41–50 of 53 posts
I'm Spanish and I approve this article! I didn't knew that there was a "Spanish Management Theory" ;), it seems we are just giving the world awesome things... like the Spanish Flu.
At first glance, I read that as Spanish Fly. Another awesome thing from Spain...
I'm in a situation now where, instead of walking 10min / day back and forth to the office my boss is expecting me to commute on buses and trains 4hrs / day (not exaggerating). I consider this extra commuting time as unpaid overtime (up to 20hrs a week, even though I'm not "working") and hence want to deal with it as this article says I should: "No way, I quit". Yet I feel bad about this; what would you do?
This meme about how unfair it is that programmers work unpaid overtime is starting to drive me nuts. I've been in big stodgy software company where everyone worked exactly 8 hours, and the whole company filed out the door at 5pm as if a factory whistle had blown. I've also worked at a smallish software company where the norm was at least 10 or 11 hours a day, and half the programmers came in on Saturdays and Sundays…
There is nothing wrong with working 10 or 11 hours, if you want to. The problem is when programmers DON'T want to stay overtime. Have you read "In Praise of Idleness" by Bertrand Russell? It raises some interesting questions. http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
This meme about how unfair it is that programmers work unpaid overtime is starting to drive me nuts. I've been in big stodgy software company where everyone worked exactly 8 hours, and the whole company filed out the door at 5pm as if a factory whistle had blown. I've also worked at a smallish software company where the norm was at least 10 or 11 hours a day, and half the programmers came in on Saturdays and Sundays…
For the reason why, read peopleware, or http://www.igda.org/why-crunch-modes-doesnt-work-six-lessons
It keeps amazing me how clearly peopleware spells out how you're supposed to manage software teams, and how few teams are actually managed that way.
I'm in a situation now where, instead of walking 10min / day back and forth to the office my boss is expecting me to commute on buses and trains 4hrs / day (not exaggerating). I consider this extra commuting time as unpaid overtime (up to 20hrs a week, even though I'm not "working") and hence want to deal with it as this article says I should: "No way, I quit". Yet I feel bad about this; what would you do?
There even a not written rule in Spanish companies: «you never leave the work office before your boss». Effort in Spain only correlates to the time spent in the office and not with results. That is the reason why telecommuting never really took off in Spain.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Based on the comments and complains I heard and read online (in other words: it's only my wild theory) what it seems specific of programmers is the willingness to comply, without trying to negotiate. Maybie it's because the ideal is passionate effort instead of detached profesionalism, or maybie it's because programmers are just a 'quiet bunch'.
It's also the lack of unionization.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is nothing wrong with working 10 or 11 hours, if you want to. The problem is when programmers DON'T want to stay overtime. Have you read "In Praise of Idleness" by Bertrand Russell? It raises some interesting questions. http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html
There is something wrong with working 11 hours on a constant basis. Peak performance is realized on a 40 hour schedule. Doing more hours just gets less work done in more time, even if it doesn't seem that way. Those extra 3 hours are better spent playing video games, because then they produce some value, as opposed to no value. Of course, crunching works, and there are times to do that, but you can't crunch all the t…
Somehow, filling chairs seems to be important. Management doesn't take into account the number of hours I think about the software development problems we face and their possible solutions and researching and evaluating how others have solved similar problems in the past. If I were to reserve doing this while in my seat, management and others in the organization would get mad since I wasn't actively typing away on my keyboard. It's also way more difficult to concentrate and remain undistracted in a busy office where people think you are readily available at any moment to answer any question (important or not) that they might have.
This has been addressed before too... managers schedule vs makers schedule.
Also, I prefer and believe I'm more productive mulling over the problem a few days, then coding for 10-14 hours for a day or two (while in flow) then taking a day or two easy or off to recuperate and re-energize. But maybe this is a personal myth I need to break... anyone know of any studies or info to tell me I'm wrong (just wondering).
I'm in a situation now where, instead of walking 10min / day back and forth to the office my boss is expecting me to commute on buses and trains 4hrs / day (not exaggerating). I consider this extra commuting time as unpaid overtime (up to 20hrs a week, even though I'm not "working") and hence want to deal with it as this article says I should: "No way, I quit". Yet I feel bad about this; what would you do?
1) If you have the six months of emergency funds saved up that you are supposed to, and are either single or married without children, I'd probably quit. Assuming you have actual technical skills I'd move that up to should probably quit.
2) If you have three months or less of emergency funds and/or have children and/or you or someone in your family has a chronic medical condition I would grin and bear it in public, and network furiously to try and find another job so that you aren't "cutting off your nose to spite your face"
3) In both of the prior cases I'm taking it as a given that you are at best ambivalent about your current position or employer. If it's a job you love and it is just the situation that is a problem, then talking with your boss to help explain why it is a problem may be worthwhile. As hard as it may be to believe, some folks out there may look at the setup and not see it as a problem. Either because they're not doing it, or they actually like the ride time to do other things.
Hope this helps...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In days of yore they had a mechanism so that if an employer ever let it come to that, there would be financial repercussions. I believe they called it "time and a half."
Point being, no amount of money can replace time spent off work with your family. What are you going to do, pay your spouse and children as an alternative to actually eating dinner with them? Only replacement time can make up for that sacrifice.