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The absolute worst scenario happened

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Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#491

Post by 908B64B197 »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #252
tw04 wrote: post #88

I actually don't see any issue that isn't simply a matter of money. Everything they list that's an issue seems to revolve around the fact that the employees with domain knowledge for the system have left the company. Reach out to them and hire them on as contractors. If they left under bad terms because the business was a bunch of dicks, expect to pay 10x market rate. If this is truly "fix this or the business is out…

Is there another industry where a few employees with "domain knowledge" can sink a company? Asking because, while, yes, throwing money at the problem might be a solution, I think the obvious bigger issue is how does one allow themselves to get into this situation? Or rather, how does one avoid getting into this situation. Because it seems to me that the software industry of late has become so mired in esoteric layers…

> Or rather, how does one avoid getting into this situation. Because it seems to me that the software industry of late has become so mired in esoteric layers of abstraction that this feels less like an outlier scenario for a mismanaged company but more like an inevitable one for many otherwise well managed companies in the industry.

Mentorship and documentation.

You need to set aside time and resources for these two things, and make contributing to them worth something in the performance review.

If all you do is count JIRA tickets closed, you'll forever end up in this situation.

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#492

Post by 908B64B197 »

ycombinete wrote: post #322
tofuahdude wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love this with all my heart. You did exactly the right thing at every step.

Funnily enough it made me sick to my stomach. I manage a small company and the idea of being extorted in such a blasé and psychopathic fashion terrifies me to even think about.

It's not extorsion.

He left detailed instructions how to release the software. The company managed to screw up so bad they lost the manual he made sure to write on their internal wiki.

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#493

Post by 908B64B197 »

reaperducer wrote: post #335
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in america farmers hire illegals to harvest crops, claiming that no american would do the work. This has always struck me as a really terrible excuse. I'm sorry, you can't simply break the law because you'd have to pay an american $20 / hr to do the work. Sure, it means that your tomatoes are more expensive, but also, now there's a hell of an incentive to apply automation to the problem yes? If you don't like th…

Here in america farmers hire illegals to harvest crops, claiming that no american would do the work This is a political talking point that has been repeated so often that people believe it is true. During the recession of 2008, there were stores on local TV news in many places showing unemployed Americans waiting in long lines for the opportunity do do those jobs that the politicians kept saying no American wanted to…

> A similar oft-repeated lie is that American farmers are all a bunch of Republican hillbillies who hate brown immigrants.

> Around 2010, I attended a conference in Seattle for farmers in the Pacific Northwest. The main topic of discussion was how to increase legal immigration from Mexico so that they could have more farmworkers to pick the cherries and apples and mint and whatnot. These people were talking about goals of making people from Mexico and Latin America U.S. citizens in staggering numbers.

Farmers are, for the most part, single issue voters: Whoever has the best plan to support agriculture and small businesses gets their vote.

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#494

Post by johnchristopher »

DubiousPusher wrote: post #490
johnchristopher wrote: post #488

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the rationale for doubling the first price ? Why is it a more fair price ?

The market answer to that is, the seller underpriced their services to begin with, regardless of the personal motivation for increasing the price. To clarify, the market would likely not allow this specific work to be sold at this price normally. But the buyer wasn't just buying specific work they were buying specific work to be completed by a specific date. The work in isolation does not have this value but the work…

Bullshit.

The way the story is told the price doubled after and because of the CEO screaming.

The market has nothing to do with that except the good old "The fair price is the one that god paid, uh.” I suppose.

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#497

Post by 908B64B197 »

drclau wrote: post #132
tw04 wrote: post #88

I actually don't see any issue that isn't simply a matter of money. Everything they list that's an issue seems to revolve around the fact that the employees with domain knowledge for the system have left the company. Reach out to them and hire them on as contractors. If they left under bad terms because the business was a bunch of dicks, expect to pay 10x market rate. If this is truly "fix this or the business is out…

Not really related to the subject of the article, but your comment reminds me of employers in Romania complaining they can't find people to hire, while they offer small salaries and people just leave the country for better paying jobs abroad. The solution to their problem is really simple: make better offers.

Don't forget the whining from bureaucrats when American tech takes over the local market, and ships profits back to it's headquarter where... they employ Romanians expats!

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#498

Post by foobiekr »

Symbiote wrote: post #473
foobiekr wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assuming that you’re talking about senior people, who are all employed, I don’t see how this helps. Realistically employee X resigns, and we find a replacement; that replacement is working and needs to resign. Their end dates are still serialized. We have a bunch of employees in Europe and everyone involved except the very marginal employees sees this situation as strongly negative (and, in fact, an argument to not h…

Are those Europeans who don't value their rights fairly young? I don't need my 3 months now. They might be useful if my employer axes a whole department. They're useful for people with family commitments giving them less mobility.

The opposite. They are very senior.

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#499

Post by DubiousPusher »

johnchristopher wrote: post #494
DubiousPusher wrote: post #490

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The market answer to that is, the seller underpriced their services to begin with, regardless of the personal motivation for increasing the price. To clarify, the market would likely not allow this specific work to be sold at this price normally. But the buyer wasn't just buying specific work they were buying specific work to be completed by a specific date. The work in isolation does not have this value but the work…

Bullshit. The way the story is told the price doubled after and because of the CEO screaming. The market has nothing to do with that except the good old "The fair price is the one that god paid, uh.” I suppose.

"Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it." That includes labor. The business was free to try and renegotiate their contract with their customer. They were free to delay the release and offer a discount. They were free to turn down the 125k and the 250k payment on principle and deal with the consequences. They found the most economical solution that met their needs was to pay $250,000 to have the work done on time. Was this poster engaging in rent seeking behavior? Absolutely. But that is a consequence of the market and one companies exploit to their own benefit all the time.

Re: The absolute worst scenario happened

#500

Post by brailsafe »

arethuza wrote: post #29
brailsafe wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was curious about that as well. I've never heard of such an obsurd amount of time, and it seems doubtful it would hold up. "You need to give us 3 months heads up no matter what, but don't worry, we don't have to give you any if you oversleep for a meeting."

I had a 6 month notice period in one role, 3 months isn't uncommon for senior roles, in the UK at least.

I guess it just seemed so implausible to me. As in, what happens if 2 weeks or 4 months in you just decide that the job is sufficiently ill-suited? Is there typically a trial period of equal time that precedes such an agreement?
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