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Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

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Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#21

Post by lenkite »

throwaway45501 wrote: post #17
foepys wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And people wonder why birth rates are falling and people are afraid to make long term commitments. Corporations like this don't deserve any loyalty. If I worked there and anybody offered to pay me even a few percent more, I'd leave in a heartbeat. I probably wouldn't even work hard, only the bare minimum to not get fired, because why should I? In conservative media this this is being spun as "nobody wants to work any…

Do you keep paying a plumber once they complete their job? As employee I enter into mutually beneficial (and in case of IT and FAANG - extremely beneficial) contract knowing that I can be fired once the company deems my services no longer necessary. The backlash comes from highest educated, best skilled people who received high salaries and who have great prospects of being hired again quickly. Why they suffer? Shoul…

> Do you keep paying a plumber once they complete their job?

What an utterly stupid analogy. You never hired the Plumber as an Employee in the first place.

They layed off female employees on maternity leave just as they gave birth to children. No payout for the remainder of their maternity leave. That also contradicts your assertion of whether FAANG employees were making children btw. Google was horrendously cruel here.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#22

Post by rightbyte »

throwaway45501 wrote: post #17
foepys wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And people wonder why birth rates are falling and people are afraid to make long term commitments. Corporations like this don't deserve any loyalty. If I worked there and anybody offered to pay me even a few percent more, I'd leave in a heartbeat. I probably wouldn't even work hard, only the bare minimum to not get fired, because why should I? In conservative media this this is being spun as "nobody wants to work any…

Do you keep paying a plumber once they complete their job? As employee I enter into mutually beneficial (and in case of IT and FAANG - extremely beneficial) contract knowing that I can be fired once the company deems my services no longer necessary. The backlash comes from highest educated, best skilled people who received high salaries and who have great prospects of being hired again quickly. Why they suffer? Shoul…

> Do you keep paying a plumber once they complete their job?

The analogy is flawed.

You pay him until he completes his job. Or he will be pissed.

Google is telling the plumber to leave before the agreed upon work is done.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#23

Post by kenjackson »

DanHulton wrote: post #10

"Don't be evil."

Google has done a lot of less than good things recently. This is honestly probably the first thing I’d classify as evil with no nuance.

The only possible way I’d think this is justified is if Google would have to file bankruptcy if they didn’t do this.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#24

Post by nullcipher »

rektide wrote: post #12
throwaway45501 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it the company's responsibility to keep employees that are no longer necessary? I don't understand that. Did Google or any other company promised these people that they will be hired forever? Google hired them and paid them very cushy salaries. What am I missing? I really don't understand the discussion around those recent layoffs.

A company has a basic obligation to only do what makes sense, not what is superfluous. Mis-hiring a ton of people to only let lots of people go shows a untrustworthy dishonest shallow character. Maybe in some cases companies honestly fuck up, but most of the time it just looks like the idiotic cancer of growth at all costs attitude, a delusional nature. The infinite quintupling down that seems to be the one & only mo…

> Mis-hiring a ton of people to only let lots of people go shows a untrustworthy dishonest shallow character.

How many people in HN do you think have moved out of gmail/google ? The answer is obvious - very few have. So, we have two theories:

* Either, most people don't think what you said is true.

* Alternately, people think what you think is true but don't care enough. This is like workers in china etc. This is just moral high standing. Expecting great character but not making a change oneself.

So, yeah, nothing will change. 100% sure.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#25

Post by kenjackson »

throwaway45501 wrote: post #17
foepys wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And people wonder why birth rates are falling and people are afraid to make long term commitments. Corporations like this don't deserve any loyalty. If I worked there and anybody offered to pay me even a few percent more, I'd leave in a heartbeat. I probably wouldn't even work hard, only the bare minimum to not get fired, because why should I? In conservative media this this is being spun as "nobody wants to work any…

Do you keep paying a plumber once they complete their job? As employee I enter into mutually beneficial (and in case of IT and FAANG - extremely beneficial) contract knowing that I can be fired once the company deems my services no longer necessary. The backlash comes from highest educated, best skilled people who received high salaries and who have great prospects of being hired again quickly. Why they suffer? Shoul…

A better analogy is you pay your nanny to fly to Australia with you. You lay her off in Australia and get a refund on her return flight since she no longer works for you — she can find her own way back to the US.

