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Working the System at a BigCo

expatsoftware.com

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Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#31

Post by skybrian »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #18

Most executives and managers don't know how, or don't want to, solve problems. So they dump those problems onto employees, vendors, even customers. Anyone to avoid having to do their job. Their most valued employee is the one in whom they can see value without having to work at it.

You say that like it's a bad thing. I think the management perspective would be that they're good at hiring and/or outsourcing, which are definitely good management skills to have and arguably what doing the job well is all about.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#32

Post by dilemma »

enjalot wrote: post #28
jjguy wrote: post #17

In a past life, I ran a consulting team at a BigCo whose business centered on T&M contracts like OP's. BigCo had 10k employees, mostly associated 1:1 to contracts with the same "bill exactly 40 hrs, but never overhead" constrains. Our little team had 100 employees, but we matrixed those guys across all our contracts. While the clients disliked the idea of not having "their guy," they really liked having access to the…

is it still all guys their?

Your comment makes no sense.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#33

Post by kafkaesq »

ben1040 wrote: post #23

At a prior employer of mine, you accrued 12 sick days per year, up to a maximum of 120 in your bucket at any given time. If you were ill, you were permitted to use as many of your accrued sick days as necessary. In any given calendar year you could take five sick days without any documentation, but the rest had to come with a note from a doctor indicating you were too ill to work. There was also a company policy that…

Now you may as well just "call in sick" later in the year and exercise your remaining un-validated sick days.

You gotta love policies like these. What a way to shore up morale.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#34

Post by s73ver »

skybrian wrote: post #31
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #18

Most executives and managers don't know how, or don't want to, solve problems. So they dump those problems onto employees, vendors, even customers. Anyone to avoid having to do their job. Their most valued employee is the one in whom they can see value without having to work at it.

You say that like it's a bad thing. I think the management perspective would be that they're good at hiring and/or outsourcing, which are definitely good management skills to have and arguably what doing the job well is all about.

It is bad, because the managers take the bulk of the credit and reward, rather than those that actually do stuff.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#35

Post by s73ver »

noxToken wrote: post #11
pzs wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good. What I mean by that is you have to make sure your contributions are visible and comprehensible to your bosses. This should establish some level of credit with them. Once you have that credit you can build on it to have more informative discussions, perhaps during one-on-ones. Dare to ask. Unfortunately, I have seen managers, technical and non-technical,…

> I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good . [emphasis mine] This rings true in a lot of large places and in some medium places. If your butt is in a chair in the office, you better be working on something. It doesn't matter if you clear your plate, took a few tasks from someone else, finished those as well, and are looking at the Software Engineering or Code Review SE sites or OWASP to help ho…

The real advice in this comment is to not finish your work too early, as the only reward you'll get is more work.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#36

Post by FLUX-YOU »

s73ver wrote: post #35
noxToken wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think it is not enough to be good, you also have to look good . [emphasis mine] This rings true in a lot of large places and in some medium places. If your butt is in a chair in the office, you better be working on something. It doesn't matter if you clear your plate, took a few tasks from someone else, finished those as well, and are looking at the Software Engineering or Code Review SE sites or OWASP to help ho…

The real advice in this comment is to not finish your work too early, as the only reward you'll get is more work.

Which of course leads to trying to flex the deadlines to give yourself as much time as the other party is willing to tolerate. After all, if they were willing to budge to a new time but no further, you've just found their actual time.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#37

Post by tome »

jjguy wrote: post #17

In a past life, I ran a consulting team at a BigCo whose business centered on T&M contracts like OP's. BigCo had 10k employees, mostly associated 1:1 to contracts with the same "bill exactly 40 hrs, but never overhead" constrains. Our little team had 100 employees, but we matrixed those guys across all our contracts. While the clients disliked the idea of not having "their guy," they really liked having access to the…

I don't get it. What did you actually do? Multiplex their time so they worked for two clients during the same hour, or what?

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#38

Post by marktangotango »

dilemma wrote: post #32
enjalot wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is it still all guys their?

Your comment makes no sense.

I am from a region (rural mid south US) where "guys" as in "all of those guys" is gender neutral, referring to both male and female. I have learned when speaking to not do this.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#39

Post by awjr »

tome wrote: post #37
jjguy wrote: post #17

In a past life, I ran a consulting team at a BigCo whose business centered on T&M contracts like OP's. BigCo had 10k employees, mostly associated 1:1 to contracts with the same "bill exactly 40 hrs, but never overhead" constrains. Our little team had 100 employees, but we matrixed those guys across all our contracts. While the clients disliked the idea of not having "their guy," they really liked having access to the…

I don't get it. What did you actually do? Multiplex their time so they worked for two clients during the same hour, or what?

I think each contract was for 10 people working for 40 hours each per week. In effect buying 400 hours of expertise. That did not stop one of those 10 people doing 40 hours on one contract and another 10-20 hours on another. As long as both contracts were satisfied all was good.

By under resourcing the operation, employees were guaranteed to earn 'overtime' if they wanted it. However implication is that you would be happy putting in 50-60 hours.

Re: Working the System at a BigCo

#40

Post by anon12345690 »

obstinate wrote: post #29
jjguy wrote: post #17

In a past life, I ran a consulting team at a BigCo whose business centered on T&M contracts like OP's. BigCo had 10k employees, mostly associated 1:1 to contracts with the same "bill exactly 40 hrs, but never overhead" constrains. Our little team had 100 employees, but we matrixed those guys across all our contracts. While the clients disliked the idea of not having "their guy," they really liked having access to the…

It is more inclusive to use to "people" or some other gender neutral term.

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