The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go • Hacker News Board

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#101

Post by TylerE » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 1:38 AM UTC

altern8 wrote: post #82

pebble wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less efficient or less profitable? Also I'm gonna need to see some references for those claims in your last paragraph. Funnily enough it's the couriers working for the private companies that I see looking more and more dead inside recently. So, yknow, anecdote for an anecdote.

I would say both less efficient and less profitable. If you're saying FedEx people are also depressed, then maybe it's just delivering boxes that's the problem? But I think it's pretty safe to say that there is nobody more pissed off than post office workers. Are they nice in Estonia? Luckily I do most stuff online nowadays but when I have to go to the post office it's always an awful experience.

If you're talking about the US, you're glossing over a couple of really important points. The USPS is required to provide universal service. I'm sure providing service to NYC and SF is extremely profitable, and providing service to rural Iowa where the cows outnumber the humans 100:1 isn't. USPS doesn't get to pick and choose.

FedEx and UPS do... and in fact in those rural communities often uses the USPS for last mile service.

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#102

Post by TylerE » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 1:39 AM UTC

altern8 wrote: post #94

pebble wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say it's more likely that the hours and wages are the problem. A few grumpy delivery workers aside, most people in Estonia are nice in general. You should come visit :) I don't know where you are but consider that the reasons your postal workers are pissed of may go deeper than simply being government employed. Could it be your state-owned services are being managed in way that makes their workers unhappy bec…

I'm in Poland, but I'm from Italy and I've lived in the U.S. for a few years. Worst post offices in Italy by far, but Poland and U.S. pretty similar. Other low-paying jobs don't seem to generate the same amount of unhappiness. I have no idea what the reason is, to me it's just that governments can't do anything right because they're too big with no oversight. That's why I was complaining about socialism, anywhere I'v…

Source on 'poorly paid'? In the US starting salary for a USPS carrier is $24/hr. FexEx starting pay is $17/hr.

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#103

Post by eudamoniac » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 3:14 AM UTC

I don't get how OP has 10 years of full stack experience and thinks that sums to zero marketable skills.

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#104

Post by eudamoniac » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 3:19 AM UTC

appreciatorBus wrote: post #93

mjamesaustin wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At a minimum any commute is extra unpaid time you have to spend for no benefit. For many people where I live, commutes can be an hour or more each way.

We should abolish zoning so that people can live closer to work.

Ok great, now let's talk about the real world we currently live in

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#105

Post by happymellon » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 6:34 AM UTC

josefritzishere wrote: post #65

I look forward to the day that AI slop is embarrassing for executives. We're at an inflection point for the herd mentality moment where they're dreaming of mass layoffs. When AI proves incapable of delivering ROI the wave will roll back.

Did we get any embarrassment from all the 2000s outsourcing that went to the cheapest sweatshop, and then slowly rolled back when they realised that you need to have expertise?

Thinking that you can do this without skills has been here before, and it'll come around again after the executives take the money and run.

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#106

Post by happymellon » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 6:44 AM UTC

rdbl27 wrote: post #11

pebble wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

[flagged]

Do you mean socialism, or communism?

Because socialism has definitely not been "far worse". Cooperatives and employee owned businesses can be great for workers and incentivises them to work towards investing in their work without the rent seeking C levels.

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#107

Post by altern8 » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 7:26 AM UTC

Henchman21 wrote: post #99

altern8 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK, so there's capitalism, socialism, communism can't really exist, and then the Blackfoot Indians..?

You asked for a thing to research. So go do that and report back. Maybe it’s bullshit. Maybe you’ll do some research, be inspired, and change the whole world. I dunno. I’m not an economist… have you asked an economist? Edited to add: hey I found a use for AI; here’s a prompt for your favorite model: “What economic systems have humans devised over the course of recorded history?” :)

I did.

You implied in your first comment that being against capitalism didn't mean being in favor or socialism, but it is because they're the only modern economic systems.

So, I guess I can keep going without changing my mind.

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#108

Post by fc417fc802 » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 7:33 AM UTC

happytoexplain wrote: post #24

bossyTeacher wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You must look around and see the lack of men, and force yourself to become one. What exactly does this mean?

"Men" is colloquially used here to mean "decent people", "strong people", "principled people", etc. It's a generic positive description ("Be a man", "Man up"). Younger generations might bristle at this use of the word, and that's fine, but try to give the benefit of the doubt (in fact, it's a rule on HN).

Giving the benefit of the doubt can only come after one understands what was said. Case in point, asking someone to clarify should be assumed to be a good faith question that comes from a place of ignorance. (And to your credit you did indeed provide an explanation.)

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#109

Post by selfhoster1312 » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 7:34 AM UTC

The answer is "simple": invest your energy in a workers union. Respect working law, and don't let the boss/manager overstep boundaries. Depending on your jurisdiction, this may mean that you can refuse extra hours, that you have no obligation to answer calls/emails outside of working hours, etc.

You should document everything the bosses are doing, because in many countries firing people for not magically becoming more productive is highly illegal. And workplace harassment is highly illegal.

Build up your power with your colleagues, stay strong and solidarity will prevail!

Re: The company I work for is losing all of its humanity, I don't know where to go

#110

Post by hyperman1 » Sat, Jun 06, 2026, 7:50 AM UTC

happytoexplain wrote: post #24

bossyTeacher wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You must look around and see the lack of men, and force yourself to become one. What exactly does this mean?

"Men" is colloquially used here to mean "decent people", "strong people", "principled people", etc. It's a generic positive description ("Be a man", "Man up"). Younger generations might bristle at this use of the word, and that's fine, but try to give the benefit of the doubt (in fact, it's a rule on HN).

As an older generation man, I've tried to understand the touchiness here. This is dangerous territory, so I hope you try to read my intent here, even if the packaging is not as strong as I want it to be.

The best analogy I can come up with is the smurf village: Every smurf has an identity, describing a bunch of mannerism. Baker smurf, strong smurf, joke smurf ... The smurfette is both the only adult female and a separate identity. Her existence in a children's story serves to demonstrate to young humans how the female identity is supposed to work.

I think the smurf village echos a deep human archetype. A man is someone who can choose his identity. He is unbound. A woman is a man with an already fixed identity. She can't choose to be e.g. a baker as primary identity, her choice is made already.

While simplified, there is some truth in this worldview, and people, especially woman, are correct to protest teaching this archetype to new generations.

In the same way, the poster above uses 'Be a man' to probably mean something like: 'Be brave enough to choose a new identity'. Which is a valid message, but needs an implied ([*] woman are also men here) when this archetype is considered.