How To Demoralize Employees: A DIY Guide for Terrible Companies
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The stupidity was me taking this position in the first place, despite warning signs. But, the pay is good and I had a lot of friends/people I respect tell me to take the position so I did.
Lesson learned: always trust my gut.
But once it's taken, I considered myself "committed" for 4 months. I figured even if the position was terrible, I could just grin and bear it until the contract was up. I guess I was wrong on that point, too.
So? That's how it worked out the one time I was on it too. But in my case it meant that everything but rent was paid for, so I didn't have to worry about keeping the lights on or food in the refrigerator.
Ok? I don't get your point exactly here.
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Problem is, in my state, it's capped at like... a third of what I normally make
Wow, that much? When I was on it (thankfully only about 3 months), it was capped at 900/mo [CA]. My mortgage is almost 2x as much.
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Ok? I don't get your point exactly here.
Quelle surprise!
Ok, let me explain. No, wait. Go back and re-read the sentence you cut from my post when you replied.
You're such a dumbass at times. Don't you ever get tired of the amount of energy it takes to be unable to understand what people are saying?
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The stupidity was me taking this position in the first place, despite warning signs. But, the pay is good and I had a lot of friends/people I respect tell me to take the position so I did.
Lesson learned: always trust my gut.
But once it's taken, I considered myself "committed" for 4 months. I figured even if the position was terrible, I could just grin and bear it until the contract was up. I guess I was wrong on that point, too.
You're not wrong here. The 4 months commitment shows a sense of honor and professionalism. They screwed up by letting you go, based on the data presented here so far. Consider they did you a favor, pending Monday's update.
A temp manager booting you off the project over one disagreement is a WTF in itself, unless you did something heinous like try to kill the guy. At best he should have authority to suspend you until the permanent manager returned; the permanent manager shouldn't have his control irrevocably usurped like that, since he's ultimately held responsible for the results of said project (unless there's more WTFery on that setup, which wouldn't surprise anyone here).
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Wow, that much? When I was on it (thankfully only about 3 months), it was capped at 900/mo [CA]. My mortgage is almost 2x as much.
This. I'd give you a like, but I'm out.
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Wow, that much? When I was on it (thankfully only about 3 months), it was capped at 900/mo [CA]. My mortgage is almost 2x as much.
In a state that taxes as much as they do, and the supposed party typically in power supposedly always trying to help those that are down and in need, that says a lot.
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A temp manager booting you off the project over one disagreement is a WTF in itself, unless you did something heinous like try to kill the guy. At best he should have authority to suspend you until the permanent manager returned; the permanent manager shouldn't have his control irrevocably usurped like that
I was thinking along the same lines. Unless the employee is caught doing a "fire on the spot" offence, the temporary manager shouldn't have that authority.
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I think the temporary manager considers this "his" project, even though 90% of the team working on it is from my group, and we only pulled-in his group in the last couple weeks (project has been in-motion for over two months), and only because of an edict from higher up.
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Even if it were his project, your manager should have the say on what happens to your contract.
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Oh wonderful1! A managerial turf war. Just want everyone wants to get caught in the middle of. Does the permanent manager know that this is going on or will he only find out come Monday? Or has the temporary manager totally overstepped his authority and prohibited you from communicating with your real effective line management?
1 No, not really wonderful. The reverse. I'm (leadenly) using sarcasm and irony for effect.
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Right, and he does, AFAIK.
Does the permanent manager know that this is going on or will he only find out come Monday?
He'll find out monday unless the scrum master person contacts him when he's on his vacation. Which I don't think is likely at all.
Or has the temporary manager totally overstepped his authority and prohibited you from communicating with your real effective line management?
I really have no clue where these lines are drawn.
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All I can think of is you thought I wasn't planning on applying for unemployment and was encouraging me to?
I honestly and truly do not know what point you were trying to make. If my guess above is correct, then it's based on a false assumption.
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All I can think of is you thought I wasn't planning on applying for unemployment and was encouraging me to?
Yes.
@blakeyrat said:I honestly and truly do not know what point you were trying to make.
Well, you objected that wouldn't 100% replace your income, to which I replied (in a few more words), "half a loaf is better than none."
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It just might not be much better.
No. But, as I said right off, it might mean keeping the lights on a couple of extra weeks, if it comes to that.
