Actually that’s a darn good question. Of course Cooper couldn’t quit because he was needed as a character, but in real life Cooper would have bailed out as soon as he gained enough skills to work at a warehouse or a shipping center. Or Stuart would have fired him very early on.
It’s the paradox of the strip’s setup – the characters have to be in miserable circumstances to keep things interesting, but it also has to be plausible that they wouldn’t leave.
I have worked in places where the staff are so demoralised they don’t believe they can get work elsewhere. It was while in one of those jobs that I did my degree by correspondence course. They kept telling me what a waste of time it was and how nothing good happens. It was sad, how desperately unhappy they were and yet unable to do anything about it because they were so unhappy.
Someone had a management protocol book with a page tagged “Keep them miserable and scared or they’ll figure out they can leave” or words to that effect.
If the minimum wage were actually a living wage, would such things be tolerated?
That wouldn’t actually solve the problem for Cooper anyway because he hates his job, not how much he is paid to do his job(though that’s probably a sticking point too), and what you’re suggesting is that he would move into another business that is his job, but even more so.
Switching jobs is a lot harder than switching employers.
Actually that’s a darn good question. Of course Cooper couldn’t quit because he was needed as a character, but in real life Cooper would have bailed out as soon as he gained enough skills to work at a warehouse or a shipping center. Or Stuart would have fired him very early on.
It’s the paradox of the strip’s setup – the characters have to be in miserable circumstances to keep things interesting, but it also has to be plausible that they wouldn’t leave.
I have worked in places where the staff are so demoralised they don’t believe they can get work elsewhere. It was while in one of those jobs that I did my degree by correspondence course. They kept telling me what a waste of time it was and how nothing good happens. It was sad, how desperately unhappy they were and yet unable to do anything about it because they were so unhappy.
Someone had a management protocol book with a page tagged “Keep them miserable and scared or they’ll figure out they can leave” or words to that effect.
If the minimum wage were actually a living wage, would such things be tolerated?
That wouldn’t actually solve the problem for Cooper anyway because he hates his job, not how much he is paid to do his job(though that’s probably a sticking point too), and what you’re suggesting is that he would move into another business that is his job, but even more so.
Switching jobs is a lot harder than switching employers.
Because he’s having trouble finding a job elsewhere, he’s made friends at this job, and he needs room, board, and transport.
And bills don’t just magically disappear when you’re between jobs