Patience for after-hours work socializing is wearing thin • Hacker News Board

Re: Patience for after-hours work socializing is wearing thin

#81

Post by twobitshifter » Fri, Sep 15, 2023, 3:17 PM UTC

appplication wrote: post #47

yieldcrv wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in LA - below the Valley - a lot of people are dry or drastically cutting down their alcohol intake. Not a selling point.

Why is that? I’ve personally been drinking a lot less, but that’s because I absolutely hate hangovers and it just doesn’t feel worth it to me. I do enjoy a nice drink, I just never find it worth it anymore. It’s interesting to me that it would be happening more broadly.

I have a suspicion, just a suspicion, that it had something to do with COVID. For me, alcohol flipped to unpleasant right after I got it. Might just be a coincidence of course.

Re: Patience for after-hours work socializing is wearing thin

#82

Post by drewcoo » Fri, Sep 15, 2023, 3:38 PM UTC

xyzzy123 wrote: post #37

I think the part that's not talked about is how much more risky it feels in 2023 to drink with co-workers than it did 10 or 20 years ago. Am I just getting old? Drinking culture has largely changed for the better and I think workplaces are safer than they used to be. But I also think you'd have to be an idiot (or risk-blind) to get loose at company events like a lot of people used to do.

Agreed.

We live in a surveillance culture today. And those photos and videos will haunt you wherever and whenever you are in the future.

Re: Patience for after-hours work socializing is wearing thin

#83

Post by sneak » Fri, Sep 15, 2023, 5:41 PM UTC

runako wrote: post #76

sneak wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're not being paid an hourly rate x24 each day to be on call, turn off notifications for these apps when you aren't working. It's a matter of setting boundaries. If you do work whilst not getting paid, the beneficiary is not going to correct your error. The only way you get them to pay for 24 hour availability is by not working 24 hours each day for free.

Unlike the after-work schmoozing in the OP article, this will get you fired. Your employer will just claim this is an expectation of the job.

You, as an employee, will be the one doing the firing of the abusive employer by refusing to be on call 24/7 for free.

If you're actually valuable and it's actually required they will work out a deal with you to compensate you for it.

They'll usually just deal without it, maybe with some abusive passive aggressive grumbling.

If they're unreasonable, they will do you a favor and end the business relationship.

If you constantly refuse to set boundaries with your employer because "if I do they'll fire me", you will reduce your effective hourly rate immensely. Don't do that. It makes them respect and value you way less, too, because you aren't valuing your own time - why should they if you don't?