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At this company, we are family

pboyd.io

141–150 of 343 posts

Re: At this company, we are family

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Family" doesn't mean employing you past the point it makes sense Actually family does mean that, literally. It makes absolutely no sense to use this term in a business context.

Apologies if I didn't make this super clear. I agree that the "family" metaphor breaks down around termination of employment (whether initiated by employee or employer) What I was trying to say in the line you quoted, that IN THE WORK CONTEXT nobody uses family to imply permanent employment - it's strictly about how you are with each other while there. Which is still a big deal.

No one should use "family" at work, it's as the other commenter put, creepy. You can treat people with respect and trust without taking on a para-familial relationship with them, that's super inappropriate and exploitative (although sadly all too common).

Re: At this company, we are family

#142

Companies with these terms in job postings are usually a red flag, but don’t be too judgmental: >We are family! No boundaries, underpaid, nepotism, etc. >Fast paced working environment! Mostly toxic environment. >Attention to details! “Big boss” will scream at you for silly things. >Will require working overtime if needed! Self explanatory. >Fun loving, company culture activities, etc. Your typical kindergarten offic…

>open office style

"Loud panopticum"

Re: At this company, we are family

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in the UK, income tax is 45%, and you still cannot rely on either of public education or public healthcare, at least if you want something of good quality.

US income tax inclusive of state taxes rolls to something like 33%...but then you have health insurance that, for many is FAR greater than 12%. If you include the cost of what your taxes get you, it is far greater than in the US. Keep in mind that even with health insurance people still get multi-hundred dollar medical bills. Broken bones? Min of $1500.

A private consultation is typically 200 GBP in London, any minor injury would easily cost you around the amount you say.

Or you can go to A&E and wait 8 hours, and have it be free.

Re: At this company, we are family

#144
post #16

I especially like the very American "I ask that you refrain from discussing your termination with any social contacts made through your membership in the family [...] Failure to comply may result in your severance being terminated early or withheld entirely." In (most of ?) Europe, this severance is law and not debatable (as discovered by Musk recently), so this sentence would be outright illegal. You can talk about…

"You should fight for some more rights sometime" comes across as pretty condescending, regardless of the trailing emoticon. And unduly self- congratulatory, too--just as it's not within the realm of possibility for the average American worker to change the system they've inherited, it's unlikely that you yourself did a great deal to further the labor-rights regime of Western Europe.

Re: At this company, we are family

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in the UK, income tax is 45%, and you still cannot rely on either of public education or public healthcare, at least if you want something of good quality.

It is 20% up to 37k, 40% after that through 125k, and 45% after that. The US federal income tax is graduated much more finely but hits 12% between 10k and 42k and 22% from there to 89k, and 24% until 140k. This neglects any state income or sales tax as well.

The highest band is the only one that matters really, at least if we're talking about people that could freely choose to work in either country at top tech companies.

Re: At this company, we are family

#146
post #129

I have seen reports of how things go in "old money" families. It doesn't look at all like the idea we make of families. They have access to vast amounts of resources, but family members don't have free access, far from it. There is council that decides how the funds are allocated, and when family members need some, they need to pitch how they are going to use it, and the expected returns. And if some family members a…

That sounds fascinating, a whole world I know nothing about. Would you mind pointing me at where I could read more?

Re: At this company, we are family

#147
post #16

I especially like the very American "I ask that you refrain from discussing your termination with any social contacts made through your membership in the family [...] Failure to comply may result in your severance being terminated early or withheld entirely." In (most of ?) Europe, this severance is law and not debatable (as discovered by Musk recently), so this sentence would be outright illegal. You can talk about…

As you so sarcastically point out, Americans give up many employment rights such as these. But it's not a one-way street. Being easier to fire makes American employees easier to hire, which is at least in part responsible for much higher pay in the USA compared to employee havens such as Europe. Furthermore, Americans tend to pay less tax. This isn't usually thought of as an employee rights issue, but in my mind, kee…

Whether Americans pay less in tax is debatable once all taxation is included.

Whether Americans pay far more for health insurance, and whether they're far more likely to be bankrupted by a health crisis, has a very straightforward answer: "yes."

Privatised social services - most obviously health, but also some utilities, transport systems, rented housing, and so on - are de facto corporate taxes.

Americans are subjected to constant and insistent "private good, government bad" propaganda from birth, so it's not always easy to get this point across.

Even so. If you're being forced to pay for essential services, and those services are unaffordable and/or may bankrupt you, you would - unquestionably - find that public ownership would be significantly less precarious and more affordable.

Re: At this company, we are family

#148
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not convinced Americans pay less in taxes. When you include state taxes, social security from the employee and employer, then it starts to look like much less of a difference. When you include health insurance and college education, Americans get much less value. I do agree with the first half of your comment. American labor laws make it easier to fire which allows employers to take more risk in hiring.

If Europeans had to pay to defend their own international shipping routes their taxes would be exorbinant.

In the real life (instead of the heads of famous youtubers), piracy is fought on each country, by the local country. That's agreed upon by almost every country on the world, and the ones that don't agree or don't hold their part are cut from the global economy.

Despite what a famous youtuber like to preach, the US participation is on the US and very few countries that explicitly call for help. And when countries need help, it's not usually the US that they ask first.

Re: At this company, we are family

#149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you live in the UK, income tax is 45%, and you still cannot rely on either of public education or public healthcare, at least if you want something of good quality.

It is 20% up to 37k, 40% after that through 125k, and 45% after that. The US federal income tax is graduated much more finely but hits 12% between 10k and 42k and 22% from there to 89k, and 24% until 140k. This neglects any state income or sales tax as well.

US sales taxes are about half of most European countries, which have VAT.

Re: At this company, we are family

#150

My first job was with a "we are a family" company, they used stupid names for the employees internally but also in the job post, together with an emoji spam that couldn't say "how you do fellow kids?" any harder, ask to "see yourself like an entrepreneur" and "be the leader of your own ideas" obviously taking far less than the actual company owners. After a while I had to resign due to mental health problem manifesti…

> To this day I still wonder if I was really the one unprofessional

As someone who has been in a similar place, I wouldn't think this would be any less professional than if you got in an auto accident, had to be bed-bound for several months, the company couldn't let you work remotely and you had to leave.

Depression's a bitch, it makes you want to not seek out care and makes you more likely to interpret anything in the most negative way. Try to not be too hard on yourself for how you had to handle yourself, for all you know those two extra weeks could have caused you to need to be hospitalized or slowed down treatment.

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