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Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

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Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#341

Post by irpapakons »

pascalxus wrote: post #53

I'm not a minority, but I think you should be asking this question to everyone, not just minorities. Everyone deserves a non-toxic environment and it's an issue everyone has to deal with. Here's my strategy: Read the glassdoor reviews - If it mentions "people crying at their desks", that's a bad sign - actually any kind of crying in a professional environment is a bad sign. Also, words like "high energy" and "passion…

Are you denying that there are issues at tech workplaces that affect women more than non-minority members? You have a point that a sexist toxic environment might be unpleasant for the white men who work there too, but it obviously affects the women more.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#342

Post by tehlike »

Hi,

Google SWE here.

I think part of what you are looking for is unfortunately luck. I have a female coworker who had changed teams and she mentioned some of the problems she faced in her previous team, and she then mentioned she was much happier and valued in the new team.

What you can probably do is to try to find a female engineer within the team you'd be joining if possible.

As for Google, I am a male, so what i say wouldn't mean much probably, but my female coworkers and their work is valued - my management chain is pretty great in ensuring that.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#343

Post by isuckatcoding »

webwright wrote: post #337

I'd go to LinkedIn (or their About page if they are small enough) and just look at the people. The more diversity you see, the more they are walking the walk. You can also look thru past employees via LinkedIn (might require premium account) and reach out to diverse folks who've left the companies you're considering. Funny thing about the beer-- we got draft cold brew coffee at work and went out of our way to design…

Glowforge?

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#344

Post by NamTaf »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #288
opo wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is unfortunate that companies can't be flexible and give employees the environment that the employees find will make them more productive. So one group of people could be seated elbow to elbow with headphones to avoid some of the distractions and another group of people would have personal offices with a door where they can concentrate - that way everyone is happy.

Open office is more than elbow-to-elbow with headphones on. out of the 8 people who sit in my immediate vicinity, rarely are more than one or two wearing headphones. While it's definitely distracting, there is a type of conversation that occurs which I have never experienced in all my years as a cube farmer. If I want isolation, I can go sit somewhere else or work from home or a cafe. It feels like the default being…

While it's definitely distracting, there is a type of conversation that occurs which I have never experienced in all my years as a cube farmer. If I want isolation, I can go sit somewhere else or work from home or a cafe. It feels like the default being not isolation makes all the difference.

You're lucky, I can't. I agree that an open office has its benefits but when you can't treat its downsides with the methods you stipulate then I don't feel it's worth it on balance. I'm forever distracted and even just the cubicle farm (not fully sealed offices) was a much better environment for me.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#345

Post by lmitchell »

specialist wrote: post #297
xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Open office is more than elbow-to-elbow with headphones on. out of the 8 people who sit in my immediate vicinity, rarely are more than one or two wearing headphones. While it's definitely distracting, there is a type of conversation that occurs which I have never experienced in all my years as a cube farmer. If I want isolation, I can go sit somewhere else or work from home or a cafe. It feels like the default being…

My highest function team had a mostly open office. Big, wide, open, lotsa windows, plants, couch etc. 12 people, self selected. We had a handful of offices for anyone who preferred or needed that. Then my boss stuffed some clowns onto my budget and ruined the magic. Since then, most places I've worked have been either call centers or highschool cafeterias. No amount of bon ami can overcome inhumane working conditions…

I know this is a bit irrelevant... but did you mean 'bonhomie'? (I only think that because I was really, really confused by that sentence - then I realized I had been mispronouncing 'bonhomie' in my head this whole time, quite badly. I guess I learned it by reading and you learned it by speaking :P)

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#346

Post by roguecoder »

jshevek wrote: post #303
s73ver wrote: post #251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say it's much more influenced by one's gender or race.

Yes, though the truth of your statement doesn't detract from the truth of my statement. We can't change our gender or race but we can change our outlook.

We can change the environments we participate in to correct for measurable bias, though, and it is reasonable for people being discriminated against to expect us to.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#347

Post by im3w1l »

VLM wrote: post #118
jey wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, words like "high energy" and "passion" often reflect poorly as well. Interesting. Can you expand on this? I don't see "passion" as negative; it seems to just mean that people like their work.

On the positive side think of the meme of the passionate "starving artist". Starving never helped me do anything but lose weight, supposedly it isn't even very good at that long term. Nope being underpaid for the sake of emotion is a complete loss. On the negative side think of the meme of enablers trying to downplay a screamer's actions as merely being passionate about his work, or even worse, the department he mana…

The point of the starving artist isn't that they are starving. They point is that they didn't compromise their vision for money. They didn't sell out.

That's what I assume it is about anyway.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#348

Post by WWLink »

treehau5 wrote: post #190
alaskamiller wrote: post #155

Silicon valley culture used to be that way, and is still that way. The cube farms was the prevailing best practice. Then the pendulum swung to the other side with the new kids entering the workforce and wanted open office, work families, and all that. Which then created the cargo culting from others entering the process. Now we're on the bubble of the pendulum swinging back. So it goes.

Bullshit. nobody wanted open floor plans, or if they did, they had immediate buyers remorse. Open floor plans became a fad that turned into a way for cheap ass companies to slash costs and brag about it on linkedin about how trendy they were being.

I'm not a fan of sharing a giant auditorium with the entire company. I am a fan of having a large room with a group of 5-7 people sharing it.

That said, noisy open rooms suck.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#349

Post by toomuchtodo »

UnpossibleJim wrote: post #276
watwut wrote: post #56

Disclaimer: I am women, but never stepped the foot in CA. Geography matters. I see ping pong tables and free beer as a red flag of sorts and seek workplace that is more formal. The idea is that the less it attempts to be personal/cool/cultural the less personal things (e.g. gender or peoples attitudes/biases or who-likes-who) matters and the more actual work matters. I have no stats to support this, just my guess and…

I am not a woman, a person of colour or of fluid sexuality or identity, so disregard my comment if it so pleases you, but the older I get the more I seem to want the exact things you are looking for. A little formality seems like it might be a wonderful thing and I won't have to pretend I care about the owner's bitching new Tesla. I work in tech currently and tend to dress in shorts and a Tshirt, which is comfortable…

I recently started a new gig after having been at a remote startup for several years. New gig is very formal from both process and business perspectives, yet I can still wear jeans and tshirts when I go into the office. I much prefer it over your typical startup experience.

Re: Ask HN: Women in tech, how do you find non-toxic work environments?

#350

Post by ika_ »

The takeaway from this thread is that some colored/women do not feel comfortable around whites; and expect a support network for this status? Maybe the problem isn't that Charl's over there has white skin, but that you cannot see past this?

Maybe if the only whites that you (maybe not the OP) are comfortable around are ones who identify themselves as "allies" and walk on eggshells around you (like the ones in this thread) is a bad sign for your tolerance of others.

But maybe im wrong... I'll score an HR job and start my line with: "Hi yes at my startup, we have women's chairs ;] for diversity. There is also a chair that black people feel more comfortable sitting in, which we also have." I cant wait to get all that diverse tech talent!

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