I think I see where you’re coming from. I don’t hear grifters in that phrase, personally. I’d almost say the opposite; workaholics are more likely to invoke the phrase. Or, to put it another way, victims of upper management gaslighting.

working hard is not a virtue

I have to disagree here. Well, probably. I figure, if you’re not lazy/half-assing your job, you’re pretty much working hard, right? I see it as being diligent about your job, and yes, I do see some virtue in that.

But you also wrote “indicator of poor management” which makes me think you’re using “working hard” as a label for something like “unpaid overtime”. That would be a whole different ballgame.

I don’t think this post is a good fit. The name of the community is “mildly infuriating”, not “absolutely enraging”!

We got the high-range boozimeter from the safe, but it burned out instantly.