Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free • Hacker News Board

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#41

Post by ryzawy » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:04 PM UTC

debacle wrote: post #34

theorique wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless it's a take-home project in which case a person could do the work on the weekend. Which would also be a test of time management.

Yes, it would be. If you have good time management you would toss the project and keep looking for a position. If a company I'm trying to find employment at wants me to take my interview home for the entire weekend, it sends all sorts of bad signs: 1. They don't see working on the weekend as unreasonable. 2. They don't value my time. 3. They aren't comfortable making hiring decisions and taking on risk. What other ha…

To answer some of your questions:

1. Nobody here works on weekends. In fact, it's not well received, but tolerated. 2. Everybody's time is valued here and on a individual basis. 3. I'm glad i had influence on whom i will be working with on a daily basis and have not regretted it either. My workmates are awesome. Why should the management decide this all alone?

Everybody here is free to openly make reservations about the companies strategies and decisions.

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#42

Post by Spearchucker » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:10 PM UTC

theorique wrote: post #18

ojbyrne wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's easy if you're currently not working, but not so much if you are. So you're screening out the employed.

Unless it's a take-home project in which case a person could do the work on the weekend. Which would also be a test of time management.

I work during the week. Mornings, evenings and weekends I spend with my son. I don't let work interfere with that, nor do I let time with my son interfere with work (Mon to Fri, 8am to 7pm).

THAT is time management.

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#43

Post by xentronium » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:12 PM UTC

I can't help but wonder why I had such a bad taste in my mouth after watching the whole vid. These cheap attempts at jabbing PR and Marketing people (not to mention naming names and Deutsche Telekom 'joke') came off to me as cheesy and badly thought.

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#44

Post by ExcitedByNoise » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:36 PM UTC

lazyjones wrote: post #9

digitalengineer wrote: post #3

I find it amazing how many people in a team don't share their insights, assets or experiences with the team. Why is that? Is it fear?

It's probably the "I don't get paid for that" attitude ...

That is the worst. The "That's not my job" attitude is from people who are not team players and believe that they are above doing certain work, regardless if the work needs to be done. If you work in a problem solving profession, then you just can't have this attitude, because eventually someone is going to ask you to solve a problem outside your domain, and if you can't figure it out, then it doesn't get done or they get someone who will figure it out.

Although people bringing their stapler to the IT help desk is one of those times I might not be mad if the response was "That's not my job"

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#45

Post by theorique » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:47 PM UTC

debacle wrote: post #34

theorique wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless it's a take-home project in which case a person could do the work on the weekend. Which would also be a test of time management.

Yes, it would be. If you have good time management you would toss the project and keep looking for a position. If a company I'm trying to find employment at wants me to take my interview home for the entire weekend, it sends all sorts of bad signs: 1. They don't see working on the weekend as unreasonable. 2. They don't value my time. 3. They aren't comfortable making hiring decisions and taking on risk. What other ha…

Would your view change if they paid you a contractor's rate?

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#46

Post by atirip » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:50 PM UTC

michaelt wrote: post #37

atirip wrote: post #26

I'm enormously glad that Apple board did absolutely not keep their company asshole-free. Writing this on computer that asshole created. And btw, I do not know a single Genius (with uppacase G) who is not an asshole, so go figure...

I've met Donald Knuth, Steve Wozniak and Tim Berners-Lee; none of them seemed like assholes to me. I can't think of anyone I've met, whom I respect but consider an asshole. By "Genius (with uppacase G)" you mean an Apple Store employee?

You are most likely correct in this. All geniuses I have briefly met are indeed nice. But usually this is a mask. Wait until you get to know them really well. Or read their bioagraphies. Oh, and I don not write this in negative way, no-no, I just have observed that that's the way it is.

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#47

Post by nacker » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:52 PM UTC

orangethirty wrote: post #35

Define asshole, please.

A person counts as an asshole when, and only when, he systematically allows himself to enjoy special advantages in interpersonal relations out of an entrenched sense of entitlement that immunizes him against the complaints of other people.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2012/10/ascent_of_t...

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#48

Post by debacle » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 1:57 PM UTC

theorique wrote: post #45

debacle wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, it would be. If you have good time management you would toss the project and keep looking for a position. If a company I'm trying to find employment at wants me to take my interview home for the entire weekend, it sends all sorts of bad signs: 1. They don't see working on the weekend as unreasonable. 2. They don't value my time. 3. They aren't comfortable making hiring decisions and taking on risk. What other ha…

Would your view change if they paid you a contractor's rate?

No, not at all. There's plenty of freelance work out there. If I wanted to freelance on my weekend, I wouldn't go job searching to do it.

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#49

Post by ktizo » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 2:10 PM UTC

atirip wrote: post #46

michaelt wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've met Donald Knuth, Steve Wozniak and Tim Berners-Lee; none of them seemed like assholes to me. I can't think of anyone I've met, whom I respect but consider an asshole. By "Genius (with uppacase G)" you mean an Apple Store employee?

You are most likely correct in this. All geniuses I have briefly met are indeed nice. But usually this is a mask. Wait until you get to know them really well. Or read their bioagraphies. Oh, and I don not write this in negative way, no-no, I just have observed that that's the way it is.

I think you are confusing genius with something else. I'm not sure what yet though. Possibly a badger.

Re: Keeping Your Company Asshole-Free

#50

Post by sokoloff » Wed, Oct 10, 2012, 2:18 PM UTC

aerique wrote: post #22

alinajaf wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a sanctimonious prick who asks a lot of leading questions, I find it's very difficult to communicate technical insights with other members of my team by just giving them the answers to the hard questions. What I'm guessing you'd like sanctimonious pricks like me to say: "That particular (algorithm|technology decision|doohickey) is bad for the following three reasons, this alternative is better because it's !(those…

Your questions 1 to 4 look pretty normal and I would ask those as well. The parent poster is mostly talking about people asking questions just to make themselves look better.

It can be a matter of interpretation. Suppose two "highly competent" programmers A1 and A2 and two "moderately competent" programmers B1 and B2 are together.

If A1 asks those questions to B1, I suspect that A2 would view them as perfectly normal, appropriate and helpful, while B2 might view them as aggressive or "trying to show A1's superiority".