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Alienation from Other Workers

When I used to work in a fine dining restaurant, everybody wanted to be the next big hotshot chef. Sabotage was more common than cooperation and you would feel lonely in your work environment.

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From my personal experience, I have faced alienation from other workers. As an Educational Assistant I find that I have similar responsibilities to those of a teacher, but get paid significantly less and believe the gap should be smaller. As an EA, I support students academically, I teach them valuable life skills, and significantly improve their behaviour challenges. I believe my roles are very significant and should be recognized and appreciated more.

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Restaurant work - fast paced environment 

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Restaurant work - fast paced environment 

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Working at a fast paced resturant made me feel very stressed. I worked as a food runner, host, supervisor, and server. Food running and hosting were among the hardest out of that because of how dissociated and zoned out I would become during my shift. Food running meant my manager would come in, and food would just be in a loop of grab, go, deliver, repeat. In that loop, I often got yelled at by people alongside my co-workers simply because everyone was stressed, and it was very critical that we did everything right. From hosting, more of the zone out behavior came from, where I would talk to people starting all nice and slowly, as my shift went on, I would get annoyed and start to zone out, meaning I wasn't as welcoming and friendly. This process led the other hosts and me to not even find a human connection with any guests and made my job not feel as fun, but rather just as a worker with no control, just repeating sequences to follow.

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One aspect of alienation that Karl Marx discussed is Alienation from the process of one's labour. This happens when workers have little control over how they do their job and must follow strict routines set by their employer. An example of this from my own experience is working in a daycare. The daycare follows a strict daily schedule for meals, japs and activities, so employers have to follow these routines closely.  As much as I enjoy working at the daycare with the kids, there is little freedom in how things have to be done because staying on schedule is the main priority for the staff and the kids. This relates to Marx's idea of alienation because the work can feel respective and controlled rather than creative and personally fulfilling.

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Marx's alienation from the process of labor means workers have little control over how their work is done. Working in a grocery store I often repeated the same takes like stocking shelves and scanning items while following strict set rules by management and my boss. This made the job feel repetitive and disconnected because I was focused on completing tasks rather than having control or creativity in my work.

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I work at a movie theatre and, due to the building being open everyday of the year, I often work at weird times and only have so many opportunities to book days off. I always feel alienated from my family when I work over the holidays. My workplace, as well as many part-time jobs, require that you agree to work specific days over the Christmas season. While I understand that Christmas is a good time for business, I always feel that I am missing out on family time that I will never get back when I am subjected to working on a day like Christmas day. There are many ways in which our labour alienates us, but I feel that it impacts me the most when I have to work over the holiday season. - Madeleine Fargo

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I work at a golf course and resort as an events coordinator. People can own cottages by the lake there, which cost a significant amount of money. I often deal with wealthy customers or people who act superior because of their social and economic status, and they sometimes treat workers differently because of it. Employees are expected to stay polite and friendly no matter how customers act, which can make interactions feel fake and unequal rather than like genuine human connections.

As part of my job, I plan and run events such as kids’ clubs, holiday events, bingo nights, campfires, and more. Customers and cottage owners often complain about event times, demand prizes, or direct negative comments toward me, even before opening hours. Since I am currently the only events staff member besides my busy supervisor, this pressure can become overwhelming.

This relates to Marx’s idea of alienation from other people because workers and customers are separated by class and economic power, creating unequal and transactional relationships instead of authentic human interactions.

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One aspect of alienation discussed by Karl Marx is alienation from the process of labour. This occurs when workers have little control over their work and perform repetitive tasks that feel meaningless or disconnected from their own creativity and interests.

I can relate this to experiences in part-time customer service work where the main focus was speed, efficiency, and meeting company expectations rather than enjoying the work itself. Tasks became repetitive every shift, and there was little opportunity to be creative or feel personally connected to the job. According to Marx, this is alienation because workers lose control over the labour process and may begin to feel disconnected from the work they are doing.

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Alienation from Humanity, or the Essence of Humanity

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Alienation from Humanity, or the Essence of Humanity

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I believe that my lifestyle is deeply connected to alienation from humanity, or the essence of humanity. I think this because my life is very rooted in a schedule, that is similar day-to-day. Each of my days consist of doing school work for this class, as well as the other class that I am taking online, a Pilates class, and a serving shift at my job. This leaves me for little time for rest and relaxation, and meaningful social connection outside of my social job. As a student, balancing school work, work, and everyday responsibilities, I sometimes feel pressure to always be doing something that benefits me rather than focussing on getting rest and promoting well-being. Marx believed that humans are naturally creative and social, but capitalism can make life feel as if the purpose is to work and achieve rather than make connection and memories.

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A way that I have viewed alienation in the workplace stems from my restaurant experience and lack of relationships or care for co-workers that I have seen and experienced. For years I have worked in a kitchen environment as a line cook and have been able to experience working as a line cook from every position. Wether that be working down on salads and not holding a big role or authority within a dinner service or working as the lead cook which entails calling out orders while ensuring food and orders are being sent out efficiently while all at the same time making own food to contribute to orders. Throughout the years and the difference in position nothing changes from a social perspective. Servers often can't remember your name and rarely take time to build connections while instead just looking at you as a worker that needs to get food for their table out as fast as possible. The space is high intensity and often does have time for talk and connection but as line cook in a kitchen you are often treated as a machine rather than a human with a wellbeing due to the fast pace environment and customer satisfaction expectations

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Alienation from the process of one's labour

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Alienation from the process of one's labour

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The concept of alienation from the process of labour is illustrated by my experience in a workplace setting during my co-op placement working with children.

In this role, I often had to follow a very strict schedule created by the supervisors, including set times for activities, snack breaks, and outdoor play. Even when I had ideas for more engaging activities or different ways to support the children, I usually couldn’t change the plan because everything had to follow the program structure. Over time, this made the work feel less creative and more repetitive, since I was mainly just carrying out instructions rather than making decisions about how the day should go.

