An Honest Day’s Work for an Honest Day’s Pay

An Honest Day’s Work for an Honest Day’s Pay

By: John S. Morlu II, CPA

“An Honest Day’s Work for an Honest Day’s Pay”
(And No, Typing ‘Good Morning’ in Slack Doesn’t Count as Working)

Let’s face it — the world of work has changed. A lot.

Once upon a time, work meant showing up at 9 a.m., in actual pants, drinking burnt office coffee, and sitting under fluorescent lights while pretending your boss’s jokes were funny.

But then, along came COVID-19, the biggest “office makeover” in history.

Suddenly, everyone was working from home. At first, it was great! No traffic, no awkward elevator small talk, no one stealing your lunch from the break room. But then… something weird happened.

Some people started to forget to work.

The Rise of the Pajama Professionals

Let’s talk about the new work routine for some folks:

  • Wake up at 9:04 a.m.
  • Roll over, open laptop
  • Type “Good morning team” in Slack or Teams
  • Turn off camera on Zoom
  • Press play on Netflix
  • Go back to sleep

By noon, they’ve “worked” four hours… and haven’t done a single real thing.
Congrats! You’re now officially a pajama professional.

Wait, That’s Not Working?

Nope. That’s called labor theft.

Let’s break it down:
If you’re getting paid to work 8 hours, but you only do 3 hours of actual work while the other 5 are spent scrolling TikTok or playing Minecraft — guess what? You’re not just being lazy. You’re stealing time.

It’s like buying 8 scoops of ice cream and the store only giving you 3, but still charging for the full tub. Would you be cool with that? No? Then why do it to your employer?

Real-Life Example: The Double Dipper

In 2022, a guy in the U.S. got caught working two full-time remote jobs at the same time. Both companies were paying him for 40 hours a week. He was working about 25 total.

He told one boss, “I’m in a strategy meeting,” and told the other, “I’m on a client call.”

Truth? He was playing Call of Duty.

Both jobs fired him. And his dog was disappointed too. 🐶

Fun Facts That’ll Make You Go “Hmm…”

  • Fun Fact #1: A Stanford study showed that working from home increased productivity by 13%. But that only works when people actually… you know… work.
  • Fun Fact #2: Gen Z says flexibility is the #1 job perk they want. That’s fine. But flexibility doesn’t mean napping between TikToks. It means choosing when you work — not if you work.
  • Fun Fact #3: Some companies are now using “mouse jiggler” software to catch fake activity. So yeah, your fake “present” light on Teams won’t save you forever.

Gen Z & The ‘Act Your Wage’ Movement

Let’s decode some trendy work terms:

  • Bare Minimum Mondays: Do the least amount possible to keep from being fired.
  • Quiet Quitting: You’re not leaving your job, you’re just doing it as quietly and invisibly as possible. Like a workplace ghost.
  • Act Your Wage: “Don’t expect me to do CEO-level work for $18/hour.” Which is fair… until you’re doing intern-level work for $80K/year.

Yes, we all want better pay and fair treatment. But until then, stealing time is not the answer. Hustling in reverse won’t move your career forward.

Managers: Don’t Sleep on This Either

Dear supervisors:
If your team’s only activity is logging in and going mute, that’s on you too.

If someone’s been “in a meeting” every time you check on them, but you haven’t seen an actual deliverable in weeks — spoiler alert: They’re probably not in a meeting. They’re in Target. In fuzzy socks.

Leadership isn’t about trusting blindly. It’s about verifying and guiding. And yes — sometimes about having uncomfortable conversations that go like:
“Hey, I noticed you submitted last week’s report in Comic Sans and titled it ‘final_final_REAL_FINAL2.docx’ — can we talk?”

The Bottom Line: Don’t Be a Time Thief

Work is a deal.
You give hours.
You get paid.
Simple.

Break the deal — and it breaks trust. And once trust breaks, you’re one “Productivity Tracker Email” away from updating your résumé.

It’s not about being a robot. Take breaks. Stretch. Eat lunch. But deliver results. If you’re paid for 8 hours, give 8 hours worth of value — not 8 hours of buffering.

Final Word (With a Little Tough Love)

You can work in pajamas.
You can take Zoom calls from your car.
You can even listen to lo-fi beats while typing emails.

But what you can’t do is get paid for a full day and give back a half-hearted effort. That’s not flexibility. That’s dishonesty — and it’s a one-way ticket to the unemployment line.

So let’s do this the right way:

“An honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
Because if your grandma wouldn’t be proud of your effort today — you might need to try again tomorrow.

About the Author
John is an entrepreneur, strategist, and founder of JS Morlu, LLC, a Virginia based CPA firm with multiple software ventures including www.FinovatePro.com, www.Recksoft.com and www.Fixaars.com . With operations spanning multiple countries, John is on a mission to build global infrastructure that empowers small businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals to thrive in an increasingly competitive world. He believes in hard truths, smart execution, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. When he’s not writing or building, he’s challenging someone to a productivity contest—or inventing software that automates it.

JS Morlu LLC is a top-tier accounting firm based in Woodbridge, Virginia, with a team of highly experienced and qualified CPAs and business advisors. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive accounting, tax, and business advisory services to clients throughout the Washington, D.C. Metro Area and the surrounding regions. With over a decade of experience, we have cultivated a deep understanding of our clients’ needs and aspirations. We recognize that our clients seek more than just value-added accounting services; they seek a trusted partner who can guide them towards achieving their business goals and personal financial well-being.
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