Corporations exist to make money(for other people). HR is not your friend, and its not a “family”

Having been to a lot of corporations, it became apparent to me early on in my career that HR is more about protecting the corporation, and mitigating the risks of lawsuits as apposed to protecting the interests of the employee.

In leaked Target/Walmart videos that attempted to paint labor unions as horrible, they used phrases like “open door policy” (referring to an employee being able to discuss anything with a manager/employer, which would be removed if big bad labor unions got in the way), or “we are a family.”

In no uncertain terms should you view your employer as family. In most cases you are an expense, and it really is a race to the bottom; how little can they do for you in return for you working for them and generating revenue/value.

A Job/Career is simply an agreement between what you think your value is, and what the corporation feels you are worth as an expense. The more confident you are in yourself, and the more you look for other opportunities, the better off you will be.

Working extra hours above 40 hours a week, if you are salaried anyway, is something we all do/did, and its only when you are older and wiser that you realize that extra time is not worth the extra 1% bump in your salary. Shopping around for other companies can and do bump you 5-20% depending on role/responsibilities. Doing so constantly is the best way to maximize your income in the long run.