No Time to Be Nice at Work • Hacker News Board

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#61

Post by s73v3r » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 1:50 AM UTC

j_baker wrote: post #4

yummyfajitas wrote: post #2

From the article: But insensitivity or disrespect often sabotages support in crucial situations. Employees may fail to share important information and withhold efforts or resources. Sooner or later, uncivil people sabotage their success — or at least their potential. Payback may come immediately or when they least expect it, and it may be intentional or unconscious. It's a bit weird how the article paints this as a f…

Are you seriously suggesting that the uncivil boss is the real victim?

It's the only way people like that can justify their own sociopathic behavior.

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#62

Post by douche » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 1:53 AM UTC

rorykoehler wrote: post #17

tedks wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The United States is the way it is because this is the only way to survive within the framework of competitive capitalism. European attempts at cultural protectionism will fail as market pressures force them to adopt American customs and habits. This is just basic economics. American companies ruthlessly optimize for profit. Any attempt to optimize for anything else will take away from the potential for profit. In a…

I mostly agree however the American ideology and it's hunger for profit and domination is resulting in it cannibalizing itself. The trade agreements are a case in point as they are (from what I have read as I know their contents are still largely secret) by very definition protectionist. That said it is a very different type of protectionism to European protectionism. In Europe the protectionism was for social purpos…

The American capitalist system is modeled on the European ideal. Before there were the Koch Bros. there was Krupp, Armstrong, Vickers, and I.G. Farben.

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#63

Post by s73v3r » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 1:53 AM UTC

yummyfajitas wrote: post #2

From the article: But insensitivity or disrespect often sabotages support in crucial situations. Employees may fail to share important information and withhold efforts or resources. Sooner or later, uncivil people sabotage their success — or at least their potential. Payback may come immediately or when they least expect it, and it may be intentional or unconscious. It's a bit weird how the article paints this as a f…

"Some people are willing to harm random third parties (shareholders)"

Shareholders do this to employees all the time. So I cannot blame employees for not caring about the shareholders, when the shareholders have shown so much contempt for employees.

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#64

Post by douche » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:00 AM UTC

michaelochurch wrote: post #29

First, I think that people aren't becoming less uncivil but that environments are getting worse. If anything (although this is probably an artifact of increasing age and status) people seem to be getting better, on the whole: fewer mean jokes and exclusionary behaviors. Work environments, with the open-plan trend, are getting a lot worse and more stressful. It used to be that an off-color joke was heard by 2 people i…

Have you ever considered writing a book? Something like a "Peopleware 2.0"?

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#65

Post by Retric » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:02 AM UTC

wpietri wrote: post #56

hackuser wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is nothing unique to the United States (or to the 21st century). Just read a history book about another time and place. The workplace here and now is far kinder and gentler than almost any time or place in history (with the possible exception of contemporary, developed nations). In the good old days, children worked and in horrible jobs, such as coal mines; workers regularly lost limb and life; 7 day weeks and i…

It sounds to me like you're conflating the difficulty of the work (coal mining is hard, dangerous work) with the way people treat each other at work (like the shitty bosses in the article). When I read books about other times and places, my main impression is that the work may have been harder, but that the people were much kinder to one another. Given that I've worked at some places that were horrible and some that…

It used to be fairly common for a boss to physically beat the people that worked for them. If anything a modern 'high stress' jobs are a cakewalk compared to what people used to deal with.

As to coal the story is a little deeper than just a single chart. http://www.wvculture.org/history/minewars.html

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#66

Post by iamcurious » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:10 AM UTC

douche wrote: post #64

michaelochurch wrote: post #29

First, I think that people aren't becoming less uncivil but that environments are getting worse. If anything (although this is probably an artifact of increasing age and status) people seem to be getting better, on the whole: fewer mean jokes and exclusionary behaviors. Work environments, with the open-plan trend, are getting a lot worse and more stressful. It used to be that an off-color joke was heard by 2 people i…

Have you ever considered writing a book? Something like a "Peopleware 2.0"?

Yes. I would read it.

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#67

Post by douche » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:16 AM UTC

douche wrote: post #64

michaelochurch wrote: post #29

First, I think that people aren't becoming less uncivil but that environments are getting worse. If anything (although this is probably an artifact of increasing age and status) people seem to be getting better, on the whole: fewer mean jokes and exclusionary behaviors. Work environments, with the open-plan trend, are getting a lot worse and more stressful. It used to be that an off-color joke was heard by 2 people i…

Have you ever considered writing a book? Something like a "Peopleware 2.0"?

I mean, your blog is must-read material every time new content shows up in theoldreader, and I keep coming back to certain points, like the Gervais principle series.

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#68

Post by jf22 » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:24 AM UTC

wpietri wrote: post #56

hackuser wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is nothing unique to the United States (or to the 21st century). Just read a history book about another time and place. The workplace here and now is far kinder and gentler than almost any time or place in history (with the possible exception of contemporary, developed nations). In the good old days, children worked and in horrible jobs, such as coal mines; workers regularly lost limb and life; 7 day weeks and i…

It sounds to me like you're conflating the difficulty of the work (coal mining is hard, dangerous work) with the way people treat each other at work (like the shitty bosses in the article). When I read books about other times and places, my main impression is that the work may have been harder, but that the people were much kinder to one another. Given that I've worked at some places that were horrible and some that…

Which other times and places?

I have the exact opposite impression. Human life and dignity weren't valued until the last 200 years or so.

There were no worker protections until very recently you were treated like shit if you weren't a member of the ruling class/race/religion.

Much kinder? Not giving a shit if a chinese laborer was killed was building a railroad isn't exactly kind...

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#69

Post by JohnyLy » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:25 AM UTC

j_baker wrote: post #6

I have to say: working in a civil work environment makes a huge difference in terms of job satisfaction and job performance. Civility works for the business, the worker, and the customer. Nobody really benefits from incivility except for the arrogant power-monger over the very short term.

I totally agree. Working in a nice/friendly environment makes you more motivated and therefore more efficient.

Re: No Time to Be Nice at Work

#70

Post by patrickdavey » Sun, Jun 21, 2015, 2:43 AM UTC

I once went to a talk on the "8 powers of leadership", one of these "powers" was the power to be yourself. The presenters idea was to get your "go to hell kit" ready (x months of living expenses saved) and then act the way you believe you should. For example, if a boss started shouting at me, I would politely, but firmly, say shall we continue this in another room, once there, I would try to work out what the issue was and come to some resolution. I certainly wouldn't stand for that sort of behaviour, life is too short.

Respect yourself, get your go to hell kit ready, and stick up for yourself, there are always other jobs if push comes to shove, especially for anyone reading this.