[Mirikon]

Depends on the corp. Shinto is a big thing among the Japanacorps (especially Shiawase, but Renraku is starting to pick up on it because Shinto brings with it Shinto magicians). Aztechnology obviously pushes their Path of the Sun religion. Wuxing's Feng Shui (or however it is spelled) is not really a religion, but same difference. The other megas don't embrace a religion like they do (unless you count Evo's EvoPeople and Horizon's... everything). Of all the megas, I'd have to say that MCT and S-K would be the least religious. Ares and NeoNET don't have any specific policies on it that I know of.

Of course, that's for the corp as a whole. As far as individuals go, as long as it doesn't interfere with the bottom line, the corps usually won't bother people, especially if it keeps them happy and productive (or at least productive). Religions and magic walk hand in hand, since many of the magical traditions have religious trappings, so you'll probably find a higher percentage of religious followers amongst the wagemages.

[CanRay]

Ares is a good, old fashioned, American Corporation, and is honestly allowing all followers and beliefs to work for us.

As long as they're Christian. 

Honestly, they probably got a lot better after Canada joined. 

[Mirikon]

Well, Ares is getting increasingly more about a feeling of 'belonging'. Kindof like brotherhood, yeah?

[Sendaz]

Honestly, they probably got a lot better after Canada joined. 

They just needed all that maple syrup to feed the new bugtech.

Even bugs don't like soyrup.

[CanRay]

Even bugs don't like soyrup.

No one does.

[Red Canti]

Well, Ares is getting increasingly more about a feeling of 'belonging'. Kindof like brotherhood, yeah?

You'd think by now they'd form some kind of defense against the fucking Bugs by now.

Maybe being taken over by Bug Spirits is good for morale or some shit.

[SpyroD]

Well, Ares is getting increasingly more about a feeling of 'belonging'. Kindof like brotherhood, yeah?

You'd think by now they'd form some kind of defense against the fucking Bugs by now.

Maybe being taken over by Bug Spirits is good for morale or some shit.

Oh yeah,ask that to Roger Soaring Owl

[Lorebane24]

I can't honestly say how it looks in most games, but I do tend do deviate from canon whenever I GM something.  I'm fairly new to GMing shadowrun, but in my own games, I'm trying to balance three ideas at all times:

1) The working conditions would be pretty terrible by today's standards.
2) The corps want to control people as much as they can and still get away with it.
3) The corps still rely on consumers to functions.  Maybe some more than others, and they certainly have other revenue streams, but by and large, when they make stuff, they need people to be able to afford it, and they need people to want it.  When so many people in 2075 are corporate drones, your work force is also your customer base.  They have to give people JUST enough leisure time that they can spend money on meager luxuries.

So here's how I like to play it: 10 hour work days have become the norm, and usually 6 days a week.  Now and again someone can score a job that's 12 hours a day for five days, and it's not too uncommon to see someone going for 12 hour days 6 days a week.  Early on in your career, your overtime is usually unpaid but you have to do it if you want to move up, but after a couple of years on the job you might get an overtime stipend that's something like 50% of your hourly rate.  I make no speculations on annual earnings, because I'm still not even sure how much I ought to give my runners.  I generally tend to NOT treat the Nuyen as being equivalent to the dollar though, because I've got go-gangers with rand razors and reaction enhancers running around.  Ultimately, though, retirement NEVER happens anymore.  The corps promise you a lot of benefits, but if you read the fine print you're only getting minimum coverage - but still enough to survive.  Even the lowest level drone is usually given very basic benefits, because that way they can spend most of their low salaries on consumer goods.  Even more common if they're paid in corporate scrip.

[Reaver]

Corps have to walk a tightrope....

IF they pay too little, or overwork their labor... that labor might just leave. Or worse, riot.

IF the working conditions are too dangerous, they will have diminished morale, and productivity. Not to mention dead or handicapped workers.

So, they have to shoot for a middle ground.... or make sure they fill in enough propagranda to make the employees believe they are being treated well.

The Corp Guide is an excellent book to show you just how far a Corp is willing to go to keep their employees docile and working...

Drugs, prostitution, Organized social/family/sporting events, "free" room and board, medical care....

All of these things cost the Corps money to do, but they do them to keep their employees happy docile and working.


Also consider that most manual labor jobs can be done with drones (janitorial staff replaced with cleaning drones, loaders at the warehouses and docks, etc) means that is only the people in the lowest of positions that the Corps can get away with wringing out ("If you don't work harder, we'll replace you with a drone! THEY work 20 hour days for weeks before they need a maintaince checkup!")

[gyrobot]

Sorry to necro this, but this is an interesting read

But can't they just throw a bunch of wages in a brainwashing tank that makes them love their corporate master, send them back out? Unlike Drones, the human drone comes with in built fuzzy logic!