According to Marx, alienation from the process of labour happens when workers do not have control over how their work is done and instead feel like they are just a part of a system where tasks are assigned and must be followed. In my experience, even though I enjoyed working with the children, I sometimes felt disconnected from the actual “process” of the work because I wasn’t able to shape it or fully express my own ideas.

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I have been working as a barista at Starbucks for the past 2 years, and was motivated to apply due to my enthusiasm in carefully crafting beverages and food for my family; I loved creating latte art and experimenting with new recipes. Upon starting my job, I loved this- making hearts and flowers on customers’ lattes, and connecting with people over our shared love of coffee. Over time however, the importance shifted from customer connection and a genuine passion for the job to rushing to get the drive thru times under 4 minutes and ensuring drinks are out in adequate time while making sure to write a positive “yummy!” or “have a great day!” on 100% of the drinks because that is now expected. Soon enough, I fell into mindlessly making drink after drink for hours on end and my passion and care for my job decreased significantly. I am incredibly fortunate to have a job and feel very lucky for it, however I have definitely noticed significant alienation from the art of crafting beverages that used to bring me so much joy.

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Staff shortages in the Nursing Profession

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Staff shortages in the Nursing Profession

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The alienation from one’s own labor is evident in my profession as a nurse. During the recent pandemic, we faced severe staffing shortages. In some shifts, the workload was increased twofold due to a lack of personnel; at times, I had to work double shifts because no one was available to relieve me at the end of my shift. This led to significant stress and burnout, resulting in many of my colleagues resigning. In Marx’s perspective, this is an example of alienation from the labor process: several of my colleagues expressed feelings of disconnection from their work due to management’s demands to meet the institution's targets despite staffing shortages. As for myself, rather than experiencing the practice of holistic, relational care, I sometimes felt like an a machine in motion: hurrying from one room to another, ticking boxes, adhering to protocols despite the heavy workload, while being careful of medical error and having minimal control over the pace or method of my own work, and after those shifts, I was so exhausted that walked like a zombie, which aligns with Marx’s definition of being alienated from the labor process.

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I experienced this while working in retail. During my shifts, I spent hours organizing shelves, helping customers, restocking products, and making the store look appealing so people would buy more items. Even though my work helped the store make sales and profit, I did not feel personally connected to the products or the success of the business. At the end of the day everything I worked on still belonged to the company, while I only received an hourly wage. This relates to the idea of alienation because the worker puts effort and energy into their labour but has no ownership or control over the final product or profits. In retail, employees often repeat the same tasks every shift, such as folding clothes, stocking shelves, or working the cash register. Over time, the work began to feel repetitive and disconnected from personal creativity or satisfaction. Instead of feeling proud of helping people and creating something meaningful, I used to feel like I was simply helping the company earn money.

This type pf alienation is common in the capitalist workplace because businesses focus mainly on productivity and profit. Workers contribute to the success of the company while still feeling separated from the value their labour creates.

- Frishta Yari

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I am currently working as a waitress in a high-end Italian restaurant, one that I could never possibly afford. I spend my shifts serving and taking orders from millionaires and billionaires, who spend my weekly salary on a casual Monday dinner. I believe this separation between the services I offer, and the fact that they are services I could never obtain illustrates Marx’s concept of alienation from the products of one’s labour.

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Another aspect of alienation present in this same role is how my colleagues and I are forced to compete for tips. Even if, on the surface, our interactions are friendly, there is constant awareness that taking someone else’s table could make a significant difference in our revenue for that week. Based on Marx’s concept of alienation, our isolation from each other illustrates alienation from other workers, as our cooperation is at best superficial. That is especially the case since the owners of the restaurant ultimately benefit greatly from our competition, as our efforts for tips also increase customer experience and spending.

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Karl Marx addressed alienation from the labor process as one aspect of alienation. This happens when employees are forced to execute repetitive duties in ways dictated by management and workplace needs and have little autonomy over how they carry out their jobs. As a result, rather than feeling significant or rewarding, work may start to feel robotic and emotionally draining.

While working as a host in a casual dining restaurant, I encountered this type of alienation. The majority of my work involved doing the same things every shift, such clearing tables, serving patrons, and occasionally assisting other employees when the restaurant got busy. Due to the fast-paced nature of the restaurant, I was expected to finish jobs quickly and effectively, frequently without pausing or slowing down. In an attempt to keep up with the workload, I occasionally unintentionally injured myself due to this strain.

Customer service encounters also left me emotionally exhausted. On one occasion, after waiting a long time for his bill, a customer lost his cool and shouted at me. However, as a host, I lacked the authority to collect payments or provide bills, as those responsibilities fell to the servers and managers. I was still expected to handle the customer's annoyance in a professional manner even though the problem was beyond my control.

Marx claims that because workers are viewed as components of the system rather than as unique individuals with creativity or control over their labor, this kind of work can lead to alienation. This was evident in my experience because there was little opportunity for personal control or enjoyment in the work itself, with a strong emphasis on speed, repetition, and customer happiness.

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In the past, I worked at a mailing company where my job was to sit and check the stamps of packages and letters coming through. Not only was it a boring, repetitive job, but I didn’t really interact with my coworkers who were doing other jobs in the same building. This is my example of alienation from the process of one’s own labour.

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In the past, I worked at a mailing company where my job was to sit and check the stamps of packages and letters coming through. Not only was it a boring, repetitive job, but I didn’t really interact with my coworkers who were doing other jobs in the same building. This is my example of alienation from the process of one’s own labour.

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I work as an overnight Merchandiser at Home Depot as my summer job and I experience what Karl Marx refers to as alienation from the process of one’s labour.  I work from 9:30pm to 5:30am Wednesday to Friday and each shift follows an identical rigid routine.  I unload pallets, stock shelves and reset aisles in exact accordance with a planogram provided by corporate.  I have no control over how tasks are done, the order of work or the pace of work as this is all driven by store operating hours and what needs to be finished for the store to open each morning.  When I go to work, I feel like a tool or machine executing tasks in a repetitive way that is as free of errors as possible.  I do not interact with customers and rarely see or hear about the impact of my efforts, so I feel disconnected from the purpose of my work.  Marx’s idea that workers become alienated when they have no influence over work processes deeply resonates with me due to the lack of autonomy and separation from the meaning of my work.

