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Public protest against Amazon

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Public protest against Amazon

#211

Post by thtthings »

dblock wrote: post #206
thtthings wrote: post #187

Indian here. If your manager is from India, he probably sucks. He is insecure, has zero empathy, leadership skills or any skills. He probably memorized data structures and algo's interview questions and got a job at Amazon. He got ahead by sucking up to his boss and being political. His boss is probably an Indian too who sucks up to his boss and so on. But that is okay, as this company is stable and they just need pe…

I am Russian and my best manager ever, in 20 years of software development, was Indian. So YMMV and these kinds of generalizations need to become a thing of the past.

I need to clarify, this is from the perspective of American or first world working conditions. Coming from Russia an Indian boss must be a god sent(just guessing, don't know).

There are maybe 100 millions Indian bosses. Do I know all of them? Like everything in life, this is my experience. It isn't a scientific fact!

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#212

Post by gotocake »

john_moscow wrote: post #207
mirceal wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

dude (not an indian btw), you can be racist no matter what you are. identifying as an indian does not make what you’re saying less offensive

Being racist would be discriminating someone based on their race without actually looking into the circumstances. Pointing out cultural roots of a very real problem and openly taking about it is a totally different thing.

Pretending that “Indian” describes a single culture composed of more than a billion people is the defintion of racism. India is an incredibly diverse place full of people who have less in common in terms of culture (not to mention language) than a Californian does with a New Yorker.

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#213

Post by adventured »

forgotmypw3 wrote: post #13

I want to preface this comment with a statement that in no way am I trying to blame the victim here, only to point out what can be learned from this situation. This is certainly not the first time I've heard of Amazon being a shitty place to work at, and I don't see much reason to doubt the story of a vindictive boss doing everything they can to make an employee miserable after learning that the employee submitted ba…

> If you are at your job as part of your Visa process, you are essentially a slave with a slave's rights to match, and you are better off not rocking the boat if you want to complete the process.

No, you are not.

That's taking the premise way too far. Slaves were owned as property. You are not property of a corporation just because your job is connected to a visa. You don't have slaves rights (almost entirely non-existent human rights, specifically). You chose to immigrate, there is a system involved in that, you knew that ahead of time, you chose to go forward regardless. You did not become a slave in the process, you did not sign on for 'slaves rights' in the process, you did not abdicate your freedom. Your employer may not dispose of your life as it sees fit. You are free to leave and go back to where you came from if you do not like the system, just as you were free to never sign on in the first place. You are not a slave at all in any manner. That's not an argument in favor of the backwards US immigration system, it's an argument that very, very clearly you are not a slave just because your job and visa are bound together. Immigration to N country is not a human right, it's a privilege (which is why I - and a billion other people - can't freely immigrate to Norway tomorrow and begin enjoying the associated perks).

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#214

Post by solidasparagus »

morley wrote: post #57
forgotmypw3 wrote: post #13

I want to preface this comment with a statement that in no way am I trying to blame the victim here, only to point out what can be learned from this situation. This is certainly not the first time I've heard of Amazon being a shitty place to work at, and I don't see much reason to doubt the story of a vindictive boss doing everything they can to make an employee miserable after learning that the employee submitted ba…

Re #1: I realize this is the safest option for your own self-preservation, if you don't give negative feedback, how do you expect your work environment to change? The way I see it, if you're in a bad situation at work, you have two options: try to change it, or leave. If you're going to leave anyway, why not at least try to improve your situation first so you give yourself the best chance of success? And that way, th…

You need to understand how your boss takes feedback and tailor your comments accordingly. I’ve had some managers I’ve felt free to give candid feedback to and others who just don’t take feedback well so you find another way to force change.

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#215

Post by gwright »

ownagefool wrote: post #14

I had a manager that took over from a previous person when I was working remote. There were a few issues, but the one that stands out is they flew me down to London for a week, set me up in a hotel, and had me take taxis back and fourth to the office and expense food etc. After returning home, he rejected my expenses because of variance of costs of the taxis, despite me pointing out that I was using the stipulated ve…

What does his or your age have to do with anything?

Just sounds like a penny wise pound foolish story to me.

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#216

Post by mrhappyunhappy »

alistairSH wrote: post #132
TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was recently offered a job by a software company, work from home, paid monthly. I presently work in metal fabrication. Not only was their offer $30,000 below my current income, their deal was I front cash for expenses and submit claims monthly. Is this standard in the software world? Because from my perspective there’s only one possible answer to paying expenses out of pocket and having to claim them back: No.

My employer issues corporate Visas to any employee expected to incur >$500/year in expenses. Which means most of us have cards, at least in the US. We still have to complete expense reports, but we don’t pay anything out of pocket.

This is the way it should be done. No employee should carry the burden of loading up their own credit or paying for big ticket items up front no matter how trustworthy the company.

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#218

Post by bsagdiyev »

bsenftner wrote: post #168
alistairSH wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My employer issues corporate Visas to any employee expected to incur >$500/year in expenses. Which means most of us have cards, at least in the US. We still have to complete expense reports, but we don’t pay anything out of pocket.

Sony Computer Entertainment does this, but then they don't pay back for 6-9 months, forcing your personal credit to be their credit cushion. One of the reasons I quit.

When/where did you work? Corporate cards are normal at SIE, even engineers on my team have them. I don't dispute your experience, just curious.

Edit: As an addition, the expense isn't paid by the employee. Costs over $2000 need justification above your boss, but your immediate boss can approve up to $2000 no issues.

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#219

Post by Circumnavigate »

TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #120
org3432 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is just how many managers are, the best approach is to just recognize them and avoid them as best you can.

It could be argued the best thing to do is gang up on them, record and post your conversations with them, and tirelessly work to undermine them. Otherwise we're all complicit in allowing bad actors to get away with their behaviour.

In California you are not legally allowed to audio record someone in private without their consent. They must know that they are being recorded for it to be used as evidence in court.

Re: Public protest against Amazon

#220

Post by dbg31415 »

My experience with Amazon was extremely positive.

The author of this article seems very junior / immature, and honestly feels like he's got some mental health issues going on. Airing this much dirty laundry is not likely to get you what you want, and is likely going to make it hard for him to get hired by the next company.

Always talk to your boss 1:1, face to face. Never give shitty feedback over an online system. If you can't work out your issues, or you don't get along well with your manager, best to just move on and look for a new job.

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