Is Just Being a Writer Not Enough for Corporate Anymore?

A Writer’s Corporate Job Nightmare

Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

I started writing pretty early on in my undergraduate days and have worked with a lot of freelance clients. From those who are unwilling to pay more than 30 paise (0.0036 USD) per word, to customers who want “test articles” with a 2000+ word count, I thought I had seen it all.

I once wrote around 20 articles for a print publication (doing research from scratch and calling up PR agencies) to be only paid 36 USD, yes Three. Six.

Why did I do it? I thought they would turn my internship into a full-time role. Spoiler alert: they did not.

So how bad can a full-time job be, right? Not!

How It All Began

After my postgraduation, I decided to transition into a full-time role and finally put my freelance days behind me. I had moved to another country and was pretty excited at the prospect of earning well.

I thought I had struck gold when I got a job offer from a well-reputed international company. The job description said “content writer” and the interview went rather smoothly. I was given a short 500-word press release assignment, which I nailed.

However, the first red flag popped up when I met with the HR director. She went on for hours talking about everything and nothing.

The exact phrases used were “ we are like a family”, “no work is out of your role’s scope” “you must be proactive”.

Alarm bells should have gone off in my head then and there. But I was too naive and told myself I was reading too much into it. Moreover, I wouldn’t be working in the HR team anyhow.

Day 1 at work:

I asked HR if I could leave thirty minutes early for the time being, since I had to take public transport, and she said:

Sorry we can’t allow that and since you will be working closely with the CEO, you might have to stay late until even 10 or 11pm

I thought to myself, she must be joking, right? As I would later find out, she wasn’t joking at all. It was a norm in the company to work late (even till midnight) WITH NO OVERTIME PAY.

I repeat, the employees of the company were expected to work for 12+ hours with NO EXTRA PAY.

Modern-day slavery — check.

From then on the red flags just kept on coming and coming. My manager took me into the meeting room on day one and told me:

I want you to study our company and all our competitors well. Take your time, because one day we expect you to lead our digital marketing team.

I simply nodded, because I did not know what else to do. Now that I look back, I should have walked out then and there. The role I was hired to do was an entry-level content writing role and that’s the pay I got. Also, note that there was no team and I was the only person in marketing.

My responsibilities had nothing to do with the role I interviewed for. They were trying to save on hiring an actual marketing manager by somehow making me fit into the role. The logic behind this is still a mystery.

From Bad to Worse

For the next few months I was in the organization, I felt like a genie in a bottle who had to do everything, to be deemed worthy. I was turned into a corporate zombie. I had to work till 10 or 11 pm (no overtime pay), and then travel another 2 hours because they refused to give me accommodation (while they were providing the same to my colleagues), I pushed myself to the limits, started dabbling in graphic designing, photography and videography, so I can live up to their expectations.

I constantly walked on eggshells because I not only had to satisfy the CEO but also the HR director (yes the same person who interviewed me) who would constantly interfere and critique my work for reasons unknown to me, to this day.

Alright guys, please gear up for the climax.

When I was nearing the end of my probation, one of my colleagues in administration was about to go on a long leave. So I was “advised” to take on her role, along with mine.

Any sane person would say no, right? Not me! I just did not want to quit. I did not want to admit I can’t or it’s too much. So for the last month of my probation, I worked incessantly doing both to the best of my capacity.

The Great Climax

So the D-day came. My probation ended, and a couple of days later HR called me to tell me I was being let go.

Here’s what she said:

I heard you weren’t being too enthusiastic about your admin role. Let me give you some sisterly advice, don’t shy away from any role. That’s how I got this far. You could have asked me for advice.

Gaslighting — check.

Though I was initially shocked beyond measure, I still thank the almighty for that day. If not, I would have probably held onto that job for a couple more years, doing something I hate, surrounded by people I cannot stand.

Advice From a Fellow Writer

So, guys here’s some corporate trauma-induced advice:

1. In the age of AI, we are questioning our worth as writers more than ever. So don’t doubt yourself at work, they hired you for a reason.
2. If the job description doesn’t match the responsibilities, be open about it.
3. Don’t ignore the early warning signs
4. Be your own boss if you can, start a blog, write poetry, or take up bee farming

Remember folks, good pay isn't worth it if it all ends up going to your therapist.

And yes, being just a writer is enough.