On Work, Non-Work, and Anti-Work
A single-observer study of labour that is completed, labour that is absent, and labour that returns as accusation
We report a longitudinal observation of three distinct labour states encountered within a single organisation. Work is defined as an operation performed and reported. Non-work is defined as the gap left by an operation that was never assigned; the observer notes that such gaps can be filled, and frequently are, at six in the morning. Anti-work is defined as the transformation of completed, reported, and dismissed work back into unfinished work at the moment its predicted consequence arrives. We find that anti-work is recursive, that the resignation letter constitutes its base case, and that all subsequent arguments enter the recursive function.
I. Work
I was asked to solve a staffing problem.
I placed advertisements. I answered calls. I interviewed candidates.
The interviews converged.
The offered wage was too low.
I reported the observation to the owners.
“These are just not our candidates. Keep up your good work.”
Loop continued.
Weeks later staffing became urgent.
The direction of responsibility of my work had changed.
“Why didn't you offer more pay?”
II. Non-Work
This morning I woke up thinking about another arrangement the owners had informed me of yesterday. R works with T.
At six in the morning I woke up T and R, asking if they had been informed how they work by the ones who made the changes.
They had not.
I confirmed the arrangements, waking up a couple more people.
Participants are awakened to a situation of their “non-work” resulting in my “work.”
The revelation of me being at work at 6 am when I officially start at 9 am led to a next request: could you send your paperwork on in-service training for us to copy for our place of work — that is a “non-work” place?
I said “sure.” )
Non-work leaves a gap. I can fill the gap.
III. Anti-Work
Anti-work is more interesting.
The work is done. The observation is reported. The report is dismissed. The predicted consequence arrives.
The completed work returns as an accusation.
Why didn't you…
The system transforms completed work back into unfinished work.
Anti-work creates recursion. The resignation letter becomes the base case. The next arguments enter the recursive function. )
- [1]Iverson, K. E. (1962). A Programming Language. Wiley. §on recursive definition.
- [2]Graeber, D. (2018). Bullshit Jobs: A Theory. Simon & Schuster.
- [3]The Owners. (2026). Personal communication, twice, in opposite directions.
Author statement · The author performed the work, the non-work, and the anti-work. No participant consented to being awakened at six in the morning; all answered anyway. The author declares no competing interests, only a base case.
Conflicts of interest · The author declares no competing interests.
Funding · This work received no external funding, only tea.
Cite as · Solstad, K. (2026). On Work, Non-Work, and Anti-Work. Acta Observationum, I(1), pp. 53–56.