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Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

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Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#31

Post by jonfw »

> Meta has even implemented limits on how often these workers hired as remote are allowed to come into the office

right now there is a big logistics problem with bringing teams back to the office. Office campuses were never designed for 100% occupancy, some percentage of teams are going to be on vacation, traveling, sick, or WFH.

Managers know this and they're leveraging it against their bosses as an explanation for why they can't force their teams back in the office- there's not enough space!

So the property management folks are getting squeezed to figure out how to fit 1000 people in an 800 person building, even though they'll realistically never see more than 500 at once.

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#32

Post by bartwr »

gardenhedge wrote: post #19
afavour wrote: post #12

The only real answer here is "who knows?". It's often said that tech workers have no need for unions and (not to reopen that box yet again!) this is exactly the kind of scenario where tech workers could benefit from union representation, even if they're highly paid. Absent that these companies can do more or less whatever they want with remote workers, they're not a protected class.

I'm in a union and got a 1.5% raise, benefits have decreased and we're forced into hybrid working. I'm in a country where I can't just be fired without notice so that union doesnt do much for me there either. I'm just pointing out that unions don't mean you get everything you want.

That last sentence is a total strawman. Unions are not there so you get everything you want. They are there to turn individual negotiations and protection into group and collective one. So it's not just a single junior programmer fighting for their rights, but potentially all company SWEs fighting for this junior programmer rights.

If Meta faced a complete strike similar to writers' strike, their workers could achieve similar goals like writers did.

Or not - but nobody promises it, that's silly.

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#33

Post by codr7 »

HenryBemis wrote: post #15

I have colleagues (in Europe) that actively run a second job in parallel (contracting). One was a programme manager in the country that I am (EU) and at the same time was also running a programme in Saudi Arabia. He enjoyed the 'teleworking', and he had to go to the office 1 day per week and 1 day per month in Riyadh. The local 1d per week, was 4.30-5.00 on Fridays (yes it counted as normal day). For the Riyadh gig h…

I don't, but why shouldn't they be allowed if they're able to pull it off and still perform adequately?

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#34

Post by fzeroracer »

keikobadthebad wrote: post #3

Something you have to understand about being remote - at any time, this was true decades ago - is that you are not there when people talk and you can't correct them or defend yourself. People with commutes and requirements to be under the eyes of management resent those who don't have that problem and can all agree on that. Remote gigs will always be more tenuous than prison-jobs.

When I worked at my prior job there always office politics at play. People would send slack messages, emails, whatever and gossip even if you were sitting right next to them. Even if you corrected them or defended yourself, then you become stuckup or snobby etc.

If you're in an environment where people are treating you like that, remote or not, it's not due to how you work. You just have shitty coworkers or managers.

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#35

Post by toyg »

gardenhedge wrote: post #19
afavour wrote: post #12

The only real answer here is "who knows?". It's often said that tech workers have no need for unions and (not to reopen that box yet again!) this is exactly the kind of scenario where tech workers could benefit from union representation, even if they're highly paid. Absent that these companies can do more or less whatever they want with remote workers, they're not a protected class.

I'm in a union and got a 1.5% raise, benefits have decreased and we're forced into hybrid working. I'm in a country where I can't just be fired without notice so that union doesnt do much for me there either. I'm just pointing out that unions don't mean you get everything you want.

You can't be fired because, at one point in time, unions did their job well. The problem is that, nowadays, they often don't, but nobody wants to fix the state of things.

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#36

Post by TheArcane »

gspencley wrote: post #16

I personally don't care what FAANG does. They all sound like horrible companies to work for, and I don't care for the products they produce either. I was working remotely before the pandemic and will continue to work remotely in the future. It's great that we have more opportunities now than before, but they always existed. So what the "mainstream" or "big tech" world does in current year is their own business. I won…

this is the way

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#37

Post by Aeolun »

bartwr wrote: post #32
gardenhedge wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in a union and got a 1.5% raise, benefits have decreased and we're forced into hybrid working. I'm in a country where I can't just be fired without notice so that union doesnt do much for me there either. I'm just pointing out that unions don't mean you get everything you want.

That last sentence is a total strawman. Unions are not there so you get everything you want. They are there to turn individual negotiations and protection into group and collective one. So it's not just a single junior programmer fighting for their rights, but potentially all company SWEs fighting for this junior programmer rights. If Meta faced a complete strike similar to writers' strike, their workers could achiev…

Yeah, so no union often turns out better for me because I ask for more.

Re: Will workers hired as Remote all be laid off in next wave?

#40

Post by noam_compsci »

gspencley wrote: post #16

I personally don't care what FAANG does. They all sound like horrible companies to work for, and I don't care for the products they produce either. I was working remotely before the pandemic and will continue to work remotely in the future. It's great that we have more opportunities now than before, but they always existed. So what the "mainstream" or "big tech" world does in current year is their own business. I won…

Such a breath of fresh air to read this. I choose to work remote and only look at companies that do that.

My first was Canonical. Since then I worked at a startup and when they went office first, I left even though I had not fully vested. I choose life over career and its a tough choice at times but I’m happy with it :)

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