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The one aspect that describes the Karl Marx alienation in my experience is alienation from the product of labour. After high school I used to work at a grocery store called metro.  During my time at metro,  I was constantly stocking shelves, cleaning different parts of the store and organizing products. Metro was hiring a lot of the younger people as part time workers, so we don’t get full benefits including dental care and health. Working at Metro, I was only making minimum wage and it felt like I was working for a company that was making massive profits on the backs of the hard work of younger workers.  This left me feeling like I was a pawn in a corporation, easily disposable.

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As a developmental service work, I work in a group home, support people with disabilities. Sometimes, the work is heavily focused on schedules, medication, documentation within strict timelines. For example, during my morning shifts, I must focus more on medication administration, meal preparation, and following behavioural support plans rather than spending meaningful time interacting with the individuals I supported. This will help me to know them more. Although I understood the importance of these responsibilities, the work sometimes feels repetitive and I am always rushed.

This affected the care of people with disabilities because I realised that there was less time to build meaningful relationships with my clients, provide them with emotional support and focus on their individual needs. Care feels more task-centered than person-centered. This affected me personally because I joined the field to support and connect with people limited abilities. The strict routines and heavy workload made me feel emotionally drained, disconnected, and less fulfilled in my role.

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I have been working as a swim instructor for about year but I have been at my workplace for two years. and have just been promoted to pool supervisor. The swim lessons that I teach are within a time frame of a half an hour, and have a set program I teach made and put in place by the company. Myself and my coworkers teach the same things but in different ways. If I feel like one of my swimmers could use extra help on a specific stroke I can prioritize that over other strokes on the lesson plan. I also don't need to follow the lesson plan to the full extent when it comes to strokes and turns, I am able to teach a required stroke and it doesn't need to be in the order its shows on the lesson plan. This connects to Karl Marx's Alienation from the process of labour as I teach the classes and put in the work, but ultimately do not have a lot of control of the teaching process. - Tadhg Cox

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Restaurant Work & Separation - Callum Fohshow

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Restaurant Work & Separation - Callum Fohshow

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One of Marx’s key ideas is alienation from the product of labour, which basically means that workers become disconnected from the things they help create or sell. I’ve felt this pretty clearly while working as a server at Boston Pizza. Every shift, I’m carrying out these big, beautifully plated meals and promoting specials to customers (upselling) but the funny part is that a lot of the food I’m serving is stuff I can’t actually afford myself even with the staff discount, some of the menu items are still too expensive on a server’s wage, especially on slow nights when tips aren’t great.

This creates this weird disconnect because I’m the one hyping up the food, making sure it gets to the table looking perfect, and helping the restaurant make money, but I don’t really get to enjoy the product of that work. According to Marx, that’s exactly what alienation looks like. The product becomes something external to the worker, something that belongs to the employer and the paying customer, not the person doing the labour. So even though I’m part of the process that makes the restaurant successful, I’m still separated from the very things I help sell.

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I worked in a retail clothing store before and had to “compete” with other co-workers to gain more work hours, however it was a bit frustrating as you’d assume that you wouldn’t really enjoy being around your co-workers due to this aspect but it was the fact that other co workers would get those hours compared to me and then call off. If I had made plans I’d be asked to cover them and then they’d tell the assistant manager since they don’t have as much of a say compared to the manager so they can’t really deny the “switched shifts” I said yes already so I’d have to cancel anything that I’m doing to cover them or I’d get a write up. Thank fully that rule got changed and you had to go through the manager rather than the assistant manager as it wasn’t fair to both of us.

My work experience falls under two of them but mainly Alienation from others/other workers due to the workplace being structured to push employees into a competition rather than a form of cooperation. Me and my colleagues were fighting for limited hours creating some frustration or tensions for who got them due to some cancelling their shift anyways, instead of solidarity between us. Even though I liked my colleagues how they assigned shifts made it harder to build a healthy relationship between a few of us due to us having to outperform or replace each other.

I also believe that a part of the experience ties into Alienation from the process of one’s labour, as I had little control over the shift schedule and time. Once a shift was brought to the attention of the assistant manager, I felt forced to cancel my personal plans or risk the write up.

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I worked in a retail clothing store before and had to “compete” with other co-workers to gain more work hours, however it was a bit frustrating as you’d assume that you wouldn’t really enjoy being around your co-workers due to this aspect but it was the fact that other co workers would get those hours compared to me and then call off. If I had made plans I’d be asked to cover them and then they’d tell the assistant manager since they don’t have as much of a say compared to the manager so they can’t really deny the “switched shifts” I said yes already so I’d have to cancel anything that I’m doing to cover them or I’d get a write up. Thank fully that rule got changed and you had to go through the manager rather than the assistant manager as it wasn’t fair to both of us.

My work experience falls under two of them but mainly Alienation from others/other workers due to the workplace being structured to push employees into a competition rather than a form of cooperation. Me and my colleagues were fighting for limited hours creating some frustration or tensions for who got them due to some cancelling their shift anyways, instead of solidarity between us. Even though I liked my colleagues how they assigned shifts made it harder to build a healthy relationship between a few of us due to us having to outperform or replace each other.

I also believe that a part of the experience ties into Alienation from the process of one’s labour, as I had little control over the shift schedule and time. Once a shift was brought to the attention of the assistant manager, I felt forced to cancel my personal plans or risk the write up.