The one time I was on unemployment, I was at the cap (about $375 a week?) and it essentially covered everything but my rent. That meant I only had to borrow enough money to cover that, instead of ALSO covering all my utilities and food. At that point in time I had no savings to draw down, so every bit helped.
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He'll find out monday unless the scrum master person contacts him when he's on his vacation. Which I don't think is likely at all.
Oh well, it's only a few days. Remember that the dipstick doesn't actually have the authority to kick you out unless you do something catastrophically bad. (Physically attacking people would count as that. Writing snarky comments on the internet wouldn't.)
@blakeyrat said:I really have no clue where these lines are drawn.
Generally, you should normally have one line manager and that should be the person to whom you can go with the majority of official complaints about things at the employer. Even as a contractor, there should be someone with that responsibility. (The only cases which really distort that are where either you're dealing with official secrets, or where the complaints are about the line manager.) The only person who doesn't have a line manager is the CEO (though the CEO is still responsible to the owners; things get a bit more complicated there). In a small business, the chain of managerships is very short: everyone's effectively directly under the owner(s). In a big business, the chain can get quite long.Someone who isn't a line manager can't strictly give you orders (merely suggestions, though you might often be advised to treat them as orders where they match sufficiently closely with your real instructions) and can't do much to change your employment status except for the most glaring problems. Usually, the most they can do is bitch about you to your line management or to HR. What's more, it's quite common for larger businesses to split up internally into little empires, and what the “god” of one little empire says often has very little impact outside that. Such silo-ization is often a problem, but would also go a long way towards protecting employees from other abusive managers: if they're not inside, they're a hostile enemy to be repelled by your own local “god”.
Good management keeps as much of this shit as possible out of the hair of the people doing the real work. There's a lot of management that just isn't good. (I think I'm in a place that's going through a fit of improving management, which makes a nice if rather unusual change, but it sounds like you're in one of the not-so-good places…)
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Such silo-ization is often a problem, but would also go a long way towards protecting employees from other abusive managers
A line manager who attempts to protect his reports from such is worth his weight in gold and should be treated as such. Earlier today I made a crack about mostly quitting a job because of getting moved to a tiny cube; the real reason was I had such a manager and he quit, and his boss, my new line manager, wasn't such a person, but a putz.
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A line manager who attempts to protect his reports from such is worth his weight in silver; one who succeeds in that is worth his weight in gold
FTFYI've been fortunate in not having worked in places with that sort of infighting, at least not much; it's been more stupid senior management throwing shit downhill (and only a couple of jobs where that was a big problem). I've also been fortunate to have (mostly) good line managers when working in those companies, and I consider them to be the best managers of my career.
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I really have no clue where these lines are drawn.
"Lines? What lines?" -said the temp manager.
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"Lines? What lines?" -said the temp manager.
Either he doesn't actually know, in which case he's a stupid but dangerous idiot, or he does know, in which case he's a psychopathic ass. Bad news either way.
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Well, you objected that wouldn't 100% replace your income, to which I replied (in a few more words), "half a loaf is better than none."
Well derp, obviously I take free money when it's offered.
It still sucks though.
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What the fuck are you doing here. Get out.
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What the fuck are you doing here. Get out.
But doesn't the thought of you shooting up @codinghorror fill you with a little glee? Since I figure you'd probably be the victor in that particular sortie.
I mean, I'd take him up on the offer if it weren't for the fact that 1) I suck at FPS games in general, 2) I despise FPS games which is why I suck at them because I have no desire to ever improve, which leads to 3) I'd get my ass handed to me, which is not what I had in mind.
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Which leads to 4) get a ringer.
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But even @codinghorror can be susceptible to reason. He doesn't have aliens talking on his shoulders. Those are big-foot-alien-Hitler-nazi-time-traveling-loch ness monster-UFOs-chupacabra-mini big food-monsters. Big difference.
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How about a friendly game of PAINTBALL?
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A temp manager booting you off the project over one disagreement is a WTF in itself, unless you did something heinous like try to kill the guy.
I think these guys are jackasses, but it wasn't "one disagreement." He's been pointing out their jackassery for a while. I imagine they look upon a contractor as someone to come in and do WTF they're told. I doubt he was brought in as the sort of consultant who's there to shake stuff up and re-engineer their processes or anything.
I can understand why they'd want to get rid of him (at least from the project) and it's just another sign of their dysfunction.
