Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#661

Post by jszymborski » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:06 PM UTC

dav1app wrote: post #403

On my last job, a new manager called me for a meeting on Friday 4PM. I spent the whole month on an extremely stressful project. The meeting was about an app that integrates credit card payments, billets and bank account on a terminal that is going to be available to the general public. The deadline? 11PM of the same day. Final version. From 0 to 100% in 6 hours. I said that it was impossible. He said that I was incap…

I'm sorry about the stress you must have been under.

I am, however, looking forward to the absolute crud an org like that will have to eat when they have managers like that. No org can last long with such levels of incompetence... Chapman's In Search of Stupidity is a chronicling of that.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#662

Post by jcadam » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

virgilp wrote: post #440

halfer53 wrote: post #430

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is one of the reason I hate about PIP( performance improvement program). They set ridiculous goals for you in very short amount of time that nobody can possibly complete, then fire you on grounds of incompetence. A friend of mine who works in Facebook told me that an employee committed suicide due to the pressure of PIP. I suspect that guy was put into PIP due to poor rating (meet most), then was given a ridicul…

It's a sad story; but PIP is really the pink slip; you take it as an advance notice that you're going to be fired, and start looking for jobs. I've heard stories of people completing PIP programs successfully, but quite honestly, I don't get it. Once you got to that point, you're not a good fit to the team and/or they don't appreciate you. Makes no sense to stay. I could understand staying with the company & switchin…

I was given a ridiculous PIP once (two weeks after a receiving an outstanding annual review -- politics, eh), and actually completed it successfully (driven by rage, I knew I was going to be let go regardless).

Boss acknowledged I completed the PIP and then fired me for my "bad attitude during the process."

Well, he wasn't wrong about the attitude, I suppose.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#663

Post by scoutt » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:07 PM UTC

dav1app wrote: post #403

On my last job, a new manager called me for a meeting on Friday 4PM. I spent the whole month on an extremely stressful project. The meeting was about an app that integrates credit card payments, billets and bank account on a terminal that is going to be available to the general public. The deadline? 11PM of the same day. Final version. From 0 to 100% in 6 hours. I said that it was impossible. He said that I was incap…

Not implying anything, but perhaps they wanted to fire you or wanted you to resign for whatever reason (including those that have nothing to do with you personally).

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#664

Post by abledon » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:08 PM UTC

tomp wrote: post #587

throwaway58129 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no idea the right way of posting long posts. Here's the rest: https://pastebin.com/k0tYZYgY

You should be a writer. Or a movie producer.

"We're never going to do that, Throwaway,"

-- genius.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#665

Post by jbattle » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:11 PM UTC

sbfeibish wrote: post #623

dav1app wrote: post #403

On my last job, a new manager called me for a meeting on Friday 4PM. I spent the whole month on an extremely stressful project. The meeting was about an app that integrates credit card payments, billets and bank account on a terminal that is going to be available to the general public. The deadline? 11PM of the same day. Final version. From 0 to 100% in 6 hours. I said that it was impossible. He said that I was incap…

"I thought throwing myself from my apartment window." You got it backwards. You think of throwing your manager out the apartment window.

My aunt had a terrible job in an office building downtown Chicago. One of those jobs where the boss was a maniac and made them work crunch time month after month.

Across the street from her building is a ~10 story jail with an exercise yard on the very top. My aunt said she used to fantasize about how if she could throw her boss out the window, they'd put her in jail and at least she could go outside sometimes.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#666

Post by dev_dull » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:11 PM UTC

purple_ducks wrote: post #633

zbentley wrote: post #591

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, the first place I worked didn't claim to be agile or anything. The daily meeting wasn't a stand-up (we sat and usually ate breakfast at a cafe or chatted in the lobby). It was still a really useful meeting.

it's a literal stand up so people don't dither. lot easier to become restless standing around than sitting down.

I guess if you drop the facade that it’s supposed to be fast and allow people to sit down, eat breakfast and drink coffee it doesn’t sound that bad (even if it’s still not a productive meeting).

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#667

Post by dev_dull » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:13 PM UTC

linza wrote: post #456

virgilp wrote: post #440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a sad story; but PIP is really the pink slip; you take it as an advance notice that you're going to be fired, and start looking for jobs. I've heard stories of people completing PIP programs successfully, but quite honestly, I don't get it. Once you got to that point, you're not a good fit to the team and/or they don't appreciate you. Makes no sense to stay. I could understand staying with the company & switchin…

Circumstances sometimes are not that clear. Being put on a PIP where I'm employed is at the discretion of the manager, and sometimes it's just the combination of the report and the manager. One of my colleagues was put on a PIP, switched teams, and is now doing much better. However, some companies limit mobility during a PIP so it's not always possible to achieve this outcome.

Good for him. Usual SOP for a pip is to nail their feet to the ground.

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#668

Post by brianwawok » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:14 PM UTC

jbattle wrote: post #665

sbfeibish wrote: post #623

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I thought throwing myself from my apartment window." You got it backwards. You think of throwing your manager out the apartment window.

My aunt had a terrible job in an office building downtown Chicago. One of those jobs where the boss was a maniac and made them work crunch time month after month. Across the street from her building is a ~10 story jail with an exercise yard on the very top. My aunt said she used to fantasize about how if she could throw her boss out the window, they'd put her in jail and at least she could go outside sometimes.

And right across the street from that jail, were jail tacos. The first place you would go when released from jail.

I miss jail tacos.

(Here is a picture of the basketball court on top of a 10+ story jail, very weird fixture of the Chicago loop: https://www.google.com/maps/search/corrections/@41.8764071,-... )

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#669

Post by joncrane » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:19 PM UTC

brightball wrote: post #638

7 years ago I was hired as the sole developer in a train wreck situation. 14 year old company had just relaunched their site to early and without any testing. It was like eBay but for an expensive niche market. The primary developer walked after the launch. The new site was buggy and the whole thing had been rebuilt without any of the previous security tooling. Phishing and fraud against the user base were everywhere…

You did great! Congratulations. For anyone reading this and considering doing the same, one minor tweak.

> I called and resigned immediately and told them I’d write up transition documents for the next developer

...or any other task they want at an appropriate hourly rate. That rate being at least 3x what you were making previously. Also you have to be totally OK with them not hiring you.

Depending on the relationship, perhaps the hours are only sold in packs of 10 and must be prepaid. (e.g. hourly rate is $300, no work done until each $3000 check clears)

Re: Ask HN: Who Wants to Be Fired?

#670

Post by vonmoltke » Thu, Oct 03, 2019, 2:20 PM UTC

code-the-stars wrote: post #561

Leherenn wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Happy for you it turned out well, but the whole story is quite weird. It's obviously impossible and the timing is awful, so it has to be voluntary and there's something behind it. Did he need a reason to fire you? But that seems like a really bad reason that could backfire in a court.

Court? You must not live in the US. We got rid of any wisp of legal protection from job termination years ago... It has a catchy name invented by the lobbyists that wrote the laws... “Right to Work”

The only part of job termination covered by "right to work" laws is that one cannot be fired for refusing to join a union.