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Googler... ex-Googler

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Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#431

Post by varispeed »

hnlmorg wrote: post #380
scarface_74 wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt the tech workers making three to four times EU wages in the US feel “exploited”. My job is purely transactional. I’ve worked for 10 companies in almost 30 years. I gave them labor and they gave me money. Whenever one side decided the arrangement wasn’t working, I moved on to another job.

You're focusing on one word and missing the meat of my comment. The EU equivalent to US employment in terms of employee rights and pay is contracting. People in IT who take the employment route rather than contracting, do so because they want job security. eg they might have families. And much as you might be happy with your arrangement, there are plenty in the UK and Europe who do prefer longer-term job security ove…

In the UK you have worst of both worlds now - insecurity of contracting and employee level wages, thanks to amended IR35 lobbied by big consultancies.

Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#432

Post by bigfatkitten »

perching_aix wrote: post #271
wiseowise wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weird, as someone from Europe I've never experience anything else. As someone from Europe, I’ve never experienced US salaries. Go figure.

You probably never experienced their working hours either.

As someone who has worked for a string of US companies, 38 hours for me is a busy week.

Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#433

Post by JKCalhoun »

Mond_ wrote: post #136
AndyKelley wrote: post #131

> I really was just a fuckin cog in a mega corp. Yes, you were. Next time, please choose a company that contributes to society rather than shoving ads in everyone's faces.

No need to kick someone while they are down.

Yeah, probably a poorly executed assault, but I felt it was an intent instead to kick Google with that comment.

Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#434

Post by jmyeet »

javawizard wrote: post #396

That was painful to read. I had a very similar experience at Google about a year ago, and the worst part of it was that they did it 2 weeks before I was set to receive a 6-figure retention bonus for sticking around for 2 years after an acquisition. Several other members of my team got the boot at the same time. All of us had come in via that acquisition and were set to receive that bonus, and because of the layoffs,…

You should consult a lawyer about this. You might be SOL but if this happened to several people, you might be able to show the company didn't act in good faith because there's a pattern of people about to receive their bonus being laid off. Layoffs aren't meant to work that way.

Generally layoffs involve someone who doesn't know who you are picking names almost at random from a spreadsheet. Management may fight for certain people to stay. Then legal and HR get involved and look through the layoff list to see if the chosen employees are problematic. For example, if the layoffs include too many people from protected classes, which opens them up to being sued. For example, if your company is 20% women but the layoffs are 50% women, that's going to be an issue.

Avoiding paying substantial retention bonuses can work the same way, if a pattern can be shown.

A simple letter from a lawyer probably won't do anything. Large companies are prepared for that.

For anyone who does come across this, here's my best advice: if you are acquired and your new employment contract includes a retention bonus, you want that contract to say that the retention bonus is payable unless:

1. You leave voluntarily within that period; or

2. You are terminated with cause within that period.

Otherwise, you should get it.

Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#435

Post by JKCalhoun »

quotemstr wrote: post #151

"The magic of first love is our ignorance it can ever end". One of the most difficult realizations you must confront in this industry is that almost everything you build will disappear. It will be ruined, ignored, slandered, and then forgotten. Almost all of your late night epiphanies and bugs conquests will fade anonymously into the anonymous blackbody spectrum entropy demands planet Earth emit. You must come to pea…

“Whatever you do in life will be insignificant but it is very important that you do it.”

― Ghandi

Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#436

Post by jkaplowitz »

friendzis wrote: post #415
jkaplowitz wrote: post #385

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many cases where someone is in practice functioning as a full-time employee are legally employment relationships according to both US and EU law even if the contract and payroll procedures say otherwise, and even if the contractual relationship is directly between a US entity and a worker in the EU. This includes whatever employment rights are supposed to exist, for the number of employees (whether or not misclassifi…

In practice, US tech companies literally buy their way out. They pay such a premium for those independent contractors that there would be no such complaints in the first place.

No complaints based on the amount of pay, maybe.

But for example, someone who is fired or laid off in a way that wouldn’t comply with local employment protections if the employment relationship were correctly classified might assert their misclassification claim so that they can also get compensation for their wrongful termination.

If that happens, then the company not only has to scramble to catch up on the overdue social contributions for the complaining employee and pay any applicable penalties, but also likely have to undergo an audit of their other workers in that country plus the same consequences for them.

There’s a reason why any US tech company that’s big enough to be a juicy financial target tends to do this correctly, and why companies like Deel, Remote.com, and their less tech-branded competitors (such as Velocity Global) are gaining popularity among people who want to do this correctly at smaller scales than those for which it makes sense to set up foreign subsidiaries.

When smaller companies take this particular shortcut, are risking severe financial consequences for the company if the authorities discover it, and in many cases this also comes with personal liability for some of the executives who are neglecting their legal duties.

Re: Googler... ex-Googler

#437

Post by tesch1 »

AstralStorm wrote: post #295
331c8c71 wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Layoffs here are always done in conjunction with the unions. Europe is vastly diverse and your experience is not representative of all Europe.

That's true. But contracts here usually have a set termination time, with a minimum notice time typically required by law, dependent on how long you've been hired at the company. Tends to be one month for below a year, three months beyond a year. As in after a termination there's a period during which you're still supposed to work and collect the salary. Exceptions are B2B contracts (but they still often have one of…

Out of curiosity, why "bastard"? ...if you're being terminated, isn't the best possible outcome that you get your salary but don't have to go to work?
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