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Yeah, like I post in another thread, they're paying senior developer rates, but what they actually want is a fresh-out-of-college developer who will do what they're told.
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How about a friendly game of PAINTBALL?
Would you like to play a game?
The only winning move is not to play.
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But even @codinghorror can be susceptible to reason.
Have you been to meta.d? Have you tried reasoning with him? It doesn't work so good.
Sure, he doesn't have shoulder aliens. He's just completely out of touch with the real world.
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I tried reasoning with him here. It... ended badly. I am more likely to get @blakeyrat to change his mind on something than I am to get Jeff to do the same.
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But even @codinghorror can be susceptible to reason.
Like others, I'm not convinced. However, sometimes his state of mind coincides with the reasoning of outsiders.
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@MathNerdCNU: Take for instance Jeff's insistance that Android is completely incapable of handling Discourse and that iOS is worlds better. His position was developed after using a single lower-mid range Android device, the Nexus 7. When several of us here tried to point out that (at the time) discourse was performing as well on our various Android devices as on our desktops, he basically came to the conclusion that we were either delusional or lying. Does that sound like someone you can reason with?
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Have you been to meta.d? Have you tried reasoning with him? It doesn't work so good.
Sure, he doesn't have shoulder aliens. He's just completely out of touch with the real world.
I'm surprised that people didn't already know he was out of touch with the real world from reading his blog.
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I'm surprised that people didn't already know he was out of touch with the real world from reading his blog.
Wait ... people actually read his blog before we got Discourse here?
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Wait ... people actually read his blog before we got Discourse here?
Yes. @morbiuswilters in particular found it hilariously, amusingly bad.
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Wait ... people actually read his blog before we got Discourse here?
I recall reading it for a bit. I don't remember exactly when or why. But I remember catching on to his schtick.
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Wait ... people actually read his blog before we got Discourse here?
His blog, Coding Horror, was pretty well known even before StackExchange and Discourse.
I've had it filed in with my Humor bookmarks before I started using StackOverflow (which was like 6 years ago) because a lot of the posts were so stupid they were funny.For instance, this gem from back near his blog's start: "I think the ELSEIF keyword is destructive and, like GOTO, has no good use outside of a very specialized niche." Yes, switch/case is usually better, but that falls apart as soon as you're comparing multiple variables at once... unless you're using a language with a weird implementation (hi VB.NET!)
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For instance, this gem from back near his blog's start: "I think the ELSEIF keyword is destructive and, like GOTO, has no good use outside of a very specialized niche." Yes, switch/case is usually better, but that falls apart as soon as you're comparing multiple variables at once... unless you're using a language with a weird implementation (hi VB.NET!)
Tell GVR that. Python gets along just fine without switch/case, just elseif.
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Take for instance Jeff's insistance that Android is completely incapable of handling Discourse and that iOS is worlds better. His position was developed after using a single lower-mid range Android device, the Nexus 7
Discourse also works fine (as fine as it does everywhere else, anyway) on my Nexus 7.
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Tell GVR that. Python gets along just fine without switch/case, just elseif.
But how would you pull shit like this without switch/case?
[code]
send(to, from, count)
register short *to, *from;
register count;
{
register n = (count + 7) / 8;
switch(count % 8) {
case 0: do { *to = *from++;
case 7: *to = *from++;
case 6: *to = *from++;
case 5: *to = *from++;
case 4: *to = *from++;
case 3: *to = *from++;
case 2: *to = *from++;
case 1: *to = *from++;
} while(--n > 0);
}
}[/code]
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You don't. The compiler knows better when it should or shouldn't pull stuff like that than you do.
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It's been getting worse on Windows Phone 8.1. Recently, every time I visit a Discourse URL, instead of loading the actual post of the URL, it'll load one 10-15 above it.
I think what it's doing is loading in the chunk, but failing to set the scroll properly to the post represented by the URL. So you end up at the top of the chunk.
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I'm seeing that a lot too, on desktop. Not all the time; maybe (ass-pull) 10% of the time. I've seen it before, occasionally, but it seems to be much more frequent in the last few days.
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It happens 100% of the time on Windows Phone 8.1.
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Ugh. I think I'd just give up and go do something else. (Like actual work, maybe... Nah.)
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Tell GVR that. Python gets along just fine without switch/case, just elseif.
I do miss
switchwhen I'm working in Python.