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Alienation from the process of one's labour 

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Alienation from the process of one's labour 

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At the moment, I am working at a golf course in Peterborough. I do have golf experience, but I don't always mention it to customers. We're taught how to greet players, how to speak to them, our responses, and how to handle situations when they are rude and dismissive. Many customers believe they are always right, and some act as though staff should tolerate any attitude without reacting, or react as they expect. There's been a time when I was spoken down to, and I did not appreciate it, but I still had to smile and continue the interaction professionally. I believe that this reflects Marx's idea of alienation from the process of labour, because my tone, behaviour, and emotional responses are dictated by the expectations of "good service", not by how I actually feel in the moment. Rather than being able to respond naturally, I have to follow a short script, which separates me from my own actions and makes working feel like a performance sometimes.

Maddie Nelson

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Alienation from the products of one’s labour

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Alienation from the products of one’s labour

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One aspect of alienation discussed by Marx is alienation from the products of one’s labor. From my own life experience from working as a nanny I feel like I put in a lot of emotional work when raising and caring for the children I look after. As a nanny I spend a lot of time teaching, comforting, helping and supporting the children. I become involved and attached to the children I nanny and with that I take a lot of pride in helping them grow into the people they will become. However, at the end of the day, the results of my hard work do not belong to me. The family of the children a nanny benefit as I actively help raise their children and provide them with consistent childcare whenever needed, but overall, I do not receive any benefit. Even though I contribute to the children’s development and well-being, I do not have any ownership over the outcome of that work. When the family may no longer need childcare, the relationship I build and everything I have helped with and sudden suddenly. The emotional connection and effort I put in to the children become part of the families’ life rather than something I get to keep or have control over.

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I am a Pet Associate at Petsmart and I am cross-trained in every department of the store except for the salon. I think that the type of alienation I experience the most at my job is, possibly unexpectedly, 3. Alienation from others/other workers. This may seem odd due to the heavy involvement of customer service in the job, however it is the expectations that the company puts upon us that make our interactions with customers alienating.

Petsmart tries to push for a friendly, inviting, and casual experience for customers. However, we as associates are expected to constantly be pushing different offers, fundraisers, and memberships into customer faces. We are directly measured with it and it comes to a point where we are not experiencing customers as people, but rather another number to add to our "autoship pre-enrollments" or "dog training" signups. Petsmart only wants us to create a "friendly, inviting, and casual" experience because it is what makes the most profit and brings the most people back. This feels really alienating to me in the sense that we do not get to have genuine interactions with these people and if we want to keep our job we have to treat them as another sale opportunity rather than someone to help.

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Sorry if this post is a duplicate! I cannot seem to find it in the padlet after hitting publish so I am reposting it hoping it works this time haha-

I am a Pet Associate at Petsmart and I am cross-trained in every department of the store except for the salon. I think that the type of alienation I experience the most at my job is, possibly unexpectedly, 3. Alienation from others/other workers. This may seem odd due to the heavy involvement of customer service in the job, however it is the expectations that the company puts upon us that make our interactions with customers alienating.

Petsmart tries to push for a friendly, inviting, and casual experience for customers. However, we as associates are expected to constantly be pushing different offers, fundraisers, and memberships into customer faces. We are directly measured with it and it comes to a point where we are not experiencing customers as people, but rather another number to add to our "autoship pre-enrollments" or "dog training" signups. Petsmart only wants us to create a "friendly, inviting, and casual" experience because it is what makes the most profit and brings the most people back. This feels really alienating to me in the sense that we do not get to have genuine interactions with these people and if we want to keep our job we have to treat them as another sale opportunity rather than someone to help.

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As a child and youth worker, I fulfill many roles and wear many hats. At any given moment, I might be teaching academics, caring for injuries, preparing meals, navigating social conflicts, supervising groups, leading activities, or performing crisis intervention. I am always expected to act as a leader and a teacher.

However, in doing so, I often find myself regulating and hiding my own emotions. I suppress parts of myself in order to perform my role effectively. I act the way I am trained to de-escalate situations and keep things running smoothly, to the point that it begins to feel like I am simply going through the motions.

This creates a sense of alienation from my own humanity. While I encourage and teach others to express themselves and develop emotionally, I am required to do the opposite. In order to remain professional and keep my job, I must distance myself from my own feelings. This results in a disconnect between who I am and how I am allowed to exist in my work, which feels like a loss of authenticity and human expression.

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A few summers ago I was working at a high end golf course as a member of their maintenance department. This department while a decent size, wasn't so big that you didn't know who was who. The majority of staff were either older men who were there for the free golf or other teenagers simply working for a summer job. The one thing both had in common was that the majority of workers would either smoke, drink, or be high while working from start to finish. While there is nothing wrong with any of that I was never one to do it when things need to be done let alone at work. This would occasionally cause me to be alienated from others as they would often smoke or drink together and would ask if I wanted to join them but eventually wouldn't bother since the answer was always the same. This would be a form of alienation from others or coworkers.

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A few summers ago I was working at a high end golf course as a member of their maintenance department. This department while a decent size, wasn't so big that you didn't know who was who. The majority of staff were either older men who were there for the free golf or other teenagers simply working for a summer job. The one thing both had in common was that the majority of workers would either smoke, drink, or be high while working from start to finish. While there is nothing wrong with any of that I was never one to do it when things need to be done let alone at work. This would occasionally cause me to be alienated from others as they would often smoke or drink together and would ask if I wanted to join them but eventually wouldn't bother since the answer was always the same. This would be a form of alienation from others or coworkers.

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Working at a movie theatre; critique of Marx

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Working at a movie theatre; critique of Marx

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I’ve worked at a movie theatre for the past seven years, and I often think about the various degrees of alienation I’ve experienced—although I haven’t used that word, until now, to describe it. Making popcorn, for example, involves simply dumping kernels, seasoning, and oil into the popper’s pot, and waiting. However, as workers, we are not involved in the growing of corn, the mining of salt, the growing and processing of canola; we are not involved in the manufacturing of the plastic and the paper these products are packaged in; we are not involved in the delivery process; and, perhaps most importantly, we (at least I) have zero idea how to actually make any of these things. I only have one very simple skill with regard to the popcorn-making process. In this sense I am alienated from the fundamental aspects of the product I serve, to the point that without other people, I would be unable to do my job.

