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Doing Everyone Else's Job

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Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#51

Post by HolyLampshade »

LtWorf wrote: post #50
dmurray wrote: post #35

One of the things I hate about my current job is that it's impossible to do this. Everything is locked behind multiple layers of permissions. It takes weeks to get the correct permissions set up even for my actual job (which I see any time changing roles here, or when onboarding new hires). Getting the permissions to jump in and improve some other part of the system that I don't officially own - even though I might g…

I worked at a company where you could do it, but some people take fixes as insults to their mother's honour, so all in all probably on a personal level it is best to avoid doing it.

I’ve only worked in a single company where it really worked out, and it took a massive amount of work to massage egos on both sides of the “fix” (one side sees their hammer tool and wants to fix everything with it, and the other has the mother’s honor issue). You really had to spend time with both parties helping them understand things were a certain way for a reason, but that there were always small changes that could improve things.

Encouraging the inverse of fixing relationship helped both parties as well.

That said, I’ve worked in a few other shops that either had the permissions/compartmentalization shit show as a permanent blocker, or were just completely devoid of a culture encouraging people to care about anything beyond their own career/fiefdom. I absolutely despise both cases.

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#52

Post by ShadowOfThePit »

phtrivier wrote: post #24

In case the author reads this : I suspect I agree with some of the ideas (or at least they're though provoking), but the writing does not help. The comma count is a hint ;) (I had to parse a few paragraphs several times to get the idea.)

Huh, that's close to my own writing style.

But you are right, it's becomes an issue when three sentences make up a 100+ word paragraph lol

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#53

Post by krenel »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #49
phtrivier wrote: post #24

In case the author reads this : I suspect I agree with some of the ideas (or at least they're though provoking), but the writing does not help. The comma count is a hint ;) (I had to parse a few paragraphs several times to get the idea.)

I got in the habit of using Oxford Commas[0]. Not everyone loves them, and I sometimes need to go back, and uncomma stuff. I got in the habit, because it is better for technical specifications. It makes it clear, to which word an "and" applies. I think it makes reading prose a bit awkward, though. I've noticed that LLMs really don't seem to like using commas, in general. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma

I liked the book “Writing in short sentences”. You end up with condensed ideas. The output text is easy to read.

I’m suggesting you to check it out. Then incorporate anything that resonates with you :)

Good article, btw!

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#54

Post by moffers »

This was refreshing to read. I’m a big believer in getting things done especially when some process or people get in your way. In my experience people usually understand “oh this person is trying to make things better so this arbitrary process should take a backseat here”. Even people only working the clock will work with you if you frame it well.

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#55

Post by tacticalturtle »

tristor wrote: post #46
tomaskafka wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what doctors do in Czech Republic - mandatory journey through hospital departments taking about 2.5 years.

This is also part of the system for doctors in the US, it's called residency. During residency rotations the residents (who have already graduated medical school) go through structured clinical training with patients within each medical specialty, supervised by an attending physician.

> go through structured clinical training with patients within each medical specialty, supervised by an attending physician

No, residency is within a specific specialty only.

It’s more like the clinical rotations that occur in year 3 and 4 of medical school in the U.S.

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#56

Post by randusername »

> I believe that not only do 20% of the people do 80% of the work, but that all this work only achieves its ultimate goals thanks to the I don't know that I've ever felt so validated by a HN submission.

I am definitely one of those suckers that does extra work others will not do. It isn't altruistic, I just can't motivate myself to work at all if my tasks are stupid. The problem is that at any sufficiently large organization many of the tasks are stupid because hardly anyone is on the same page.

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#57

Post by moomoo11 »

LtWorf wrote: post #50
dmurray wrote: post #35

One of the things I hate about my current job is that it's impossible to do this. Everything is locked behind multiple layers of permissions. It takes weeks to get the correct permissions set up even for my actual job (which I see any time changing roles here, or when onboarding new hires). Getting the permissions to jump in and improve some other part of the system that I don't officially own - even though I might g…

I worked at a company where you could do it, but some people take fixes as insults to their mother's honour, so all in all probably on a personal level it is best to avoid doing it.

such companies deserve to fail and the most honorable thing you can do is find another job or start a competitor.

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#58

Post by elmo-shrugged »

mitxela wrote: post #36
tomaskafka wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what doctors do in Czech Republic - mandatory journey through hospital departments taking about 2.5 years.

I think this is done in the USA too.

I've been at U.S. companies that paid lip service to this flexible sort of coverage, but once you are actually useful in the dept you're in, your boss never wants to let you go because upper management didn't build in the redundancy to the headcount to ensure you'd be effectively replaced...

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#59

Post by everforward »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #27

I worked for a Japanese corporation, and a big part of their HR policy, was to move staff around the company. It was usually in 1- or 2-year stints (people would spend their entire careers at the company, so they could do this). Eventually, they would end up doing longer stints, where they would specialize. They would couple this with things like standardized coding and documentation styles, common tools, etc. Traini…

It also relies on lifelong tenure, which would be a huge cultural shift for both employers and employees. Employees are often used to quitting rather than having to fix business issues (easier to quit than make the business fix X), and businesses are largely used to mistreating their employees because they can be replaced.

We’re culturally very far from even being able to attempt that.

Re: Doing Everyone Else's Job

#60

Post by cm2012 »

dmurray wrote: post #35

One of the things I hate about my current job is that it's impossible to do this. Everything is locked behind multiple layers of permissions. It takes weeks to get the correct permissions set up even for my actual job (which I see any time changing roles here, or when onboarding new hires). Getting the permissions to jump in and improve some other part of the system that I don't officially own - even though I might g…

Companies underestimate how much this murders productivity. All friction compounds.
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