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Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#51

Post by report-to-trees »

User23 wrote: post #8

Anyone that's been in tech at the FAANG tier for two decades and doesn't have at least one to two years of runway not including retirement accounts is observably terrible at managing money.

Most small shop tech jobs in smaller cities pay very little comparatively. The OP said they were currently at FAANG, not that they have been at that level for 2 decades.

Having worked with lots of people with over 20 years experience, a lot of them stuck with a single company their entire career and are making nowhere near FAANG.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#52

Post by bastijn »

clarkdale wrote: post #4
zensavona wrote: post #2

I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “psychologically safe”. Could you elaborate please?

"Physchological safety" is a buzz word common in MBA circles. There are many articles written about it, shared on HN even.

I'm torn between down voting this for being unnecessarily condescending and letting you feel safe to speak your mind on HN. Take my down vote with the knowledge it's OK to share you disagree or find the topic a nuisance of late, but you can be a little more thoughtful on how to voice that.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#53

Post by eh9 »

hugs wrote: post #44

Two rules: Rule #1: Have enough savings in your bank account to pay all your living expenses for at least one year. (Obviously easier said than done.) Rule #2: Follow Rule #1. (If you do, you'll have time to figure everything else out. That might mean finding a new job.)

Most Americans don’t have $1000 in savings.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#54

Post by AnimalMuppet »

flandish wrote: post #49
baronswindle wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand that my boss is not my friend, but to describe oneself as a “subject” is not something I relate to. In fact, I think it’s absurdly dramatic.

It’s not though - when you look at what really “drives” the relationship. You trade your labor for money in a system designed to keep us so anxious, we will accept as little wage as possible, by the same capital owning class. We are subject to their desires as they are bound, by law, to choose profit for shareholders over employees. We are their subjects. “Ain’t no war but class war” applies to us in tech as much as…

What you describe is a trade relationship, not "subject".

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#55

Post by eh9 »

sebastianconcpt wrote: post #35
jrs235 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always taken it to mean: Do you feel safe speaking up? Particularly when you disagree. Or do you feel safe voicing your opinion, particularly when it goes against the majority?

Of course not. We're in a culture war with cancel culture normalized. If you dissent you are toasted.

… cancel culture is about holding people accountable… It’s not about canceling employees because of dissenting at work.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#56

Post by baronswindle »

flandish wrote: post #49
baronswindle wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand that my boss is not my friend, but to describe oneself as a “subject” is not something I relate to. In fact, I think it’s absurdly dramatic.

It’s not though - when you look at what really “drives” the relationship. You trade your labor for money in a system designed to keep us so anxious, we will accept as little wage as possible, by the same capital owning class. We are subject to their desires as they are bound, by law, to choose profit for shareholders over employees. We are their subjects. “Ain’t no war but class war” applies to us in tech as much as…

I’m sorry, but your description of a relationship with an employer doesn’t match mine at all.

I don’t feel anxious. I feel comfortable.

I don’t accept as little as possible. I negotiate with the knowledge that I have options.

I don’t toil in the mines for 80 hours a week to barely afford to feed myself. I spend 40-50 hours a week doing something I rather enjoy, and for that, I’m paid a salary that affords a lifestyle few could have imagined even fifty years ago.

I understand that my employer would pay me less if they could. Then again, if I could find a plumber who could fix my shower for $200 instead of $250, I’d patronize the former, all else equal. Does that make the plumber my “subject”? I don’t think so.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#57

Post by hugs »

eh9 wrote: post #53
hugs wrote: post #44

Two rules: Rule #1: Have enough savings in your bank account to pay all your living expenses for at least one year. (Obviously easier said than done.) Rule #2: Follow Rule #1. (If you do, you'll have time to figure everything else out. That might mean finding a new job.)

Most Americans don’t have $1000 in savings.

Like I said, easier said than done. Having at least a year's worth of savings is a path to psychology safety while working in tech, which is what they were asking about. I learned this lesson earlier in my career during the Dot Com Bust when I, too, didn't have $1000 in savings.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#58

Post by type4 »

seneca wrote: post #43
type4 wrote: post #25

Camaraderie is an illusion with management or your boss. We're not comrades, we're their subjects. We can have comradeship with our peers, of course, but that's unlikely to provide a safety net where none of us are unionized. So no, I don't feel safe. I smile and say polite things when they mention how great the company is or how the sales are, or what a great year it will be!(how will any of this benefit me, besides…

Referring to yourself as a "subject" is a very unhealthy worldview. There are a lot of bad bosses, but there are a lot of great ones who regularly put their neck on the line for the teams they serve. It sounds like you've had some bad experiences, but you should not generalize them to the whole world.

Well, could go either way on the healthy/unhealthiness of it. I would argue that it's accurate though. I've had good bosses too! They're not demons, just doing their job. It doesn't change that relation between us though: I'm subject to their whim, for payment. We're not peers, not collaborators, it's a hierarchical relationship of dependence with clear boundaries. I recognize the lines can be more blurred with more layers of management in large corporate structures, when the direct manager is subject to similar pressures that the end-worker is under.

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#59

Post by grugagag »

eh9 wrote: post #53
hugs wrote: post #44

Two rules: Rule #1: Have enough savings in your bank account to pay all your living expenses for at least one year. (Obviously easier said than done.) Rule #2: Follow Rule #1. (If you do, you'll have time to figure everything else out. That might mean finding a new job.)

Most Americans don’t have $1000 in savings.

SEs should have more though

Re: Ask HN: Do you feel psychological safety at your job?

#60

Post by grugagag »

djstein wrote: post #21

nope. I spoke to HR regarding this after my manager threatened to fire the whole team and said we could not take vacation the entirety of next year. This was after repeated similar comments and hostility. I was promptly let go this week. So to be clear, don’t talk to HR either if you feel unsafe.

HR is never your friend!!
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