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The Machine Fired Me

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Re: The Machine Fired Me

#61

Post by ashelmire »

krapp wrote: post #56
newest_user_ wrote: post #5

I read it and still don't really understand why there was no one administrating the system. Who could have stopped the system (with the appropriate emails to cover their ass). I also do not understand why a check couldn't be cut. Submit to accounts payable with an email approval?

The system didn't need to be stopped. The employee's contract wasn't renewed, which is indistinguishable from a decision terminate him, so the system executed the termination as scheduled. The system did exactly what it was intended to do, it was the humans who screwed up. Humans who presumably understood the way the system was designed, and didn't care enough to do some due diligence. >I also do not understand why a…

>He was fired. It doesn't matter that people didn't intend for him to be, he was, it went through the system, it was a done deal. Paying people not in your employ is fraud, even under the best of intentions.

There's basically a certainty that it was a violation of his contract and company policies that made it not legally sound. A company can also pay whoever it wants for any reason.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#62

Post by draw_down »

What assurance is there that it won't happen again? It says everyone was powerless to stop it. Pretty much the opposite of job security.

If the author one day decides to just fuck off for 3 weeks with no advance notice, somehow I doubt the company would continue contracting with him.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#63

Post by exegete »

I am actually going through this right now. I'm in a position that renews yearly. I'm a regular employee but it's the way this kind of position works (I'm being a little vague on purpose to avoid personal identification). Before renewal I talked to the officer manager, he sent everything over to HR a few weeks early.... which seems to be the mistake.

HR let it sit on their desk and then forgot. My office manager is working at getting them to fix it ASAP. I've already missed one paycheck (which I will receive eventually).

First hint was a notice that I am going to be losing email access soon (which I still have currently). Then I lost keycard access to the building and office (it unlocks automatically at a set time, so I can still get in eventually). I've lost access to some of the resources we have (not critical to my job at this point). Got a letter in the mail about COBRA. Got a letter in the mail about retirement. I'm wondering when I will lose access to our wifi and cluster.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#64

Post by inimino »

cornellwright wrote: post #58
rectang wrote: post #45

> I missed 3 weeks of pay because no one could stop the machine. Why has this company not made their loyal worker whole? He stayed there when they needed him even when their system was trying to lock him out. They need to fix this. If they don't, they are not a company anyone should work for. Perhaps the worker did not want to risk making a big stink, but a manager should have taken the initiative. Humans were involv…

Yeah the company is lucky he wasn't well on his way to finding a job somewhere else at this point.

If you read to the end, he did take "the next opportunity that presented itself".

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#65

Post by microcolonel »

exegete wrote: post #63

I am actually going through this right now. I'm in a position that renews yearly. I'm a regular employee but it's the way this kind of position works (I'm being a little vague on purpose to avoid personal identification). Before renewal I talked to the officer manager, he sent everything over to HR a few weeks early.... which seems to be the mistake. HR let it sit on their desk and then forgot. My office manager is w…

> I'm in a position that renews yearly.

I renew every two weeks. You have to stay ahead of people, ideally lock in your renewal before the existing contract concludes.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#66

Post by reid »

A few years ago, I took a sabbatical from Yahoo.

When I returned, I got an email a few days later from a 3rd party survey company with the subject ”Exit Survey” which began “We’re sorry you’ll be leaving Yahoo soon.”

I was confused and so was my boss. Turns out some automated process included people who recently concluded a sabbatical in a mailing list for people who recently resigned...

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#67

Post by inimino »

krapp wrote: post #56
newest_user_ wrote: post #5

I read it and still don't really understand why there was no one administrating the system. Who could have stopped the system (with the appropriate emails to cover their ass). I also do not understand why a check couldn't be cut. Submit to accounts payable with an email approval?

The system didn't need to be stopped. The employee's contract wasn't renewed, which is indistinguishable from a decision terminate him, so the system executed the termination as scheduled. The system did exactly what it was intended to do, it was the humans who screwed up. Humans who presumably understood the way the system was designed, and didn't care enough to do some due diligence. >I also do not understand why a…

> The system did exactly what it was intended to do, it was the humans who screwed up.

It was the humans who designed and who chose to deploy a system without a human in the loop, and without an override (even after a director was involved) that screwed up.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#68

Post by DylanBohlender »

jiaweihli wrote: post #52
terlisimo wrote: post #18

I had a sort-of related experience with PayPal where the machine said "No." I've been using it for at least 10 years at that point. What I did was try to pay for some cheap VPS hosting in Italy. The transaction was denied. I thought there was some problem with my CC, so I immediately tried to do a $1 transaction with some other company and it went without a hitch. So I contacted PayPal support about it and the next d…

I've heard nothing but bad things about PayPal and how they often hold your own money hostage. Why don't people switch to alternatives? Are there no good ones?

As I understand it, expensive processes required for compliance with financial system/anti-money laundering laws make a moat for most money transmitting businesses. That moat prevents upstarts from challenging incumbents effectively.

Presumably someday cryptocurrencies will be able to fill the PayPal niche, but that requires a more robust buyer-merchant ecosystem than exists at present.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#69

Post by krapp »

ashelmire wrote: post #61
krapp wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The system didn't need to be stopped. The employee's contract wasn't renewed, which is indistinguishable from a decision terminate him, so the system executed the termination as scheduled. The system did exactly what it was intended to do, it was the humans who screwed up. Humans who presumably understood the way the system was designed, and didn't care enough to do some due diligence. >I also do not understand why a…

>He was fired. It doesn't matter that people didn't intend for him to be, he was, it went through the system, it was a done deal. Paying people not in your employ is fraud, even under the best of intentions. There's basically a certainty that it was a violation of his contract and company policies that made it not legally sound. A company can also pay whoever it wants for any reason.

IANAL so I might be wrong, but if they terminated his contract, I would assume they can't still legally pay him as if they hadn't.

Of course, he's also well within his rights to sue over it.

Re: The Machine Fired Me

#70

Post by bb88 »

neogodless wrote: post #29
TaylorAlexander wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People always say this but I am a contractor and I have health insurance.

There's multiple ways to interpret the statement... but can you clarify? Does a staffing agency pay as a W-2 employee and provide an insurance plan? I'm a contractor (1099) so I buy my own insurance. So I have it... In either of the above cases, the company where I do my work does not provide my insurance.

> Does a staffing agency pay as a W-2 employee and provide an insurance plan?

Not necessarily. Some will, but the coverage is usually not awesome. Then the question is, do you want the health insurance, or is it better to get obamacare because the staffing agency is likely going to be more temporary?

I'm becoming more an more of a believer that health insurance should be separate from employment. Mostly because your health is permanent and employment is most likely temporary.

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