However—and this is where I split from this way of thinking—I think this is fine, even good. I like my job: it’s easy; it’s very social; customers are there to have fun, and are usually in a good mood; the hours allow me to have time during the day to do the things I love... While technically alienated from the production chain, this chain (and capitalism in general) has made everyone, especially poor people, significantly better off and has raised the quality of life drastically compared to any other historical period. Moreover, I disagree with Marx’s oppressor/oppressed framework in general: I think that inequality is inevitable, and that there are pros and cons to any kind of work or position in society; and I think that most wealthy people have earned their money by making life better for the average person, have taken risks, and have created countless jobs for others. Alienation is a useful concept for understanding one’s place in the economy, and this way of thinking has certainly led to improvements in working conditions; but overall, I just can’t get behind it (beyond a useful thought exercise), seeing as Marxism led to between 80 and 100 million deaths in the 20th century. I cannot separate this historical fact from the theory, as much as I would like to, and because of that, I’m highly skeptical of its continued use in academia.

--Graham Wylie

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I used to work as a camp counselor for children with disabilities, during this time felt alienated from others. The job was very high stressed as I oversaw the well-being of up to three children at a time. I had to work with children who had epilepsy, autism, Down syndrome, emotional struggles, physical struggles, and aggression issues. With the job requiring me to feed, toilet, watch, and make sure these campers didn’t harm themselves or others for 8 hours a day, it left me with little energy to give to other parts of my life. With this job being so demanding and structured, I felt as though it prohibited me from connecting and maintaining my social relationships with others, leaving me feeling very alienated from my coworkers who I spent every day with.

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One type of alienation mentioned by Karl Marx is alienation from the labor process. In this type of alienation, workers lack control over the process of performing their job roles since everything is strictly regulated by the management.

In my personal experience, a good example of this was when I worked at mastermind. Every shift was carried out according to a specific routine, including wrapping presents in the exact same way every time, handling the transaction, saying a particular phrase to customers, and spending hours standing near the cash register. It all happened because there was a great focus on the speed of transactions made, and workers had very little freedom to carry out activities in accordance with their wishes.

This can be used to explain Marx's concept of alienation because it entails losing control of the process of labor.

-Skyler Findlay

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Karl Max describes alienation from the products of one’s labour as when workers do not own or control what they produce, even though their efforts create value. In my job at an ice cream shop, I help prepare and serve ice cream to customers, such as scooping cones, making sundaes, and assembling orders even though I physically create the final product that customers enjoy, I do not own it or benefit from its sale beyond my hourly wage. Once I hand the order to the customer, the product and the profit it generates belong entirely to the business. This creates a sense of separation between my labour and what it produces, since I do not have any lasting communication or ownership over the final product.

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In my workplace experience as a warehouse worker, my daily routine of scanning items, sorting and restocking inventory, and packing boxes serves as a clear example of Karl Marx’s concept of alienation from the process of one's labour. According to Marx, this aspect of alienation occurs when a worker has no autonomy over how their daily tasks are performed, reducing their labor from a creative, self-directed activity to a forced, mechanical routine dictated entirely by management. Even though my work environment was highly positive, friendly, and physically energizing, my labor process remained structurally alienated because my supervisor and manager controlled every aspect of the workflow, including the scheduling, task assignments, and organizational layout. I had zero input into how the warehouse operated or how the items were processed; the managers handled all of the planning and decision-making, while my role was strictly confined to executing repetitive physical movements. Because the power to direct and shape my own labor activity belonged entirely to the company's management rather than to myself, this experience perfectly illustrates how modern capitalistic workplaces alienate employees from the very process of their own work

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I work at a nail salon during the summer and from my personal experience here, the first aspect of alienation that Karl Marx discusses that can be applied to my workplace is alienation from the process of one’s labour because the process of completing a manicure and pedicure is repetitive for every client. The preparation of the nails, the products used, and the steps taken during the service are all the same. Most ladies at my salon get solid colours and although the only difference is the colour each client gets, regardless, it is still solid. Very rarely do we get clients who do a design or anything extra. Therefore the process of a pedicure and manicure is very repetitive and I kind of “zone out” while doing the service. My typical day can be described using one word, cycle; prep the station, prep the nail, paint, client pays, clean.

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One aspect of alienation I can understand from my own experience of the work place is alienation from the process of labour. Marx argued that workers become alienated because they have little say in what they do at work and must follow repetitive routines imposed by management. Work is only for wages, not for creativity or personal satisfaction.

For example, while I worked at Tim Hortons, I had to adhere to strict routines during busy shifts. Orders had to be taken, drinks made, stations cleaned and customers dealt with quickly and accurately in accordance with company procedures. Rush hour meant no freedom to be creative or work at my own pace, everything was timed and focused on efficiency. The work did help me earn money and gain experience, but it sometimes felt like hard work and exhausting instead of personally fulfilling.

Marx describes this as an example of alienation from the labour process, in that the worker has no control over the conditions or methods of work. Instead, the employer decides the pace and structure of the job, causing work to feel mechanical rather than meaningful.

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One aspect of alienation that Karl Marx discussed is Alienation from the process of one's labour. This happens when workers have little control over how they do their job and must follow strict routines set by their employer. An example of this from my own experience is working in a daycare. The daycare follows a strict daily schedule for meals, japs and activities, so employers have to follow these routines closely.  As much as I enjoy working at the daycare with the kids, there is little freedom in how things have to be done because staying on schedule is the main priority for the staff and the kids. This relates to Marx's idea of alienation because the work can feel respective and controlled rather than creative and personally fulfilling.