And key here IMO is she is laid off without cause.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#26

Post by rektide »

throwaway45501 wrote: post #19
rektide wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A company has a basic obligation to only do what makes sense, not what is superfluous. Mis-hiring a ton of people to only let lots of people go shows a untrustworthy dishonest shallow character. Maybe in some cases companies honestly fuck up, but most of the time it just looks like the idiotic cancer of growth at all costs attitude, a delusional nature. The infinite quintupling down that seems to be the one & only mo…

Business is not your friend, it's not your family. The only goal of business is to make profit. If they can make something good along the way - great, but don't expect them to do it. At this scale it seems very hard to make good decisions. It looks like a lot of companies overestimated their long term needs. Also, they might have hired those employees to prevent competition from hiring them,and it might have been a g…

If businesses did try to align to & respect their workforces these dont-trust-anyone sentiments wouldn't be necessary. And I contend, the business would likely behave much smarter, make less f-ups, make better products and decisions.

Accepting merely a fait-accompli that there is misalignment & operating in negative prisoners-dilemna non-cooperative modes forever is just a shit play. Both sides need to show up & power-share to actually make anything work.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#27

Post by Manheim »

In Scandinavia this is regulated by law. Being on leave does not protect against dismissal in Norway. But the Working Environment Act states that the notice period does not start to run until the leave period has expired. And, the fact that you are on leave cannot in itself be used by the employer as a reason for dismissal.

So, if Google had laid off a worker in Norway who was on leave, they wouldn't have much choice but to stand by their obligations.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#28

Post by lenkite »

throwaway45501 wrote: post #19
rektide wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A company has a basic obligation to only do what makes sense, not what is superfluous. Mis-hiring a ton of people to only let lots of people go shows a untrustworthy dishonest shallow character. Maybe in some cases companies honestly fuck up, but most of the time it just looks like the idiotic cancer of growth at all costs attitude, a delusional nature. The infinite quintupling down that seems to be the one & only mo…

Business is not your friend, it's not your family. The only goal of business is to make profit. If they can make something good along the way - great, but don't expect them to do it. At this scale it seems very hard to make good decisions. It looks like a lot of companies overestimated their long term needs. Also, they might have hired those employees to prevent competition from hiring them,and it might have been a g…

> Business is not your friend, it's not your family. The only goal of business is to make profit. If they can make something good along the way - great, but don't expect them to do it.

Yep, this is what the robber baron capitalists of the USA also used to believe - profit at the expense of human life. You are simply proving the point here that the only way to win is civil dis-obedience. Boycott, blockade, unionize and make these modern robber barons pay. Unless they feel the pinch they will not change.

Believing in profit at the expense of all other considerations only kick-starts a revolution.

Re: Google nixes paying out rest of medical leave for laid-off employees

#29

Post by rektide »

nullcipher wrote: post #24
rektide wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A company has a basic obligation to only do what makes sense, not what is superfluous. Mis-hiring a ton of people to only let lots of people go shows a untrustworthy dishonest shallow character. Maybe in some cases companies honestly fuck up, but most of the time it just looks like the idiotic cancer of growth at all costs attitude, a delusional nature. The infinite quintupling down that seems to be the one & only mo…

> Mis-hiring a ton of people to only let lots of people go shows a untrustworthy dishonest shallow character. How many people in HN do you think have moved out of gmail/google ? The answer is obvious - very few have. So, we have two theories: * Either, most people don't think what you said is true. * Alternately, people think what you think is true but don't care enough. This is like workers in china etc. This is jus…

Absurd & bizarre connection you draw. Companies that wish to continue forever face rot. Sometimes it's from over-retaining. But usually IMO it's from under-valuing & under-attending to the people making the meat.

The impact won't show up in a quarter, or maybe even 4, but the hollowing out & disenfranchisement of your workforce has real impact, is what makes you a lumbering husk, that might not be in visible decline, but it does make you weak & fragile & with muted senses, makes you less attuned. The cost of being a shit adds up.

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