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My Time Working at Stripe

jondlm.github.io

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Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#61

Post by varispeed »

DeathArrow wrote: post #31

>he asked the team, “for this meeting I’d like us to try and introduce ourselves a little differently. If you’re comfortable, I’d like us to try and be 10% more vulnerable than we normally would in a work setting.” I remember feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement rise in my chest. I sat pondering what I would share. I decided to go for more than 10%. I shared about how my marriage had almost collapsed a couple year…

> I’d like us to try and be 10% more vulnerable than we normally would

I would have reported manager to HR for this and if they didn't take action I would take company to tribunal.

This is pure simple coercion into sharing personal data that then other workers could use against you.

I can't see the world where sharing personal stuff at work is ever appropriate, let alone be subjected to peer pressure to share it.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#62

Post by varispeed »

soneca wrote: post #42
DeathArrow wrote: post #31

>he asked the team, “for this meeting I’d like us to try and introduce ourselves a little differently. If you’re comfortable, I’d like us to try and be 10% more vulnerable than we normally would in a work setting.” I remember feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement rise in my chest. I sat pondering what I would share. I decided to go for more than 10%. I shared about how my marriage had almost collapsed a couple year…

Well, the manager asked only for “10% more vulnerable”. That seems pretty far from “being forced into group therapy” in my perception. It was the author and colleagues that decided to overstate, and seemingly did not regret. Groups of humans sometimes have connections like these, whatever the environment they are in. I am sure other similar meeting with the same prompt only generated people saying they have two cats,…

This is pure simple abuse. Manager uses position of power to potentially injure his co-workers.

Playing "I am somewhat therapist myself" in the workplace should be sackable offence.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#63

Post by serial_dev »

DeathArrow wrote: post #31

>he asked the team, “for this meeting I’d like us to try and introduce ourselves a little differently. If you’re comfortable, I’d like us to try and be 10% more vulnerable than we normally would in a work setting.” I remember feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement rise in my chest. I sat pondering what I would share. I decided to go for more than 10%. I shared about how my marriage had almost collapsed a couple year…

I wouldn’t necessarily be worried about them using it against me later, just the fact that they want to force me to open up and be pretend buddies is annoying. It’s a work relationship.

It could be just me enjoying remote work, but I am not looking to be friends with them 4000 km away. I’m too old for this, I know all my work friendships faded away in a couple of years and even in those years we focused on work and chat about career.

Don’t force me to share personal things with everyone. I’ll share it if I feel like it with the ones that I feel like it.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#64

Post by varispeed »

DeathArrow wrote: post #40

I think the author had unrealistic expectations from working at a large company. He expected doing something meaningful that will change the world. He expected to be applauded like a hero for his efforts. But things don't work like that. If you work your ass out, don't expect more than a pat on the back. Managers won't care about your efforts, your mental state or your sleepless nights. They care about looking good i…

> a brilliant idea that might help the company a lot don't just do it.

Never do it. It will never end up benefitting you, even if you find "allies" - who might even stab you in the back and take credit for the idea and then let you go once they get a promotion.

If you have a brilliant idea, keep it to yourself, try to think of a way it could be used outside of the company and if it is strong enough start your own business based on the idea. Otherwise forget it.

Never do more than you are asked to do.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#65

Post by davedx »

sourcepluck wrote: post #59

Also, this article prompted me to use Ngram for the first time, to compare "camaraderie" and "comradery", which I was amazed and appalled by. The resulting diagram really helped soothe me, so here it is: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=camaraderie%2C...

Probably the "English is a dual language with lots of words that mean the same thing because half are from French and the other half are Anglo Saxon" thing again. There are loads of words like this, there was an article about it on HN the other week

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#66

Post by anal_reactor »

9dev wrote: post #33
anal_reactor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Work satisfaction is a meme. Yes, there are people satisfied with their work, but realistically, this is not going to happen to you. Stop giving a fuck about your work, slack off as much as possible, and look for coworkers with whom you can build real human connection, instead of corporate NPCs.

I don’t know if that’s sustainable. We’re all stuck with this work-thing being one third of our life for the foreseeable time, so spending 33% of like, everything I’ll ever experience on something I don’t give a fuck about seems like both a lot of dull time and a bad decision overall.

Work from home exists for a reason

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#67

Post by anal_reactor »

DeathArrow wrote: post #35
anal_reactor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Work satisfaction is a meme. Yes, there are people satisfied with their work, but realistically, this is not going to happen to you. Stop giving a fuck about your work, slack off as much as possible, and look for coworkers with whom you can build real human connection, instead of corporate NPCs.

You still have to give people the impression you do a terrible good job and that you are working your ass out.

That's the tricky part

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#68

Post by varispeed »

olivermuty wrote: post #9

What you are experiencing is the symptom of working in a large company where no matter how well you perform, you can not significantly move the needle yourself. Coupled with the fact that, as you yourself pointed out, there is a literal endless amount of work to do, forever. This is also due to the nature of the company being so big. All companies always has work to do, and no one is ever «done», but in a giga-enterp…

People have wrong priorities when working in big corporations. If you want to make an impact you should work towards creating your own business and working in big corporation is just a mean to achieve that. Focus on growing your bank account, good credit history, live lean and in your free time nurture the idea you have, make steps to make it happen.

In some jurisdictions you need to check your employment contract as company may feel entitled to your idea you are developing outside of work hours. Ensure you don't have any such stipulations in the contract.

Re: My Time Working at Stripe

#70

Post by throw_pm23 »

9dev wrote: post #33
anal_reactor wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Work satisfaction is a meme. Yes, there are people satisfied with their work, but realistically, this is not going to happen to you. Stop giving a fuck about your work, slack off as much as possible, and look for coworkers with whom you can build real human connection, instead of corporate NPCs.

I don’t know if that’s sustainable. We’re all stuck with this work-thing being one third of our life for the foreseeable time, so spending 33% of like, everything I’ll ever experience on something I don’t give a fuck about seems like both a lot of dull time and a bad decision overall.

"We're all stuck with this..."

I think you are rationalizing your choices by thinking everything does the same. It is not true, some are not stuck anywhere, some choose to live a simpler life that needs less money, fewer compromises, etc. etc. the world is a big place.

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