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"My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

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Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#11

Post by webmobdev »

WesolyKubeczek wrote: post #8
andygrd wrote: post #4

In fairness, we're only hearing one side of the argument here. It's easy enough for anyone to say they're hard-working diligent team players, but we don't know if they're getting the work done! Don't get me wrong, Google are notoriously nasty when you get on the wrong side of management, but to start claiming discrimination is a bit fresh.

Truth be told, there’s this giant argument in support of this side: the person is on H1B work visa. Which makes one think twice before slacking off on the job or whatever they were accused of. Compared to residents, the price for not keeping the job is way too high, so I’d rather assume they really worked their arse off.

A friend from India is a recent immigrant (arrived on H1-B) and is now a US citizen. He is working for a company that also has a lot of fellow indians on H1-B visa. His salary is rougly 50% higher (for the same profile), and he gets to go home by 6 PM while they still slog with all the extra work they are expected to do.

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#12

Post by blip54321 »

webmobdev wrote: post #10
hentrep wrote: post #5

Assuming this one-sided story to be true, let this serve as yet another reminder that Human Resources is designed to protect the employer - not the employee. The cynic in me would go so far as to say one should generally avoid reporting anything to HR at all costs. It almost never works out the way one would hope.

I agree completely that HR mostly exists to protect the management and company, but I wouldn't go as far to say that you should always avoid them - a paper trail with HR often helps with any lawsuit.

HR should be managed. Situations are complex. HR exists to protect the company, but the company isn't necessarily your boss or your direct management. If the CEO is sexually harassing women, and acting racist, HR will probably protect them. Anyone below that? It depends.

Anyone who raises issues is a potential liability risk, so HR is naturally inclined to work people who frivolously raise issues out of the company. Same thing for raising issues in inappropriate ways (e.g. a twitter thread).

At the same time, if someone above you is a /real/ risk, many HR departments do want to know about that. If your boss is sexually harassing women and acting racist, they're a liability to their boss and the company as a whole. Taking bribes? There are ways to manage that through most HR departments.

Most companies have trainings about the types of issues which ought to be raised, the contexts, and how. This is not a general rule, but for my current employer, I think the training is spot-on for what's expected of employees here:

* Raising issues appropriately is exactly the expected thing to do.

* Following up, and expecting they get acted on is not.

HR expects to be able to conduct a discrete investigation. If there isn't evidence, one should expect that nothing will happen except for a paper record. If you were sexually harassed by a manager, but it's a he-said-she-said, that's where it ends. Once a few employees claim they were sexually harassed by the same manager though, that person will be gone.

That's my current employer. I've seen this all over the map. My previous employer, I'd recommend /never/ going to HR.

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#13

Post by smorgusofborg »

webmobdev wrote: post #10
hentrep wrote: post #5

Assuming this one-sided story to be true, let this serve as yet another reminder that Human Resources is designed to protect the employer - not the employee. The cynic in me would go so far as to say one should generally avoid reporting anything to HR at all costs. It almost never works out the way one would hope.

I agree completely that HR mostly exists to protect the management and company, but I wouldn't go as far to say that you should always avoid them - a paper trail with HR often helps with any lawsuit.

And has to be weighted against HR knowing this game better than you and beginning steps to establish the narrative that you are incompetent. If you think you need to sue a company you should probably ask your own lawyer before sending anything to HR.

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#14

Post by WesolyKubeczek »

webmobdev wrote: post #11
WesolyKubeczek wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truth be told, there’s this giant argument in support of this side: the person is on H1B work visa. Which makes one think twice before slacking off on the job or whatever they were accused of. Compared to residents, the price for not keeping the job is way too high, so I’d rather assume they really worked their arse off.

A friend from India is a recent immigrant (arrived on H1-B) and is now a US citizen. He is working for a company that also has a lot of fellow indians on H1-B visa. His salary is rougly 50% higher (for the same profile), and he gets to go home by 6 PM while they still slog with all the extra work they are expected to do.

Lemme guess, the non-cititens also dream of getting residence or citizenship and work humanly hours and go home at six while their slack will be picked up by the next wave of serfs. Bonus if they can boss around some.

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#15

Post by evgen »

andygrd wrote: post #6
andygrd wrote: post #4

In fairness, we're only hearing one side of the argument here. It's easy enough for anyone to say they're hard-working diligent team players, but we don't know if they're getting the work done! Don't get me wrong, Google are notoriously nasty when you get on the wrong side of management, but to start claiming discrimination is a bit fresh.

Also, publicly naming the manager is pretty bad karma. It's like they're anticipating or expecting some Twitter pile on.

Naming their manager in twitter complaint and then asking people to spam every node in the org chart from their manager up to Sundar. Yeah, that is going to get the results you want...

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#17

Post by Ecstatify »

evgen wrote: post #15
andygrd wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, publicly naming the manager is pretty bad karma. It's like they're anticipating or expecting some Twitter pile on.

Naming their manager in twitter complaint and then asking people to spam every node in the org chart from their manager up to Sundar. Yeah, that is going to get the results you want...

Not the best move but at the same time what else is there she can do?

Being young, in your "dream job" and then being told "there’s someone waiting outside to collect your corp devices" without any real explanation. It's 100% HR + Managers fault that this situation has escalated to this.

If a future employer asks for a reference from Google she's screwed.

This whole "don't say anything bad about X, it will reflect badly on you" is how the Epsteins and Weinsteins of the world go undetected for years.

If what she says is true she should probably go to a lawyer and sue.

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#18

Post by manuelabeledo »

webmobdev wrote: post #11
WesolyKubeczek wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truth be told, there’s this giant argument in support of this side: the person is on H1B work visa. Which makes one think twice before slacking off on the job or whatever they were accused of. Compared to residents, the price for not keeping the job is way too high, so I’d rather assume they really worked their arse off.

A friend from India is a recent immigrant (arrived on H1-B) and is now a US citizen. He is working for a company that also has a lot of fellow indians on H1-B visa. His salary is rougly 50% higher (for the same profile), and he gets to go home by 6 PM while they still slog with all the extra work they are expected to do.

Ignoring the fact that H-1B visa holders have to be paid a “prevailing wage”, which makes extremely difficult for them to be 50% underpaid, are you suggesting that your friend has kept the same work profile as recently arrived workers for well over ten years?

I have know Indians who, after almost two decades in the country, finally managed to get ahold a green card. Most I have worked with, have been on H-1B visas for at least eight years. It is hard to believe that someone would have left his or her home country, for a specialized and well paid job in the US, but haven’t progressed at all in the seniority scale in decades.

Re: "My employment at Google was terminated abruptly"

#20

Post by marcellus23 »

webmobdev wrote: post #11
WesolyKubeczek wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Truth be told, there’s this giant argument in support of this side: the person is on H1B work visa. Which makes one think twice before slacking off on the job or whatever they were accused of. Compared to residents, the price for not keeping the job is way too high, so I’d rather assume they really worked their arse off.

A friend from India is a recent immigrant (arrived on H1-B) and is now a US citizen. He is working for a company that also has a lot of fellow indians on H1-B visa. His salary is rougly 50% higher (for the same profile), and he gets to go home by 6 PM while they still slog with all the extra work they are expected to do.

Working hard or being motivated to work hard isn’t the same thing as being a good employee though. We’ve all known employees who work hard (or think they do) but don’t contribute much, or cause problems in other ways.
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