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Alienation from products of one's labour

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Alienation from products of one's labour

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I used to work part-time as a sales associate at a clothing store and when I think back on that experience, it is a clear example of what alienation from the products of one's labor is. In the store I performed the same tasks every single day of folding clothes and fixing the display after the customer messed it up and was constantly putting effort into paying attention to details even when I felt tired and exhausted from balancing my classes at the same time as my shifts. There were moments in between where I would just zone out from the frustration of doing it all over again.

What made it even more annoying was that even after doing all that hard work and dedication. I would end every single shift with nothing but minimum wage while every sale made throughout the day went straight to the store. It was sometimes disappointing to watch customers walk out with bags full of clothes that I had folded while on the other hand I received the same hourly wage regardless of how much I had contributed during my 6hour shift.
When I learned about Marx's idea of alienation from the products of one's labor, I understood why I was unhappy at work. I was giving my time for money but most of the sales used to go to the store. This made me feel tired and disconnected from my job as I was repeating the same thing multiple times throughout the day.

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I am an immigrant from India, and now I have been living in Canada for more than 7 years. To me, my journey is more important than my existence in this country. I used to work at a large manufacturing factory where heavy automobile parts were built. I was required to work there to support my residency status with limited choice. I was the youngest worker there trying to adjust within the circle of mostly older people. Over time, I realised that as soon as possible, I should leave this work because I was losing my identity and experiencing alienation from the essence of humanity. The repetitive nature of the job, conflicts and negative behaviour affected me emotionally and mentally. I was totally disconnected from innovation, creativity and my own identity. I used to overthink about work even when I was at home by myself. I also believe that the concept of four types of alienation by Karl Marx can be interconnected because, per my experience at this industrial workplace, I felt isolation from others, my co-workers, either because of an age gap or due to the work environment; alienation from products I used to make because of repetitive contributions to a controlled and exhausting environment; and most importantly, alienation from the essence of humanity. I was part of the proletariat workforce and observed the concept of capitalism and alienation proposed by Karl Marx through conflict theory and unequal relationships between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. I also deeply observed the idea of false consciousness working at this workplace; workers accepted the inequality in forms of workloads, favouritism, unequal treatments based on the ethnic majority working there, job insecurities, etc and accepted it as normal instead of recognising it as exploitation.

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As a Tim Horton's employee, I was very procedure and routine-oriented. Work activities like taking orders, making drinks, serving customers and cleaning were performed in a certain manner and frequently required rapid performance. It was expected that employees would complete tasks in the way that the Company expected, not in their own. The focus may be on speed and efficiency during more hectic times of the year, which can be repetitive at times.

In my experience, I was not in control of the labour process; this is Marx's definition of alienation from the work process. The role did not revolve around aspects of creativity or decision-making, but instead followed company rules and customer demand. Even though I was doing the work, it sometimes felt more like completing assigned tasks on autopilot than expressing my own abilities or interests.

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Karl Marx believed that workers can feel alienated, or disconnected, in different ways at work. One aspect of alienation is alienation from the process of labour. This happens when workers have little control over how they do their job and must follow strict routines or rules.

I think this can happen in many workplaces where employees repeat the same tasks every day without having much freedom or creativity. For example, in some retail or warehouse jobs, workers may spend long hours doing repetitive tasks while being expected to meet strict time goals. This can make work feel exhausting and less meaningful because the worker is mainly focused on completing tasks instead of enjoying the work itself.

I have experienced something similar in the workplace when I had to repeat the same tasks every shift and follow very strict procedures. Even though the work was important, it sometimes felt tiring and disconnected because there was little opportunity to make decisions or use creativity. According to Marx, this is an example of alienation because the worker loses control over the work process and may begin to feel disconnected from their labour.

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Alienation from the product of one's labor. 

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Alienation from the product of one's labor. 

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One concept of Karl Marx’s alienation theory that can be identified personally is the alienation from the product of labor. This means that the workers do not have control or ownership of the produce that he worked on. As for instance, the fact that i am working at Mcdonalds’ ,during my shifts, I produce food, assemble the burgers and cater for customers.

After i pass a complete order to a customer, i really did not have any association nor Ownership of that product i was instrumental to prepare. the food immediately belongs to the company’s, not me, even though it took my effort, dedication, precision and hard labor to prepare. No form of attachment exists between me and what i prepared. This is in alignment with Marx’s concept of product of labor not belongs to the worker as well as he have no ownership and control of that product of work.

With time the whole work would be seen as tedious for since focus is on the output efficiency instead of owning and identifying with our produce.

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I work at a fast food place, and you have to use specific lines when talking to customers, saying specific things and doing specific things when customers say ask things. We also have timed food preparation so all of our food takes the exact amount of time and no customer has to wait longer than another, there's constant supervision by managers and bosses by them being there and the cameras that are around the restaurant. Lastly, there's repetitive motions every shift doing the same thing every shift over and over again and never changing no matter the customer or the order.

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I work as a greeter at a local grocery store, so not the most eventful or exciting job but its one nonetheless. Where I stand to greet people is in the front lobby which is apart from the actual store and being still recently new causing me to feel less connected with my other coworkers. This can be related to a lack of connection between others/other workers, which is type 3 of the 4 different types of alienation according to Karl Marx.

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As a adult stdudent and immigrant,I sometimes feel that my life has become an example of Marx's idea of alienation.I started learning Enlish from the beginning in January 2024,and for the past two and a half years my life has mostly been studying,attending classes,doing assignments,memorizing infomation,and preparing for exams.At first,I felt excited and happy to learn a new language and challenge myself.However,over time my life has become very repetitive.From Monday to Friday I wake up,study,and repeat the same routine,while my social circle has become very small.Sometimes I catch myself staaring into space and feeling disconneted from myself.Even though I know education is important for my future,I sometimes feel emotionally exhausted and alienated by this routine.Still,I continue because I want to finish my bachelor's degree in the next 2.5 years.And honestly,after that I feel like I may never want to study again.

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For this week's activity, I am choosing Marx’s concept of alienation from the product of one's labour.

