Nowadays, it can feel like jumping through hoops is required just to land a decent job interview. So after surviving all of the preparation and nerves, the disappointment can be crushing when you learn that a company is only willing to offer you a pathetic excuse for a salary.
That’s why one man has decided enough is enough. Below, you’ll find a story that this fed-up landscaper recently shared on the Antiwork subreddit detailing how he’s attempting to get back at these stingy companies, along with an interview between the landscaper himself and Bored Panda.
Job interviews for positions with measly salaries can feel like a huge waste of time
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
So this self-employed landscaper decided that he will waste the time of any company offering insultingly low wages
Image credits: Coconino National Forest, Ariz (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/Nowjamessayswtf
The landscaper later answered a few questions from curious readers, providing more information on the situation
It's important for companies to understand that they can’t get away with providing pitiful excuses for salaries forever
To learn more about how the idea for these interviews came about in the first place, we reached out to the landscaper in question, Reddit user Nowjamessayswtf, and he was kind enough to have a chat with us. “I came up with the idea mostly from reading the anti work sub and wanting to do something about the problem,” he shared with Bored Panda, noting that he’s hopeful that the interviews might make a small difference. “Even if it won’t incite some major change, maybe it will help one of these hiring managers grow some empathy or understanding.”
We were also curious why it is so important for this landscaper to call out these companies. “I started working in the industry and being exploited for $14 an hour with no benefits,” he shared. “I was ignorant of the amount of profit being made off my labor for quite a while, believing there were slim profit margins. This is far from the case. The people I worked with are some of the hardest working and most exploited people I’ve known. It hits home with me.”
Image credits: Nathan Dumlao (not the actual photo)
"The people I worked with are some of the hardest working and most exploited people I’ve known”
And he’s right. Zippia reports that the average landscaper in the United States earns about $13.92 per hour, which is only $6.67 above the federal minimum wage. However, Landscape Marketing Boss explains on their site that, due to the low overhead costs in landscaping, “The landscaping business owner’s salary can be up to 35% of the total revenue.” Once a landscaping company is earning over $500,000 in revenue per year, the owner’s salary should not exceed 15% of the total profits generated, but that can still be three times what any of their employees are earning annually.
And according to architecture design studio Terremoto, “The $93 billion landscaping industry is built on the backs of a nearly two-thirds immigrant workforce, the majority of which, on the West Coast at least, is of Mexican and Central American origin.” The Terremoto team wrote a piece for Metropolis breaking down the labor acknowledgement problem that exists in the field of landscape architecture, saying, “As landscape architects, what we do and how we cultivate the land is intrinsically tied to the people who put in the physical work to realize these projects. It is now time that we, as a professional community, do better in acknowledging, respecting, and appropriately compensating their labor.”
But apparently, the people offering these jobs don’t love being called out for exploiting their workers. “The interviewers usually try to be cordial at first and explain that it’s a fair wage for the work,” Nowjamessayswtf told Bored Panda. “Once I tell them that I know for a fact that it’s an exploitative sum of money for the profits made and that no one can feasibly afford to live on what they offer, the interview tends to end rather fast without too many fireworks. Basically they’ll try to justify it for a bit until they realize they can’t, and then they show me the door.”
Image credits: William Adams (not the actual photo)
"No one can feasibly afford to live on what they offer"
We were also curious if this self-employed landscaper plans to continue attending more interviews. “I’ve done a total of four interviews and have not received any more call backs to schedule another one as of yet,” he shared. “I am hoping to soon, as more companies start hiring for the busy season.” He also added that he does have plans to record it, as he noted on Reddit that he lives in a single party consent state, but he warns that, “It might not be as dramatic as people picture.”
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. How do you feel about scheduling interviews just to call out the companies behind them? Let us know if you would ever do the same, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article discussing companies offering much lower salaries than they should, look no further than right here.
Some readers applauded the landscaper for his efforts, leaving supportive comments
However, not everyone was on board with these confrontational interviews
