Fired • Hacker News Board

Re: Fired

#221

Post by bshimmin » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 9:54 PM UTC

timjahn wrote: post #189

crpatino wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cut expenses, payoff debt, increase savings... on principle. Then when you see the first early warnings, do the same but twice as hard. I am well on track to pay the mortage in 4 years instead of the standard 20, have probably 6 months of expenses in the bank, plus another 2-3 months of expenses in a different account because the wife has begin to have funny ideas about what to do with the extra cash. (I have already…

How are you paying off the mortgage in 1/5 of the time?

By paying off five times more a month than the bank really wants you to when they gave you the money.

(How is he able to do that? By working like a maniac, I guess.)

Re: Fired

#222

Post by ChuckMcM » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 9:55 PM UTC

jghn wrote: post #131

enraged_camel wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>I have often said that companies rarely take it personally when you decide to leave them, so don't take it personally when they decide to leave you. Easy to say and hard to do, like a lot of things in life. People take getting fired personally because, at least in America, a person's job is a huge part of not just their self-identity, but also their social image. So when they lose that job, it's like they lose a pa…

It also often means "we think you suck and you're not worthy of working here". So yes, if someone told me that I was a disgrace, it'd sting a bit. I realize that not everyone fires for that reason these days, particularly in tech, double particularly in SV, but hey. And yes, also companies can take it personally when you leave, or at least people in one's immediate periphery can.

Speaking of my own experience as a manager I've never thought that about anyone I have fired.

Re: Fired

#223

Post by JustSomeNobody » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 9:55 PM UTC

A manager I once worked under told me something. He said, "There should never be any surprises." He meant this for reviews, firings, etc. There should always be an open line of communication and as a manager, if you're doing it right, every person who works under you should know where they stand at all times. They should never have any question or doubt about what's on their review. Period.

Come to think of it, he's one of only a couple of managers I've ever worked for. The rest have been merely bosses.

If you're in management and you can't say this about the relationship you have with your subordinates, you're not doing your job and you should be the one getting fired.

Re: Fired

#224

Post by chris_wot » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 9:58 PM UTC

rbobby wrote: post #160

NateDad wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to clarify.... it's retroactive for 60 days. That means you don't really have to do anything for the first 45-ish, and if you don't need insurance in that time, and you get a new job, you're done. If you do need insurance (break a leg or something), then you can apply then, and it'll take effect retroactively to your departure date. If you get to 45-ish days and still don't have a new job that'll start before th…

Hopefully on day 45 you don't end up in a coma for the next 16 days. Don't mess with your health insurance.

It's posts like these that make me thankful to be in a country with a free health care system.

Re: Fired

#225

Post by gaius » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 10:00 PM UTC

engendered wrote: post #179

gaius wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Getting fired and getting laid off are totally different things. These days there is no stigma attached to the latter.

Aside from the fact that many people use the term interchangeably, getting "laid off" often means "you got fired at a company that doesn't actively fire individually, but rather fires en masse". Being "laid off" from a company like Microsoft is equivalent to being outright fired at many other shops.

No, thats not even remotely true. Look at their mobile division.

Re: Fired

#226

Post by paulhauggis » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 10:01 PM UTC

It's posts like these that remind me why I quit being an employee and started my own business.

As an employee, you could be working on a project for 10 years and have it taken away in an instant.

Re: Fired

#227

Post by icefox » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 10:02 PM UTC

coderintherye wrote: post #7

If nothing else, I'm thankful to Zach for a lot of the guidance he's provided on his blog over the years. When we did a "field trip" to Github thanks to Scott, I shared Zach's quote with the engineers here: "We’re currently at 35 employees and growing, and this approach still works great. But managers love to assign hours for a reason: it gives them the illusion that hours can measure performance. If you don’t go har…

How is Kiva after the Amazon acquisition?

Re: Fired

#228

Post by jamie_ca » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 10:06 PM UTC

timjahn wrote: post #189

crpatino wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cut expenses, payoff debt, increase savings... on principle. Then when you see the first early warnings, do the same but twice as hard. I am well on track to pay the mortage in 4 years instead of the standard 20, have probably 6 months of expenses in the bank, plus another 2-3 months of expenses in a different account because the wife has begin to have funny ideas about what to do with the extra cash. (I have already…

How are you paying off the mortgage in 1/5 of the time?

If you're lucky, you might be able to pay down lump sums of your mortgage every year without penalty.

I have a mortgage through Tangerine (formerly ING) and can pay down 25% of the original amount during any calendar year - assuming I have the cash, and feel that avoiding that interest is better than the return I could otherwise get investing the cash.

Re: Fired

#229

Post by jghn » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 10:06 PM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #222

jghn wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also often means "we think you suck and you're not worthy of working here". So yes, if someone told me that I was a disgrace, it'd sting a bit. I realize that not everyone fires for that reason these days, particularly in tech, double particularly in SV, but hey. And yes, also companies can take it personally when you leave, or at least people in one's immediate periphery can.

Speaking of my own experience as a manager I've never thought that about anyone I have fired.

I think it's less common in the tech world, and as I mentioned it's even less common in the current SV scene. However I'd wager if you asked 100 people what would cause someone to be fired, generally it's that the person was incompetent.

Re: Fired

#230

Post by pbh101 » Fri, Mar 06, 2015, 10:06 PM UTC

NateDad wrote: post #124

cylinder wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We have mandatory unemployment insurance which pays pretty well. These are well-paid white collar professionals, they should be saving up emergency funds. I'm more worried about the safety net for low- and mid-income workers, as well as the fact that health insurance is tied to your employment.

Uh, have you been on unemployment? There's a max. In Massachusetts it's $698 / week (with no taxes taken out). That would only barely cover my mortgage, let alone car payment, food, health insurance, etc. And yes, people should have emergency funds... but when you were a few years out of college, did you have 3-6 months of salary saved up? I certainly didn't.

>but when you were a few years out of college, did you have 3-6 months of salary saved up?

Absolutely. This was my first priority. This is personal finance 101 (though I'd replace 'salary' with 'expenses'). I realize not everybody is able to do it, but for many in this forum it would be an issue of prioritization.