I imagine that the majority of white collar workers are employed by large corporations, and so the majority have to deal with this.
Given the number of startup layoffs happening, I imagine a lot of people will be having their first experience with large corporate bureaucracy.
> To get anything done is emotionally exhausting.
Onboarding as a new hire is usually the most frustrating period, because you need to request a lot of things and can't get any work done in the meantime. Eventually you have enough access that you can at least do work while waiting on other requests.
One thing that helps is knowing how to use the corporate tracking system to know which individual specifically the request is stuck on, and then relentlessly following up with that individual via email until they approve your request.
You should also track your tasks and identify the ones that are stalled because you're waiting on a request, and then regularly show the list to your manager (along with your follow up efforts). That way you have a solid reason for not getting those tasks completed.