls!
Anyone else feeling particularly tired? It’s that time of year where those of us who didn’t get the holiday time off work are still trudging in (or heading to our sofa desks), and trying to concentrate.
At Gull HQ we had some crimbo plans change. So we took some time off our renovations to rest, recuperate, and watch the birds go by.
As we barrel towards launch we’ve realised how easy it is to overwork, burn out, and stress. We expected some of it, of course. But, now we are all a bit under the weather and feeling guilty for taking the time we need to recover.
Part of the reason we established The Gull’s Grocery was to create better working conditions for ourselves and others. Instead, we’ve pushed on through cold and tiredness, through setbacks, and we’ve forgotten to do the celebrations.
There is a pressure in our society to keep moving forward. An object in motion stays in motion etc etc. And, let’s not pretend that financially all will be well if we just stopped.
But, if we as founders work seven day weeks and break our limits. How can we preach fair work? It’s not just for the people who join us later, it’s for us too.
So,we fell into the passionate worker trap and got it wrong. But, how do we change it? That’s a big question which we need help to answer.
We also know not everyone can just start a co-op, so what do you do if you find yourself in a similar situation but it comes from your employer?
For starters, we’ve been loving reading the r/anti-work board on Reddit.
Em is about to start Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe if anyone wants to be in the book club!
Luna says "join a union.”
For public service workers Unison has the chops. For retail workers (including distribution workers) USDAW are a good shout, and Unite Hospitality represents hospitality and tourism workers.
Lastly, labour movements around the world have been making news. Take a look at the Kellogg’s strike action in which worker’s successfully went up against the cereal giant.
Shout us out on Instagram with your fair work recommendations and if you enjoyed this candid chat join up to our mailing list to receive messenger birds like this.