On Apple TV+’s show, Severence, which just aired the Season 2 finale, workers are “severed” from their non-work lives. The employees of the fictional company, Lumon Industries, undergo a procedure that allows them to maintain a true work-life balance — the “innie” worker and the “outie” person have no recollection or memories of each other once they clock in and out.
Now, a new survey by People Managing People, a publication and community space for HR leaders, revealed that work-life balance is still so tough to achieve that nearly 70% of respondents would consider trying the memory-splitting procedure — for a salary of at least $100,000 a year.
The poll, which surveyed 200 workers around the world, found almost a quarter (21%) of respondents said they “definitely would” or “probably would” be willing to accept the procedure with a lower salary.
Related: The Eerie Lumon Industries Office Building Is Real. See Inside Bell Works, Where ‘Severance’ Is Filmed.
“One in five people being curious about it tells us there are a lot of people out there dealing with a desire to disassociate from what they do for a living,” said David Rice, HR expert at People Managing People, in a statement.
Which Generations Would Want to ‘Sever’
Millennials and Gen X were more likely to consider the procedure, with more than a third (37%) of respondents aged 35 to 44 saying they “definitely would” or “probably would” try it.
David says this could be due to the age group enduring multiple recessions and “one crisis related to the economy and politics after another” that “shows a sort of numbness and willingness to disassociate over time.”
Related: Gen Z’s Main Career Aspiration Is to Be an Influencer, According to a New Report
In typical Gen Z fashion, this age group reported being most willing to undergo the procedure — but only if they can get more money. Only 13% of people aged 18-24 said they wouldn’t consider it, while almost half (44%) of Gen Z respondents said they would for a salary of more than $500,000.
“Being willing to traumatically alter the function of your brain and human experience for money is disturbingly dystopian,” David said.
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