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HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

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Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#221

Post by jldugger »

madrox wrote: post #39

I get the impression this author is dancing around some particular bad experiences they’ve had, which is the real subject of this post. Without understanding those details it’s hard to get where this comes from. There’s certainly a lot of unspoken expectations of what HR is. I’ve worked with HR in many capacities, and find them to be supportive and helpful of both employees and managers. However, what you will not fi…

I suspect this is a response to the about face that MS/Github took recently about firing a Jewish person for saying things like 'Stay safe, Nazis are about'. In the end, someone in HR no longer works for Microsoft but it behooves us all to remember that HR isn't there to protect you.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#222

Post by physicsguy »

madrox wrote: post #39

I get the impression this author is dancing around some particular bad experiences they’ve had, which is the real subject of this post. Without understanding those details it’s hard to get where this comes from. There’s certainly a lot of unspoken expectations of what HR is. I’ve worked with HR in many capacities, and find them to be supportive and helpful of both employees and managers. However, what you will not fi…

Ironically, HR are often low paid and have a shoddy understanding of employment law.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#223

Post by hvidgaard »

koonsolo wrote: post #202
jiggawatts wrote: post #14

Many people think that they live in a free democracy. In reality, something like 50% of all working people are employed in a strict hierarchical organisation that is essentially feudal in its nature. Most employees are the equivalent of serfs, overseen by lords, with a king in charge. The common employees don't get a vote. Their managers are not elected. They don't get a say in policy. The managers in turn form a str…

Why do you want to view the world like this? This kind of mindset puts you in a very weak position. I look at it like this: I work for a company because it's a win-win. They need some work done, and I need money. In fact, as a coder, the company is the one in the weak position. If I leave for another company, I can get paid the exact same amount instantly. They will have to get a new person, pay them the same, but fi…

In my experience just as often the manager asks for an estimate, get one and plan accordingly. When the developer inevitably does not finish on time they have multiple excuses, but the manager is getting the heat. Which is exactly why the developers are part of the team that plan and set deadlines. And let me let you in on a little secret. There is still delays - we're working on that.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#224

Post by croes »

koonsolo wrote: post #202
jiggawatts wrote: post #14

Many people think that they live in a free democracy. In reality, something like 50% of all working people are employed in a strict hierarchical organisation that is essentially feudal in its nature. Most employees are the equivalent of serfs, overseen by lords, with a king in charge. The common employees don't get a vote. Their managers are not elected. They don't get a say in policy. The managers in turn form a str…

Why do you want to view the world like this? This kind of mindset puts you in a very weak position. I look at it like this: I work for a company because it's a win-win. They need some work done, and I need money. In fact, as a coder, the company is the one in the weak position. If I leave for another company, I can get paid the exact same amount instantly. They will have to get a new person, pay them the same, but fi…

If you get the reputation of being a difficulty employee, they don't hire you, doesn't matter how good you are. They make a cost-benefit assessment and as long as your benefits outweigh the costs, they'll bear the costs, otherwise you're gone. Feudal system at its finest.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#225

Post by julienreszka »

jiggawatts wrote: post #14

Many people think that they live in a free democracy. In reality, something like 50% of all working people are employed in a strict hierarchical organisation that is essentially feudal in its nature. Most employees are the equivalent of serfs, overseen by lords, with a king in charge. The common employees don't get a vote. Their managers are not elected. They don't get a say in policy. The managers in turn form a str…

It's not feudal until people can't leave to go elsewhere.

People can leave tho so please stop abusing the word 'feudal'

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#226

Post by glandium »

slaymaker1907 wrote: post #36
umvi wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are we talking about work or life? Sure, private companies aren't democracies, but why should they be? Democracies are extremely inefficient. Imagine if Linux or Python projects were run as democracies and not lead by BDFLs? I can't imagine them being nearly as effective because democratic processes to get new features would always be gridlocked. Benevolent dictators are 10x, maybe even 100x more efficient than democ…

OTOH, look at how successful Rust has been with its extremely democratic RFC system for new features.

I wouldn't describe the Rust processes as democracy. The team members are the ones to decide on RFCs, and they are not elected. Their "appointment" is more a meritocracy.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#227

Post by aljazmerzen »

naavis wrote: post #212
koonsolo wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you want to view the world like this? This kind of mindset puts you in a very weak position. I look at it like this: I work for a company because it's a win-win. They need some work done, and I need money. In fact, as a coder, the company is the one in the weak position. If I leave for another company, I can get paid the exact same amount instantly. They will have to get a new person, pay them the same, but fi…

> I know that some people will respond "not every employee is in this position to make demands". Well, it's all about how valuable your skills are. Make sure you can do things that other people can't, and you put yourself in a position where you always have the option to go work for another company. I think GP was talking about workers in general, not just software developers. Software developers are in a super entit…

What does GP mean?

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#228

Post by leokennis »

_nrv9 wrote: post #90
firecall wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. And nor does anyone have a 'career'. You have a job. When you lose that job, you may not get another one. It's an illusion. One minute you think you are a high profile manager with budgets and power. The next you are packing your desk up into a box and rethinking your entire life. We are not our careers!

I am always terrified of losing my job. It's a fear I've had even though I've been a top performer the entire five years I've been professionally working. Maybe it's because I grew up poor or because I think things are too good in tech and about to crash any day. My antidote? $100k in liquidity. Preferably not invested in the NASDAQ. If tech crashes, you can take your liquid $100k and move to Thailand, Spain, Portuga…

Agreed very much, this gives great peace of mind.

Receive salary > pay bills, buy food etc. > all the rest, transfer to a investment account at the oldest, most boring and slowest financial institution in your country to invest in the most boring, yawn-inducing and uninteresting investment fund. Don't touch this money ever.

In the worst of years you'll beat inflation and keep your savings, in the best of years you might make a % or two.

In the meantime, plan your post-employment life: what country to live in, what stuff/hobbies you want to keep etc.

Then when shit has hit the fan, cash in and execute above plan.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#229

Post by tomaskafka »

pugworthy wrote: post #208
drstewart wrote: post #43

IT is not your friend either. They work for the company, not for you. Legal is not your friend either. They work for the company, not for you. Janitorial staff is not your friend either. They work for the company, not for you. Sales is not your friend either. They work for the company, not for you. Marketing is not your friend either. They work for the company, not for you.

So who is your friend? Your team? I mean they work for the company, not you.

Yes, they do.

Re: HR is not your friend, and other things I think you should know

#230

Post by clusterfish »

systemvoltage wrote: post #211
jiggawatts wrote: post #14

Many people think that they live in a free democracy. In reality, something like 50% of all working people are employed in a strict hierarchical organisation that is essentially feudal in its nature. Most employees are the equivalent of serfs, overseen by lords, with a king in charge. The common employees don't get a vote. Their managers are not elected. They don't get a say in policy. The managers in turn form a str…

News flash: There is always a boss. 8-5 job: Your manager is your boss. Manager: Your senior manager is your boss. Senior Manager: Your CEO is the boss. CEO: Board of directors are your bosses. Shareholders too. Investors: Are they the real boss!? No. ROI is the boss. All the variables that make them successful are their bosses. Bootstrapped Startup?: Customers are the boss. PR is the boss. Ask founders how tied up a…

On lower levels all the higher ups are still your bosses to some exteny, you just have no visibility into how their decisions affect you. The lower you are on the hierarchy, the more bosses you have, and the less you have to show for it.
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