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

rachelbythebay.com

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

#401

Post by WarOnPrivacy »

projectileboy wrote: post #245
WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Until the ACA, you were 100% trapped It is unclear how premiums that exceed income along with deductibles that exceed rent are a freeing experience.

Haha... indeed. I meant specifically from the perspective that you were in a situation where leaving your job meant you were now uninsurable (in many states, at least). I have an entirely separate rant on how the ACA stuck people with higher deductible health plans outside of employers (like me and my family) with virtually all of the risk of the formerly uninsurable. It was more politically expedient for the Democra…

It was fairly maddening hearing endless glory heaped upon the ACA, while most sq mi of the US remained saturated with uncovered Americans.

At least until 2017. After that it seemed a little okay to discuss the realities of the ACA.

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

#402

Post by rawgabbit »

rocqua wrote: post #320

I really don't enjoy the tone here. The derision with which it speaks about managers, like they are either evil or incompetent, is unfair in my experience. (my) Managers are just people. They have a task, they do their best to get that task done. Sometimes they decisions that seem bad to me. Often that is because I misunderstand their goals. Sometimes, it is because I know something they don't, and something they cou…

The writer summed up my experience with large corporations’ management. Salesmen, liars, and delusional liars. Your job is not only to protect the company. But to get actual work done. If your cronies are incompetent, no amount of selling is going to change the fact the emperor has no clothes.

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

#403

Post by rdiddly »

Uberphallus wrote: post #324
baby wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can tell you that you can live in the center of a French city for like 10 years on that money. You won’t have a crazy lifestyle but you can live in the center and do groceries and the occasional restaurants and drinks for that money. Most people would take like 5 years to make that much AT LEAST.

> I can tell you that you can live in the center of a French city for like 10 years on that money. What city, though? I live in a small city (coast, but still), and the absolute crappiest studio will chomp 500€/mo out of your wallet, which roughly translates to over $70k. Anything decent goes easily over $100k and that's rent alone.

$70K ÷ 500€ ($603) = 116 months (almost 10 years)

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

#404

Post by gonehome »

ageofwant wrote: post #288
gonehome wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm being heavily downvoted in my other comments, but I don't agree. Today we have more people starting more billion dollar companies more easily than any other time in human history. We have more freedom of movement, more wealth, etc. There's a staggering amount of growth, a staggering amount of capital investment. No system is its perfect ideal (and there are obvious issues today), but things are a lot better than…

Sure, but that growth and investment did not and will not benefit you, or most anyone else. That 'value' gets aggregated into a vanishingly small group of hyper valuable individuals. In fact, at this stage the meaning of GDP for example is fundamentally decoupled from the actual wealth of the people. I encourage you to research Mark Blyth's work on generational wealth and check out 'Angrynomics' https://www.gq.com/st…

It has and does benefit me directly. Why do you think so many move to the Bay Area or do startups?

As for others that see benefit less directly: https://press.stripe.com/#stubborn-attachments

Growth (when constrained for human rights and environmental protection) is the best way to help the most the fastest.

You see it everywhere, massive reduction of global poverty, infant mortality, etc. Even just things like the ability for almost anyone to have an iPhone and use of Amazon/two day shipping are examples. Inexpensive food is another.

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

#405

Post by ufmace »

rocqua wrote: post #320

I really don't enjoy the tone here. The derision with which it speaks about managers, like they are either evil or incompetent, is unfair in my experience. (my) Managers are just people. They have a task, they do their best to get that task done. Sometimes they decisions that seem bad to me. Often that is because I misunderstand their goals. Sometimes, it is because I know something they don't, and something they cou…

This, the article comes off as very cynical and bitter to me. Yes, there are some managers and executives who are just jerks. And there are a few perverse incentives around that are worth keeping in mind. But if you go into a job with this level of bitterness, you're likely to just create the same situation that you were complaining about.

If you assume starting out that all managers are corrupt fools who only care about promoting themselves and their executive golf buddies, that comes through in every interaction you have with them. They're certainly not more likely to be your partner in advancing your own career and growing the business through delivering genuine value to customers when you're carrying that big of a chip on your shoulder.

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

#406

Post by cudgy »

sirsinsalot wrote: post #344
_nrv9 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I grew up "how am I going to eat?" poor, and I find i'm the opposite with work and money. I take risks, see it all as one big game because I know being poor isn't the end of the world. It is really shit, but i'll survive it. I know what it is like.

Good point. Similar circumstances here, but excess risk taking can also backfire tremendously, especially as you get older. Rags to riches and back to rags. It’s easy to blow money away ... harder to hold onto it.

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

#407

Post by rmk »

rocqua wrote: post #320

I really don't enjoy the tone here. The derision with which it speaks about managers, like they are either evil or incompetent, is unfair in my experience. (my) Managers are just people. They have a task, they do their best to get that task done. Sometimes they decisions that seem bad to me. Often that is because I misunderstand their goals. Sometimes, it is because I know something they don't, and something they cou…

Your experience is atypical: most people will encounter bad managers in their careers, and more so in this industry, which deifies youth (twentysomethings managing people is a poor idea, period, as are teams comprising only twentysomethings).

Things are further exacerbated by the reality that SV has above-average people in the technical sphere, but way below average people in the people-management sphere. Management in SV is all about people-management, and managers' decisions affect people much more than in other industries. Another factor that contributes to this state of affairs is the high growth rate of companies: people become managers by default, and high growth is difficult to navigate without prior experience. Even when managers have prior experience, when the inevitable fall from high growth occurs, is is very difficult to manage people who turn disillusioned and demotivated. In all this, HR usually are a team that plays only for themselves: they prevent rapid hiring and firing of people who do not perform, causing problems, and they also prevent rank-and-file grievances from being heard by squashing them at the earliest opportunity. This is common in many industries, not just technology. HR is mostly staffed by underachievers with a mean streak --- high-achievers usually opt for engineering and finance, if they have spent time acquiring the specific skills that are needed for these functions, or sales if they have the personality and the drive to persuade customers. The rotten apples end up with HR (marketing comes a close second, but since sales performance directly affects marketing budgets, HR is the best place for these types to last).

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

#408

Post by guenthert »

Faaak wrote: post #279
akmarinov wrote: post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about Thailand and it really depends on your lifestyle, but 100k will get you through 2-3 years at most in the other countries, if you live in an urban setting, not really pinching pennies.

Spain's minimum wage is 1000 EUR/month. 100k$ (82k€) will give you 6 years of living if you don't spend it all on useless things. Portugal is even "better" with a minimum wage of 750€/month

How is cost of living related to minimum wage?

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

#409

Post by rellekio »

jay_kyburz wrote: post #263
rellekio wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you place too much emphasis on violence. As there are things worse than death or physical harm. Just as the face of war changed from a physical one to an economic one. Democratic nation with a strong Oligarchy. Who over years forged q corpocracy that obfuscate such via citizens united. The basis in which we operate is democratic, but popular public policies are rarely enacted. As to why you put too much empha…

I don't agree that there is anything worse than death.

https://www.livescience.com/55606-health-states-worse-than-d...

Something about opinions being treated as facts is part of a post truth society. I don't like what you said, therefore is false. It's a trend that to me is worse than death when it comes to discourse.

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

#410

Post by stjohnswarts »

sirsinsalot wrote: post #344
_nrv9 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I grew up "how am I going to eat?" poor, and I find i'm the opposite with work and money. I take risks, see it all as one big game because I know being poor isn't the end of the world. It is really shit, but i'll survive it. I know what it is like.

Some of the best times in my life were when I was young and carefree and poor :)
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