kidmercury

As regular readers know, I'm in the business of creating niche communities for media publishers. Although I spent two years going absolutely nowhere, once I turned 28 (a major astrological significator, often indicative of a turning point, as we previously discussed), things clicked -- now we are at a point where we actually have to turn down opportunities, whereas a few months prior no one wanted to work with us, and we were generally labeled as a few steps short of the loony bin.

So thankfully, while things are going well (which, fingers crossed, hopefully they will continue to do so), we've begun hiring people. Here are some thoughts on the future of work and employment:

1. Independent contractors. We are trying as much as possible to avoid hiring employees, but rather to work with independent contractors. In reality, there is no corporation, because everyone is their own business. This is a big part of our dream and how we'd like to change the world; we seek to liberate people from the corporation. That's some bullshit right there, people, and ya'll are a bunch of punk ass chumps like Jay-Z for putting up with it. Damn.

2. No office. We work virtually. As things grow, we'll have meetups, but those will be primarily for social purposes -- to create the team bond and loyalty, which daily Internet communication will help to reinforce.

3. In reality, our "company" is more like a government that sets the standards by which businesses work together. Many of those who do business on the Internet know that technical standards are a key part of where the game is; for this reason, companies like FeedBurner, which more or less were pursuing the ticket for owning the RSS standard, were extremely promising. Outside of technology standards, though, the "corporations" of the future will need to establish cultural, monetary, and moral standards. This is how the corporation is being redefined. Likewise, we can expect other key social units -- namely the family and the nation-state -- to be drastically redefined as well, as part of the 2012 consciousness shift.

Sex in the Workplace

Let's not delude ourselves: people form their best relationships gradually, over time. It should not be surprising, then, that the work environment is some of the best fodder for our deepest relationships.

Obviously this introduces other issues, like when that two-timin' bitch sleeps with your colleague and you have to face both those lyin' weasels all day everyday.

However, the world of the future -- i.e. 2012, Age of Aquarius -- is one of greater liberty and independence. And so, I think fewer and fewer things will be taboo. And when people meet everyday and naturally develop intimate relationships, and when they are both independent contractors who are self-employed and not really attached to a corporation, the co-mingling of sex and work will be less taboo, in my opinion.

With that said, I still think it is wise to show proper discretion, and to make sure that you conduct yourself with professionalism, so that your casual sense of humor and attitude does not spread and create a degenerate workplace (i.e. most workplaces). This is something I do need to watch myself on. I am always joking, and would never sexually harass anyone (I don't even know how anyone finds that enjoyable, I mean can you really find it worthwhile if the other person finds it repulsive), and think it is important to award people based on the merits of their labor rather than the positives and negatives of their appearance. If anything, I actually lean towards ugly people, because they often feel the need to compensate for their ugliness by working harder. So bring on the ugly people! I mean I sure as hell thank god everyday I ain't one of you, but I know being a real winner is all about work ethic, so I give props to your game.

I do, however, sometimes make jokes that would be perceived as derogatory, and that's something I need to make sure I keep out of professional conversations -- whether we are liberated from the corporation or not. I'm confident that I know the difference between when I am joking and what my serious work attitude and values are, but I'm not so sure others will be able to know the difference, and I don't want to create a culture that has values I regard as improper.

Since this post is about how the workplace is being revolutionized, the song for the post is "Richard Cory" by Simon and Garfunkel -- a song that tells the story of a working man's struggles. BEST LYRICS EVER. Before there was Marshall Mathers, there was Paul Simon.