Ways to Minimize Employee Retention • Hacker News Board

Re: Ways to Minimize Employee Retention

#71

Post by thoughtpalette » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 3:21 PM UTC

#19 and #20 seems the most common issues I've had to deal with in development.

19. Give estimates without consulting the people that are actually doing the work. When they disagree with the deadline, shrug your shoulders and explain that it can’t be changed and people are expecting it to be completed on schedule. Repeat every time.

20. Break the above cycle when everyone is about to quit. Get estimates down to the hour for every single feature. Assume no slippage. Add features but do not adjust schedule.

Re: Ways to Minimize Employee Retention

#72

Post by civilian » Wed, Sep 24, 2014, 6:54 PM UTC

luch wrote: post #70

civilian wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Therefore a wise prince will seek means by which his subjects will always and in every possible condition of things have need of his government, and then they will always be faithful to him. Niccolo Machiavelli "The Prince"

Most people associate Machiavelli with a devious, twisted mind when he was actually simply a pragmatic. He is labeled as an amoral guy since he admits that violent or cunning methods are sometimes useful. Also, as an software contractor, his thesis on private forces/ paid forces is quite enlightening.

Link for reference: http://www.bartleby.com/36/1/13.html

Re: Ways to Minimize Employee Retention

#73

Post by hamburglar » Thu, Sep 25, 2014, 12:02 AM UTC

chris_mahan wrote: post #60

hamburglar wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Teasing, shaming and other forms of negative humor are very hard to do with a positive result. People are astonishingly different in what they can tolerate and how they respond. I suppose, with the right people, and the right team dynamics it can be OK. So true. I've had great managers that had great rapport with the team and everyone was tight knit enough that the manager could stand in the hall and say "hey, come…

No. It's never, ever appropriate. Ever.

Appropriate versus inappropriate is irrelevant, in my opinion. Can it work? Yes. Is it more likely to backfire and make your team miserable? Yes. Is it something that creates a hostile work environment? Debatable, and definitely situational.

I would actually argue that when done right, this sort of smack-talk can be healthy and reassuring to the recipient. It's a bit perverse, but I like a situation where my coworkers respect me enough to make fun of my mistakes without me or them worrying that it actually calls my competence into question. I've worked with people who you can't poke fun at, and it's usually because they actually are somewhat incompetent and making fun of their errors would be cruel.

Re: Ways to Minimize Employee Retention

#74

Post by chris_mahan » Thu, Sep 25, 2014, 10:20 PM UTC

hamburglar wrote: post #73

chris_mahan wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. It's never, ever appropriate. Ever.

Appropriate versus inappropriate is irrelevant, in my opinion. Can it work? Yes. Is it more likely to backfire and make your team miserable? Yes. Is it something that creates a hostile work environment? Debatable, and definitely situational. I would actually argue that when done right, this sort of smack-talk can be healthy and reassuring to the recipient. It's a bit perverse, but I like a situation where my coworker…

poking fun at people? It's not funny unless it's funny for everyone. Poking fun in a hurtful way is bullying.

Hopefully we never work together.

Re: Ways to Minimize Employee Retention

#75

Post by hamburglar » Fri, Sep 26, 2014, 12:18 AM UTC

chris_mahan wrote: post #74

hamburglar wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Appropriate versus inappropriate is irrelevant, in my opinion. Can it work? Yes. Is it more likely to backfire and make your team miserable? Yes. Is it something that creates a hostile work environment? Debatable, and definitely situational. I would actually argue that when done right, this sort of smack-talk can be healthy and reassuring to the recipient. It's a bit perverse, but I like a situation where my coworker…

poking fun at people? It's not funny unless it's funny for everyone. Poking fun in a hurtful way is bullying. Hopefully we never work together.

Oh, good lord. I thought I made it clear that I wasn't talking about poking fun in a hurtful way.

> Hopefully we never work together.

Indeed.