I went into an entrepreneurial journey before taking a gap year. I spent a lot of time working as a freelance appointment setter for other, larger companies. My daily work involved prospecting, sending cold outreach, and ideally booking meetings.

I developed a product of my labour; in this case, it was generating a qualified lead, which was immediately handed off to the company's internal sales team. I had no ownership over the lead, no say in how the final deal was negotiated. I just received my standard flat rate or small commission. According to Marx, this is classic alienation from the product: I poured my time, energy, and skills into creating something considered valuable, but the business owner mostly reaped that value. Recognizing this disconnect is a major reason I eventually tried to start my own business, so I could have more ownership over my labour. - Deezy Graham

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I currently am working at a retail store that I have been working there for years now. I am a cashier and it becomes really exhausting standing there all shift at the cash register. I am required to work and do tasks as quickly as a could while also having strict rules. Even though I help the business to make the money they need, they use more than my weekly salary to keep the lights on or do a renovation on the store that does not need it, basically wasting money. This is a form of alienation because workers like myself lose satisfaction to the work that we do.

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Alienation from humanity or essence of humanity. W4 - Madeleine Rose

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Alienation from humanity or essence of humanity. W4 - Madeleine Rose

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I currently work in a housing and homelessness program and have been working in the homelessness sector for approximately 8 years, including student placements. I have experienced alienation from humanity and alienation from the essence of humanity on multiple occasions. Most people who have worked in housing and homelessness would be familiar with what is called a VI-SPDAT assessment. This assessment is a standardized questionnaire to determine an individual's acuity to help place people into a low, medium, or high category, which helps determine the next step in support. Although this assessment is widely recognized, it does make me feel that I am ranking people and having to prioritize individuals based on this when they are all at risk of homelessness or living through homelessness. This made me feel some alienation from the essence of humanity. Another example is when I used to work in homeless shelters and as part of the intake process, would have to search thoroughly through individuals' belongings and work to enforce rules similar to prison rules, such as curfews, meal times, etc. This made me feel like I was in a position of power over the client, which made me feel disconnected from humanity.

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Currently I am working as customer service/head cashier at Canadian tire. I’m choosing to focus on the process of labour. At my job I both have a lot of say in controlling how cashiers handle certain situations, but my managers also control how I handle certain situations. Examples of this could be how I always have customers arguing with me about wanting money back for a return, however in order to do that I need to be told by a manager that I am allowed to do so, and cashiers sometimes will come to me and ask for permission for a price override or if they need to void a transaction. Working in retail means that I have to follow the rules that my managers have provided and also cashiers have to follow what I am telling them as well.

- Olivia Dixon

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Week 4 Backpack Activity: Visshnee Thirikaran 

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Week 4 Backpack Activity: Visshnee Thirikaran 

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One aspect of alienation discussed by Karl Marx is alienation from the process of one's labour. In my current job at Tim Hortons, much of my work is determined by strict schedules, procedures, and performance expectations. During busy periods, I spend most of my shift preparing orders, operating the cash register, or serving customers as quickly as possible. The focus is on efficiency and speed rather than on how I would personally like to complete the work. Because the tasks are repetitive and closely controlled, I have little influence over the overall work process. According to Marx, this can cause workers to feel disconnected from their labor because they do not control how the work is organized. My experience at Tim Hortons reflects this aspect of alienation because the job is shaped largely by company rules rather than personal choice.

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I have experienced what it feels like to be alienated from the work process, as I did when I was working in customer service. My roles meant that for every one of my shifts, I had to go through the same process, use the same scripts, and there was minimal flexibility to do anything different. My work seemed mundane, and mostly I was just busy doing what I had to do and making some money. I didn't do all of the work myself, so I often didn't feel like I was involved in the work, but rather just doing what was done.

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Alienation from workers - Alienation from Humanity

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Alienation from workers - Alienation from Humanity

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Alienation from others or other workers

I have experienced this in my current job. I started working there 6 months ago. When I arrived I could feel the tension and distrust in the atmosphere. My co-workers are constantly monitoring my work and looking for small ways to position themselves above me in front of management. They are constantly competing with me (one sided competition) and band together and exclude me. I am good at my job and very quick to learn. The better I perform at my job, the more alienation and tensions I experience from my co-workers. While their behavior is very unprofessional and wrong, I don’t take it personally and see it as a “survival behavior”. The corporate system is what is contributing to this toxic work environment and insecurity. The system is set up where employees have little to no job security and feel the need to compete for positions and have very little trust for their team members. This is what causes workplace competition and alienation.

Alienation from humanity, or the essence of humanity

I have experienced this in a few different ways in my own life. One obvious example is as follows. I am a single Mom and I go to church. I have tried everything to be a part of the church community with other mothers in the church. I have never been welcomed or invited to anything and when I do see the “Married Moms” at church it's a very brief conversation. I have a few friends who are accepted in those groups and they are married. When I do go to an event or group discussion the topic of me being a single Mom always comes up and strange questions are asked about my situation. This is how I gathered that this is the reason I am excluded and seen as an “other” or “novelty” (Kind of crazy since it’s 2026) I have seen this happen in church communities because a single mom has a different life than a married mom and maybe the married mothers feel awkward or like “she is not one of us” or don’t know how to relate.

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Before coming to university, I worked at a restaurant as a server. At this job I felt a great connection to the customers but often a disconnect to my co-workers. We  all got along and worked together well, but there was always an underlying tension I could sense. The tension was in trying to outperform one another. Our performance could be measured in multiple ways, higher checks, customers requesting to sit in your section, or your tables giving compliments to the manager as they were leaving to name a few. These factors would affect how we would be scheduled. In the restaurant there were three possible sections you could be in, bar side, dining room, or bar, with two servers to a section. Each section is vastly different in the type of money you could make a shift. Bar side is the best, you get the first seating of tables and you close, which means you by far get the most amount of tables in a night. This is the section everyone wants. The dining room is the second best option, you only really get tables during the rush, but you still make decent money. Bartending is the least lucrative option out of the three, as you have less tables, and you have to split the money you make with the other bartender. There were multiple layers to this competition, as this was just the competition in the dinner shift. Making it to the dinner shift was already an accomplishment, as it yields higher gratuities than the lunch shift. The constant state of competition at an already stressful job where you are always presenting front stage, eventually led to me getting burnt out and quitting early before I started university.

