Paid to pace: This worker’s 40-hour week is mostly walking

An employee who felt utterly unstimulated at his job recently shared his daily routine on the well-known Reddit community Anti Work. In his post, he described a typical 40-hour workweek that, according to him, is almost entirely unproductive. He explained that the majority of his shift is spent pacing around the facility without any concrete tasks to complete. When boredom peaks, he retreats to the restroom under the guise of needing a break and scrolls through his phone for extended stretches of time.

He admitted that he makes several such bathroom visits each day, sometimes lasting up to half an hour. Aside from that, his schedule revolves around wandering through the workspace, chatting casually with colleagues, and visiting the office area to engage in conversations that rarely relate to actual assignments. Only a small fraction of his responsibilities truly require action, yet those moments are crucial to the company’s operations.

The worker revealed that he is employed as a robotics and hydraulic mechanic and programmer at a manufacturing plant. His expertise becomes necessary only when machinery malfunctions or systems fail. Outside of those occasional emergencies, he spends full eight-hour days on standby, five days a week, questioning the necessity of his constant presence. He wonders why management does not simply summon him when issues arise instead of requiring him to remain onsite throughout the day.


What surprises him most is that in five years of maintaining this routine, no supervisor has ever addressed his extended absences or questioned his productivity. On the contrary, he has received multiple salary increases and positive performance feedback. Despite being praised for his contribution, he privately struggles to understand his actual value, given how little active work he performs.

Other Reddit users chimed in with humor and relatability. One compared such roles to a fire extinguisher—rarely used but indispensable during crises. Another shared a similar experience, explaining that only a portion of their weekly hours involve real effort. They added that such jobs can feel like paradise if privacy allows relaxation, but unbearable if one must constantly pretend to appear busy.