Just because someone is well off doesn’t mean they want the people working for them to be successful too.
A few days ago, a person who goes by the nickname Hortjoob online, made a post on the subreddit r/antiwork, where they described their job for one of the wealthiest families in the world.
From grueling hours to degrading treatment, their experience sheds light on the dark side of serving the ultra-rich, and why many of us wouldn’t last very long in such an environment.
The allure of working for the super-wealthy attracts people with promises (or illusions) of good pay
Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)
But the reality of the job can be much harsher
Image credits: bluejeanimages (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Hortjoob
The industry has been trying to remain very secretive
George Ralph Dunn, the director of a recruiting agency that staffs the homes of the super-rich, says that for a very long time, the industry had been very hush-hush.
“To some extent, that secrecy was detrimental — it meant certain workers weren’t receiving basic rights,” he explains.
While it is littered with nondisclosure agreements, Dunn remains an advocate of talking more about this line of work, and in turn, stories like this Reddit post.
According to Dunn, this helps to better understand who treats their staff poorly, and the word spreads quickly.
“The sort of people employing private household staff are in the .001 percent, so it’s a very small group — we’ve probably worked with somewhere between 100 and 120 families,” he says.
“It’s not too difficult to get an idea of which families treat their staff better than others. Some have particularly bad reputations, and we know to steer clear. Also, before we work with anyone, we’ll always visit them in person. We’ll go to their property and scope it out. Typically, if someone on staff is leaving, we’re working to replace them and help them find their next role as well. So we’re trying to cover it from all angles. That’s just sort of common sense from a business perspective.”
“Then, of course, we speak to many candidates, and they’re usually very forthcoming if a previous boss was horrible to them. Within a few minutes of talking to them, it becomes very clear. I’ve got no interest in dealing with that. I don’t want to put anyone in a bad house. If it’s going to mean they’re leaving in a month, then the client’s not happy, the candidate’s not happy, and there’s no point in wasting our time with that,” Dunn adds.
Inequality has been on the rise across the globe for several decades
The Reddit post also highlights the disparity between the lives of the ultra-wealthy and the struggles of everyday workers.
While some countries have reduced the number of people living in extreme poverty, economic gaps have continued to grow as the very richest amass unprecedented amounts of wealth.
According to the UBS Global Wealth Report, in 2023 the world’s richest 1 percent — those with more than $1 million — owned 47.5 percent of all the world’s wealth, which equates to about $214 trillion.
Meanwhile, people with less than $10,000 make up nearly 40 percent of the world’s population but hold less than 1 percent of the world’s wealth.
Among industrial nations, the United States is by far the most top-heavy — the top 1 percent in the country holds 40.5 percent of national wealth. The US also dominates the global population of high-net-worth, with over 7.4 million individuals owning at least $1 million of investable assets (not including their primary residence and consumer goods).
As the story went viral, its author answered the most common questions people had about their experience
At the same time, all sorts of reactions poured in
