“Rhetorics and Tactics of the Antiwork Movement: Writing the Great Resignation”

“Rhetorics and Tactics of the Antiwork Movement: Writing the Great Resignation,” a book project co-authored with Dr. Josh Chase at the University of Louisiana Monroe, offers an analysis of the growing online antiwork movement and its tactical use of writing and communication to empower workers living under late capitalism. The drastically changing landscape of workplace writing and communication following the pandemic has prompted an exigence to explore workers’ rights, equity, and labor reform in professional communication. The book addresses an important gap in the theorizing and practice of the antiwork movement as it pertains to writing, advocacy, and precarity in the modern workforce. Heilig and Chase argue that modern workers feel a lack of power at negotiation tables, in disputes with customers and management, and—as “Writing the Great Resignation” will show—in the countless rhetorical situations they navigate throughout their employment, from face-to-face conversations to text messages to email exchanges. The project focuses on the peer-to-peer communication and teaching of writing that helps workers in these digital spaces navigate toxic work environments and inequitable working conditions. Ultimately, the book celebrates a subversion from “best practices” for the employer to one that highlights the importance of self-advocacy and finding community resources in digital spaces.