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At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

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Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#31

Post by ahmedalsudani »

stevenjohns wrote: post #6

> Richard Siklos, a Netflix spokesman, said the company only fires employees for performance reasons, not because managers don’t like them Oh how I wish I could have had that. I've had an experience in the past where I was dismissed because my manager decided he just didn't like me anymore. Although I was the best performing, most senior developer on the team and was doing all the hiring and mentoring of others, it d…

I can't help but wonder why just about every company has terrible hiring/HR/management practices.

You would think that someone out there would fix those problems at their companies and reap the rewards: an effective, highly motivated workforce.

The fact that we haven't seen that means either that it's a hard problem to solve, that nobody pays attention to it, or that there is no economic value in working to have "good" practices when it comes to workforce management.

... Or maybe it's good to have your workers living in fear, worrying if they'll be next at the end of your Kafkaesque processes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Oh, one last thing I remembered: a previous coworker of mine raved about how his company treated workers, but the company was later acquired by a bigger player, and the situation changed. Perhaps companies with good practices get absorbed by the "big bad wolves" that have established themselves in the market.

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#33

Post by chocolatebunny »

stevenjohns wrote: post #6

> Richard Siklos, a Netflix spokesman, said the company only fires employees for performance reasons, not because managers don’t like them Oh how I wish I could have had that. I've had an experience in the past where I was dismissed because my manager decided he just didn't like me anymore. Although I was the best performing, most senior developer on the team and was doing all the hiring and mentoring of others, it d…

At my previous job the management not liking you layoff was because "you're not being a team player/difficult to work with".

They were never firings because the the company just did massive layoffs every year so you just get rid of the bad apples with the rest of the under-performers when the company downsizes.

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#34

Post by booleandilemma »

Mr. Hast­ings had re­cently fired his chief com­mu­ni­ca­tions of­fi­cer for say­ing the “N-word” in full form. The ex­ec­u­tive, who is white...

The race of the speaker shouldn’t matter. Either make the word forbidden (a silly concept to begin with) or don’t.

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#35

Post by Phlarp »

stephengillie wrote: post #23
strict9 wrote: post #8

>Many employees say they see the keeper test as a guise for ordinary workplace politics while some managers say they feel pressure to fire people or risk looking soft. I worked for a place like this. Regular firings, sometimes every month. The CEO (who also self-funded the company) believed that regularly letting people go was a way of eliminating bad apples and forcing people to work harder and smarter. Similar to N…

> The CEO ... believed that regularly letting people go was a way of eliminating bad apples and forcing people to work harder and smarter. Microsoft called it Stack Ranking.

Rank and Yank

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#36

Post by strangerlands »

Sure, they fire for performance reasons by setting up one of those kangaroos courts where your voice is nowhere to be heard. The build-up to the inevitable firing is something akin to an Ionesco play, one absurdity after the other. The higher-up gets some sidekicks onboard, people who would sell their grandmother for a half-chewed piece of chocolate, and the smearing campaign begins.

The apologist has the words ready: they pay you a lot, they are clear about firing liberally, and you get your severance package. What's to complain about? Unfortunately (for the apologist), there are people who still have some dignity and do not like to be on trial with the kangaroo court. It is better to be punched in a leg than in the face, we all agree on that, but some people – a dying breed, apparently – do not like to be punched at all.

The article is a good description of what happens at Netflix, including the creepiness trickling down from the top with the lemonade, although there was never an email from the CEO asking the leaker to expose herself.

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#37

Post by dunpeal »

> Many employees say they see the keeper test as a guise for ordinary workplace politics while some managers say they feel pressure to fire people or risk looking soft. Postmortem emails and meetings explaining why people got fired are viewed by some employees as awkward and theatrical when the audiences can be dozens or even hundreds of people.

So every employee gets to be badmouthed in front of as many as hundreds of former co-workers, as Netflix's special parting gift?

What a treat!

> Richard Siklos, a Netflix spokesman, said the company only fires employees for performance reasons

So Netflix is actively propagating the obvious myth that all terminations are due to poor performance. Not because the nature of the project / technology changed, not because the chemistry between the fired person and key players like his supervisor has unfortunately gone south... No, it is always poor performance.

Good luck getting your next job!

And to help you on your way out, we'll make sure every single one of your former co-worker hears your former supervisor talking trash about you in very blunt terms.

You know, just to make it easier for these same co-workers to provide references to your prospective next employers.

Have we said good luck already...?

(Netflix employees, why do you accept this?)

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#38

Post by tareqak »

AWildC182 wrote: post #16

I think the headline misconstrues the issue. There's nothing wrong with transparency, but there are plenty of issues with airing dirty laundry and having, quite apparently, sociopathic upper management.

Isn't it actually selective transparency that's just passed off as transparency? Just because someone states reasons A, B, and C as the supporting evidence behind a decision doesn't necessarily mean that those three were the only reasons.

Re: At Netflix, Radical Transparency and Blunt Firings Unsettle the Ranks

#40

Post by strangerlands »

gonehome wrote: post #24
southphillyman wrote: post #20

Not to rationalize the environment there but I feel like Netflix is pretty transparent about being a difficult place to work and compensates for the potential stress with above average pay. I feel like most people who can get hired there are well aware of the work environment they will be entering.

The pay is extreme - top of market, but I think more than people realize (even people in silicon valley). I've heard 400k cash is not that uncommon.

It is very common. Senior Software Engineers are commonly at 400+ up to 7-800. Director level for Software, Data Eng, Data Science are very rarely under 600+. VP in the same areas rarely (never?) under 800+.
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