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Update on an Employee Matter

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Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#171

Post by klyrs »

Simulacra wrote: post #53
surfer7837 wrote: post #25

I've just seen the screenshots from https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/15/22232766/github-employees... You just shouldn't be speaking like that in a company Slack channel. Politics should really not be discussed at work, and especially not in a public Slack channel. It's not the right place for it. It makes me not want to work there if they are discussing politics all day in a public Slack channel

Rules are different now. If you’re making a negative statement regarding anyone on the tight, it seems to get more support than derision.

I'd prefer it if folks on the right were more offended by the presence of nazis in their ranks, than by folks pointing out the existence of those nazis.

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#172

Post by read_if_gay_ »

Griffinsauce wrote: post #156
geofft wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you read the full sentence in the article, you will note that it continues by saying that the label is "slandering." Something has to be untrue for it to be slander. Therefore, by saying that labeling people in the crowd as Nazis is slander, it denies that there were Nazis in the crowd.

That employee is taking the position that "there are" is equal to "all those people are", the same flawed logic is being used as a premise by a lot of commenters here. It's so blatently wrong that it's hard to assume good faith.

Now that you pointed it out I see what you mean, but I wouldn’t call it blatantly wrong. To me the statement honestly read like it’s lumping all protesters together, or at least it’s certainly not making an obvious attempt to differentiate.

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#173

Post by throwaway_6142 »

Griffinsauce wrote: post #152
odiroot wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, we don't take calling anyone "Nazi" lightly. Well, at least level-headed people don't. It's disrespectful to the people who were imprisoned, tortured and exterminated by the real Nazis.

This is a confusing statement. When you say "there are nazis" when there are nazis (among a bigger group) that is just a factual statement. The disrespect is in not taking the threat seriously.

But the statement wasn't meant to warn people of alleged Nazis at the rally, it was to make a derogatory remark about conservative employees at GitHub, as you all know.

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#174

Post by laresistance »

btown wrote: post #79
bmiller2 wrote: post #13

Well they left all the juicy parts out Context: https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/15/22232766/github-employees... I can’t believe people talk like this on a work public channel.

> I can't believe people talk like this on a work public channel. Not sure if you're referring to the instance of the egregious anti-Semitic joke (CW for that link, btw), or to the bulk of the communications, but for any who feel the latter, that any conversation involving Nazism is improper, I'd consider a counterpoint: We're in an industry where it's very easy for our work to be used for horrible things, where inde…

> vs. words that concisely warn colleagues that something is going beyond political ideology and towards a pattern of racially-motivated behavior that places people in grave danger, we haven't learned our lessons from history.

Don't the more radical leftist circles fit exactly this description, except that they just paint a different racial group as the enemy?

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#175

Post by togblops »

Griffinsauce wrote: post #149
biermic wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Independent from the events: The way Github employees communicate with each other makes me kind of uncomfortable. In the companies I've worked here in Europe, such discussions just would not happen in a cooperate chat room.

I don't think that has anything to do with being in Europe or not. The emotions and opinions exist in all workplaces. Some are just open to it and others not. The important part is being respectful and having empathy. The second employee was arguing in obvious bad faith, that apparently being accepted (to the point of the first being fired) is what should make people uncomfortable.

Agree completely on the important part being respect and empathy. Agree on the second employee’s tone seeming argumentative. However, from the given information it’s not clear if the original (fired) employee remained respectful.

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#176

Post by itsdrewmiller »

yongjik wrote: post #153

In HN, I've been seeing way more comments supporting the "freedom of speech" for those who stormed the Capitol, compared to other sites. (That might tell more about what sites I visit, but whatever.) So far I chalked it up to the strong libertarian bent of an average HN user - some people really believe in absolute freedom of speech. While I don't necessarily agree, I can live with that. ...And then I see multiple co…

I haven't seen that much support for '"freedom of speech" for those who stormed the Capitol' - the big conversation here has been around the deplatforming of Parler, which clearly serves a bigger audience than just the rioters/insurrectionists. (Not counting flagged-dead throwaway account comments blaming it all on antifa, of course.)

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#177

Post by sam_lowry_ »

biermic wrote: post #109
bmiller2 wrote: post #13

Well they left all the juicy parts out Context: https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/15/22232766/github-employees... I can’t believe people talk like this on a work public channel.

Independent from the events: The way Github employees communicate with each other makes me kind of uncomfortable. In the companies I've worked here in Europe, such discussions just would not happen in a cooperate chat room.

Last week in Europe, I was reprimanded by an US-based C-level exec for using the word "annoying" while asking a question about email filtering in a corporate Slack channel. Can't imagine being still employed if I used the word Nazi there.

People in US are broadcasting hypocrisy onto the world.

None can feel safe.

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#179

Post by otterley »

loeg wrote: post #56
pjc50 wrote: post #15

> Our head of HR has taken personal accountability and resigned from GitHub yesterday morning, Saturday, January 16th. You don't normally see consequences for senior officers for this kind of mistake. I would be curious to know who this person was and if they had any odd political affiliations.

It's weird to me that this was the head of HR's mistake (sort of implied) and not a more junior manager (both in reality, and in who usually gets the blame even if it's a senior manager's fuck-up). There is some unnamed VP of engineering who may have kicked off the process with HR. I don't know. I'm glad GH (1) took another look at the firing, (2) realized they were mistaken, and (3) mea culpa'd publicly.

A good leader is supposed to take responsibility for the actions taken by his or her team. Failure of a unit implies failure of the leadership. In my view, the right outcome happened here.

Re: Update on an Employee Matter

#180

Post by otterley »

itsdrewmiller wrote: post #176
yongjik wrote: post #153

In HN, I've been seeing way more comments supporting the "freedom of speech" for those who stormed the Capitol, compared to other sites. (That might tell more about what sites I visit, but whatever.) So far I chalked it up to the strong libertarian bent of an average HN user - some people really believe in absolute freedom of speech. While I don't necessarily agree, I can live with that. ...And then I see multiple co…

I haven't seen that much support for '"freedom of speech" for those who stormed the Capitol' - the big conversation here has been around the deplatforming of Parler, which clearly serves a bigger audience than just the rioters/insurrectionists. (Not counting flagged-dead throwaway account comments blaming it all on antifa, of course.)

It doesn’t matter if there’s still some good water in the pool after there’s so much urine in it that it smells like urine and has turned yellow.

People who aren’t of a militaristic, racist, fascist, or seditious bent are still welcome in other fora like Twitter and Facebook.

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