Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

421–430 of 506 posts

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#421

Post by forty »

mushufasa wrote: post #24

> Part of the reason it had taken so long is because I put a substantial amount of work into a part of the project that's no longer necessary due to changing requirements, which I don't think I could have forseen. One of the things that I've experienced with new grad junior devs is that there's an adjustment needed to change from academic working to business working. In academia, usually the professor gives an assign…

Yes! I'm trying to convince junior devs to bother me more.

Some do (did) a lot, and are very efficient as a result, they learn fast and become more autonomous quickly.

Then I feel it's also part of my job to evaluate when the bothering was not needed and to let them find on their own for a while.

After a while, they adjust and ask only good questions.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#422

Post by ImportOllie »

There's lots of good advice here already but one thing I don't see suggested is whether this might be laying the groundwork to let you go... and that might not be related at all to your ability as an engineer/developer.

It's not uncommon for companies to use "Performance Improvement Plans" as a structure for this. You get set targets that are difficult to reach and when you don't reach them, they conclude you're not a good fit. They're awful.

My advice would be to look out for this. If it starts being mentioned, it's time to start looking for work elsewhere. Try not to buy into the idea you're no good, they never fostered the opportunity for you to be excellent.

I'm sorry to read your experience so far. You seem passionate and willing. While it'd be proactive of you to look at other projects it's a red flag to me your manager would be critical that you didn't think to do that... why would you? They should be setting the standard and it's pretty clear from their comms they're not.

Best of luck.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#423

Post by rogy »

bluehatbrit wrote: post #411
rendall wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cross-cultural programmer here, and I can help. In Europe, calling in sick when you're not actually, recognizably ill is a pretty serious breach of trust. No cutesy "mental health break" exceptions. That said, you likely have at least 20 days of paid vacation, plus holidays. In the US, where 10 days paid vacation is the norm and you're often punished in some way for actually taking it, the occasional "mental health b…

Slight tangent, I've been seeing a lot of companies from the US advertising remote roles in the UK and advertising "20 days paid vaccation + public holidays" as one of their "amazing benefits". I often wonder if they realise it's a legal entitlement over here and not seen as all that amazing.

its also.. actually quite bad, I can't remember the last 'professional' job listing I saw that wasn't at least 25+holidays

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#424

Post by forty »

thegrimmest wrote: post #310
pc86 wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I draw a corollary to how graduate medical education works. You go into residency a fresh doctor with zero applicable skills. You may not even be CPR certified, but you're an MD/DO, and you've matched into a residency. You know less about actually helping people than a nurse who's been on the job for a month. You spend the next 3-7 years working 80-100 hours a week learning your chosen specialty. You become an absolu…

What if you just want to write software and not be responsible for mentorship? Why do capable individual contributors always have to be roped into leadership?

I think there is a limit of the efficiency of a single person. At some point, helping out others to be more efficient is more efficient than doing it all by yourself.

With that said, I don't see anything wrong with stagnating at your peak IC efficiency if that's what makes you happy.

I agree with sibling which says that mentoring is not leadership. Helping out others is not the same as giving them instructions or evaluating performances for example. However I can understand that someone would like none of that.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#426

Post by devoutsalsa »

ImportOllie wrote: post #422

There's lots of good advice here already but one thing I don't see suggested is whether this might be laying the groundwork to let you go... and that might not be related at all to your ability as an engineer/developer. It's not uncommon for companies to use "Performance Improvement Plans" as a structure for this. You get set targets that are difficult to reach and when you don't reach them, they conclude you're not…

I was on the path to a PIP at one company. They put me on the team of a manager that had recommended against hiring me. He gave me impossible tasks and actively subverted my success. It was pure hell.

When I finally got to the point where I was failing to meet the goals, I got dragged down into a recorded video chat with my boss and his boss. They pulled out a job description I’d never seen and outlined point by point how I was failing.

When I put on the PIP, I went straight to HR. I complained about how I had been completely screwed, was super pissed, and suggested they pay me to resign. I’d only been there about 5 months, so the best I could get was 30 days severance.

I left, interviewed like crazy, and has a job within 30 days that paid 25% more.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#427

Post by blub »

YPPH wrote: post #406
haunter wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Your boss is gaslighting That's not gaslighting. Or not how the word should be used. It has a very specific meaning that somehow lost in the last couple of years, saw a lot of times on reddit too where people use it wrongly all the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting In OP's case gaslighting would be something like this - BOSS: I told you to finish this project X weeks ago - OP: But this is the first tim…

Your example conveys that gaslighting occurs as between three (or more) parties, but that's not necessarily the case. Gaslighting most often happens between two individuals. OP's boss wrongly and intentionally asserting OP didn't do something on time would be gaslighting. So too is each of the following. They are more commonly referred to as gaslighting. That's because they're more subtle, yet might have an even more…

Nobody’s making OP question their reality according to OP’s story. It just seems that OP was completely unaware of the manager’s opinion and now he became aware of it.

There’s nothing nefarious in that, happens all the time.

Re: Ask HN: My boss doesn't think I'm doing good work, how to proceed?

#429

Post by blub »

kamaal wrote: post #339
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Your boss is gaslighting & intimidating you. The person giving the feedback was the boss's boss, and they clearly didn't have the entire picture of the situation. That's not gaslighting. The term "gaslighting" gets thrown around far too readily. Assuming malice and manipulation in cases of miscommunication is a quick way to sour any relationship, this one included. There's no question that communication wasn't grea…

>>The person giving the feedback was the boss's boss, and they clearly didn't have the entire picture of the situation. Then why even have a discussion about something you don't know. It looks a straight up case of cya, followed by manipulating a junior employee into believing it was their mistake all along- a.k.a gaslighting.

That was the point of the meeting, to find out more. Since nobody volunteered any additional information contradicting their view, the lead manager had to go with what it looked like: a project was late for no good reason.
Post reply on HN