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When I used to work at Tim Hortons we were often pinned against each other. They would have us compete in competitions against our coworkers to determine who had the lowest drive thru times. This created a competitive and hostile work environment. Due to these competitions instead of working as a team it often felt like I was working by myself. Those who had the highest score in the competitions would often get made fun of, which then increased the level of loneliness one felt in the workplace.

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When I used to work at Tim Hortons we were often pinned against each other. They would have us compete in competitions against our coworkers to determine who had the lowest drive thru times. This created a competitive and hostile work environment. Due to these competitions instead of working as a team it often felt like I was working by myself. Those who had the highest score in the competitions would often get made fun of, which then increased the level of loneliness one felt in the workplace.

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One aspect of alienation discussed by Karl Marx is alienation from the process of labour. I experience this at my job as a cabin cleaner at a 5-star golf course. My work is extremely repetitive because I clean the same rooms in the same way every shift. I also have very limited opportunity for creativity in how my job is completed my supervisor requires every room to look exactly the same. This means I do not have any input or chances to make decisions about my work. According to Marx, workers become alienated from their labour when they have a small amount of control over their tasks and must follow strict routines. My experience at the golf course reflects this aspect of alienation because the work is very structured, repetitive, and leaves little space for personal expression.

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Week 4: One aspect of Alienation from Karl Marx.

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Week 4: One aspect of Alienation from Karl Marx.

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Karl Marx’s theory of alienation from the process of one’s labour, which states that an employee may feel disconnected from their job. This occurs when workers have less control over what they do, mostly repetitive tasks, and no creativity or personal preference. I personally experienced during a part-time job I had two years ago at a warehouse for a catering business. The work was split up into several departments, and I was put in charge of a department that required me to perform repetitive tasks regularly. Because I had little choice in the role I was assigned, this made the task feel exhausting and uninteresting. I felt cut off from my work process because Management had full control over task assignment and decision-making. This lack of control limited my ability to engage meaningfully with my work.

-Janvi Patel

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When I worked at Loblaws in the hot food section during high school, I experienced what Marx meant by alienation from other workers. My colleagues felt more like competitors than teammates, isolating us from one another.

An example of this would be during one of my shifts, when I was trapped behind the glass counter, taking bags of ready-made food from the fridge and placing them in the display case for customers, I had to get it done before my lunch, so that I wouldn't leave my work for the next person after me. Since our manager tracked our speed and efficiency so closely, there was almost no time to talk to others and have a genuine human connection. My coworkers and I felt completely disconnected. Making the working environment unpleasant during that time.

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Two forms of alienation discussed by Karl Marx that I can relate to are alienation from the process of labour and alienation from other workers.

Alienation from the process of labour occurs when workers have little control over how their work is completed. When I worked in customer service and food service positions, many of my tasks were repetitive and had to be completed according to strict procedures. There was very little opportunity for creativity or decision-making because everything had to be done according to company policies no matter what. This sometimes made the work feel disconnected from my own interests and abilities.

Alienation from other workers occurs when workplace structures limit meaningful social interaction. During busy shifts, employees were focused on serving customers and completing tasks as quickly as possible. Although we worked together, there was often little time to build relationships beyond work responsibilities. This created a feeling of separation even among people working in the same environment.

Marx argued that industrial capitalism creates these forms of alienation because workers often have limited control over their labour and become disconnected from both their work and the people around them.

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Although I have not been officially hired for this place yet, I can already picture many mishaps when it comes to working with certain people. One example I could easily think of is the determination of who could get the most customers/consumers attention the most.

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One aspect of alienation discussed by Karl Marx is alienation from oneself, also known as alienation from one's species being. Marx believed that workers can become disconnected from their true selves when their work is focused mainly on meeting the demands of a job rather than expressing their individuality. I have experienced this while working as both a server and a bartender. One thing I have learned from these jobs is that you are actually just an actor. The entire shift, you are acting. No matter how tired, stressed, frustrated, or upset you may be, you are expected to smile, be friendly, and make every customer feel welcome. During busy shifts, it can feel like I am playing a character rather than being my authentic self because my emotions become secondary to the expectations of the job. This reflects Marx's idea of alienation from oneself because workers often have to set aside who they truly are in order to perform their job.

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McDonald’s (Fast Food Worker): At McDonald’s, I was responsible for taking orders and distributing food. The work was very fast and highly focused on the delivery of customer requests. Although I was engaged in a number of tasks throughout the shift, I felt no sense of attachment to the orders. The food had been prepared by a number of other staff members and had no connection to me once it had been served to the customer. My responsibility was more about making sure orders were fulfilled accurately and efficiently as opposed to manufacturing or designing the product.

This relates to Marx's idea of alienation from the product of one's labor, where the worker is disconnected from the final product and is mostly doing one segment of a large industrial process. -Saron Woldeyesus

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Contact Centre Agent (Service Ontario Social Assistance): As a contact centre agent, I was part of a team assisting people with social assistance queries. Initially, we felt a sense of team spirit as we were all undertaking the same type of calls and were able to assist people. However, I soon felt alienated from the rest of the workers, as the majority of the work was done in isolation and was call after call. Each agent was assigned their own calls, with minimal interaction with others throughout the shifts. Despite being part of the same department, we had very few opportunities to form social bonds during working hours. Most of the communication was work-related, and communication on a personal level was very limited. This is in line with Marx’s view of alienation from others, in that workers feel alienated from each other when a job is largely composed of isolated tasks, as opposed to a job that combines various tasks undertaken in a team. -Saron Woldeyesus