That said, another thing that is not seen in the real world is the wage slave probably gives even less shit with the poor/sinless than the average wageslave we have right now who would donate to causes to make themselves feel good. The Wageslave in the 6th world would see the sinless as some sort of cancer that they need to occasionally remove themselves. And thankfully tasers are legal self defense weapons so now you got a trigger happy wageslave zapping homeless sinless for shits and giggles just to get his power trip. I mean, the Sinless are treated even worse here than bums in the real world, at least the law would somewhat side with the bum if the sinner assaults the sinless, here the Sinner has the right to sin on the sinless so long the drek has a pulse.

Also, the Sinless wage slave has it even worse, not only there isn't a drone to replace you but your working conditions in a factory is literally fatal and there isn't even a form of compensation, you should be grateful that you are working an honest job, Trog.

[Bruce]

Since the thread has been resurrected already

Lifestyle costs are a good way to look at wageslaves.  Your beginning level saririman is probably slightly above Low; the amenities would be the same, but cleaner and shinier, and security would definitely be better.  Middle managers can aspire to Middle + lifestyle.  Both would have Corp Grid access, although the entry-level employee might get more restricted access.  High lifestyles only come to senior management.

Note that 'lifestyle' does not equal 'pay'.  Corps would provide lodging, grid access, along with 'company picnics' (food and entertainment).  Lack of disposable income, combined with all basic amenities being met, makes for a workface that lacks the resources (and usually desire) to ever leave.

[MijRai]

I've got a somewhat macabre question regarding the norms of Shadowrun;

What's the suicide/attempted suicide rate sitting at in the 2070s?  I mean, we know the world is worse, life sucks, over-work and other issues that ruin quality of life are around, etc.  On top of that, magic is real (with lots of bad things involved), there's been multiple decimations via pandemics, the two Crashes, etc.  Apocalyptic cults now have limited evidence supporting them, there's all the more room for Jim Jones-type events, etc.  Even your body isn't safe, with the possibility of SURGE, Goblinization, or HMHVV infection radically altering your body before your eye.  On the other hand, medical care should be improved by far in regards to mental health.  Has this resulted in an increase, a relatively same percentage, or even a decrease?  Does modern medicine save more attempts, or do modern method make it worse?  I know it's not a delightful topic by any means, but it's one of those things that can really impact any setting, but especially dystopias (and horror, if you spin it that way).

[Reaver]

I've got a somewhat macabre question regarding the norms of Shadowrun;

What's the suicide/attempted suicide rate sitting at in the 2070s?  I mean, we know the world is worse, life sucks, over-work and other issues that ruin quality of life are around, etc.  On top of that, magic is real (with lots of bad things involved), there's been multiple decimations via pandemics, the two Crashes, etc.  Apocalyptic cults now have limited evidence supporting them, there's all the more room for Jim Jones-type events, etc.  Even your body isn't safe, with the possibility of SURGE, Goblinization, or HMHVV infection radically altering your body before your eye.  On the other hand, medical care should be improved by far in regards to mental health.  Has this resulted in an increase, a relatively same percentage, or even a decrease?  Does modern medicine save more attempts, or do modern method make it worse?  I know it's not a delightful topic by any means, but it's one of those things that can really impact any setting, but especially dystopias (and horror, if you spin it that way).

They don't go into that level of detail.... even crime (types and numbers) gets a big gloss over.... but I imagine it would be high.

[RHat]

There is one thing you can boil it down to - the strongest predictor for suicide is hopelessness; the question thus becomes to what extent does the average person in 2075 have hope that their personal situation might improve?  I imagine that for wage slaves, there's a certain extant to which that gets fostered, as part of how they keep people from wanting to abandon their corp.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

I'd say it's up - or it has been.  In part because of the Japanacorps' mode of 'we failed, we must expiate our failure and loss of honor via seppuku', in part because RHat is right in the idea (that hopelessness is the trigger for suicide) and ... not necessarily right in the execution.  Hopelessness has many causes.

Their overall personal situation improving?  That's less a cause than you might believe. Sure, that's a thing, but you can get used to anything, and there are thousands living in the Barrens areas, getting by every day one way or another, with one reason or another to live until tomorrow.  The most suicides there would come from the totally-devoted single wageslave that got turned out by the corporation (because it was no longer profitable to keep them), very early on in their post-corporate life - meaning within a week or so, just because of the shock.  Possibly even before they leave the corporate premesis - they get their pink slip on Friday, go to their corporate apartment to pack up, and just kill themselves instead.  That of course would lead to corporate 'mobility assistance' personnel packing their things FOR them and meeting them at the door out of the workplace, or just them having been escorted to the front gate, with all their stuff.  "Here you go, good luck."  Open a vein outside, not on corporate territory, where we're obliged to give a crap and a funeral.

Other concerns are more likely - not meeting a deadline, getting painted into a corner by rivals, that sort of thing.  The manager is confronted with a meeting in which he knows he's going to get canned, so ... he takes the easy way out, and kills himself.  Suicide-level despair tends to be more of an immediate-issue thing, not a long-term one.  It might be the cherry on top of a thoroughly-baked 'your life is crap' cake, but it's the immediate pressure thing that's still most likely to break the camel's back.