4 ms·

It is impossible to keep everyone happy at a company at all times. The difference between a company which seems to have happy employees and the one that doesn't

by yanilkr 10y ago

It is impossible to keep everyone happy at a company at all times. The difference between a company which seems to have happy employees and the one that doesn't seems to be the amount of PR spending. It is an advertising problem. Some companies managed to build that image by selective targeting. Otherwise how do you explain the churn rate of employees in the valley?

swsieber 10y ago
I would explain it as the valley is a bad place to work. I work at a company, and I think generally, most people who work here are happy. And there's not much churn.
- Bahamut 10y ago
  What a coincidence, my company is also is full of happy employees with remarkably low churn (most employees here have been here for 3+ years, many for ~10), and it's in the Valley! ...and it's not a big company like Google/Facebook/Netflix/etc.
  - rconti 10y ago
    Ditto. I read some of these stories and wonder in what foreign land these companies are based. It's not like anywhere I've worked, or where any of my friends work. Yes, in the valley.
glangdale 10y ago
This seems like overgrown and irrelevant cynicism. Of course people are unhappy at any company; however, it's clear that some back better cultures and some are more toxic than others due to bad practices and conditions. The idea that it's all about PR is sophomoric.
- yanilkr 10y ago
  How do you explain the amount of money/effort spent by the big companies in trying to attract young kids out of college and the cultish attraction for these companies from young people who know nothing about the industry? Do you know of any big company that has a magic solution to this problem? Everyone has this problem but the end users perceive it differently depending on how the brand presents itself.
  - Broken_Hippo 10y ago
    How do you explain the amount of money/effort spent by the big companies in trying to attract young kids out of college and the cultish attraction for these companies from young people who know nothing about the industry? Because in the long run, they believe it to be cheaper because they can hire in college grads at a lower rate and think they are profiting because they should be versed in the newest stuff. In addition, this stuff (with larger companies) is good for business. This article is an example: Uber is getting bad publicity for treating workers badly, but other companies? Not so much because they promote a better image. Do you know of any big company that has a magic solution to this problem? Everyone has this problem but the end users perceive it differently depending on how the brand presents itself. For the recruitment thing? The best thing I can think of is by making sure people are educated. Beyond that, strong labor laws and separating health care from employment will help, but won't solve the issue. As far as solving the "most folks are unhappy at work" - strong labor laws and health care. Outside of that, it is more up to the employer. While not everyone will be happy, you can make the majority of folks that stay there a while content - some places do this now.
  - glangdale 10y ago
    OK, color me not surprised to see that you're defending Uber elsewhere on sibling posts. The point is that yes, there is PR involved. However, not having a toxic workplace is another. It is an idiotic suggestion that the perception of how good it is to work at one company or another is purely a matter of PR. Engineers talk to each other and do very frank "what it was like to work for BigCo X" all over the place. I think you probably understand this but it doesn't really fit well with your agenda here. Honestly, work at a lot of companies is a drag, for a lot of people. Big deal. However, stories like the ones coming out of Uber are far outside the norm, even if you think that the endless publicity about shiny happy people working at same of the other companies is a product of PR.
__jal 10y ago
Have you worked at more than one company in the valley? There are vast differences in general happiness in different places. Churn rate has a ton of other reasons, unless you want to pack so many different variables under 'happiness' that the term is meaningless. But I guess if you're right, we have a test case: Uber will soon be perceived as Disneyland, because they have a massive hairball of a company happiness problem to deal with.
- yanilkr 10y ago
  Actually time will solve this problem very easily. Uber does not have to do any thing differently. (Its not a recommendation). Every successful company has these problems. Success attracts ambitious people and many of these high achievers accomplish their goals ruthlessly. In this process some other people who have different priorities feel left behind. Its just the way of life. Take all the ambitious people and throw a challenging problem at them that can humble them other than that there is PR. PR expert will come out and tell you that not all teams in uber are bad, some of them are really good and the routine stuff we hear about any other big company.
  - __jal 10y ago
    Not every successful company has the constant stream of horrible behavior emanating from it over the course of years. Trying to normalize this as growing pains or bored ambitious people(?!?) or whatever is simply false. I don't work there, but know people who have, and left, because it was such a toxic place. The point of my comment was that this was emphatically not a PR problem - it is a culture problem that obviously comes from the top of the firm.
    - yanilkr 10y ago
      It is a PR problem because all the other people who did not have problems do not come out and say they like it there. If people come out and say I think uber is good to me they will look insensitive given the context of two women with bad experiences. PR will create a place where other people can speak out. Over all churn rate in the valley is pretty bad, uber cannot doing any worse than the other companies there.

by yanilkr 10y ago

swsieber 10y ago

I would explain it as the valley is a bad place to work. I work at a company, and I think generally, most people who work here are happy. And there's not much churn.

Bahamut 10y ago
What a coincidence, my company is also is full of happy employees with remarkably low churn (most employees here have been here for 3+ years, many for ~10), and it's in the Valley! ...and it's not a big company like Google/Facebook/Netflix/etc.
- rconti 10y ago
  Ditto. I read some of these stories and wonder in what foreign land these companies are based. It's not like anywhere I've worked, or where any of my friends work. Yes, in the valley.

glangdale 10y ago

This seems like overgrown and irrelevant cynicism. Of course people are unhappy at any company; however, it's clear that some back better cultures and some are more toxic than others due to bad practices and conditions. The idea that it's all about PR is sophomoric.

yanilkr 10y ago
How do you explain the amount of money/effort spent by the big companies in trying to attract young kids out of college and the cultish attraction for these companies from young people who know nothing about the industry? Do you know of any big company that has a magic solution to this problem? Everyone has this problem but the end users perceive it differently depending on how the brand presents itself.
- Broken_Hippo 10y ago
  How do you explain the amount of money/effort spent by the big companies in trying to attract young kids out of college and the cultish attraction for these companies from young people who know nothing about the industry? Because in the long run, they believe it to be cheaper because they can hire in college grads at a lower rate and think they are profiting because they should be versed in the newest stuff. In addition, this stuff (with larger companies) is good for business. This article is an example: Uber is getting bad publicity for treating workers badly, but other companies? Not so much because they promote a better image. Do you know of any big company that has a magic solution to this problem? Everyone has this problem but the end users perceive it differently depending on how the brand presents itself. For the recruitment thing? The best thing I can think of is by making sure people are educated. Beyond that, strong labor laws and separating health care from employment will help, but won't solve the issue. As far as solving the "most folks are unhappy at work" - strong labor laws and health care. Outside of that, it is more up to the employer. While not everyone will be happy, you can make the majority of folks that stay there a while content - some places do this now.
- glangdale 10y ago
  OK, color me not surprised to see that you're defending Uber elsewhere on sibling posts. The point is that yes, there is PR involved. However, not having a toxic workplace is another. It is an idiotic suggestion that the perception of how good it is to work at one company or another is purely a matter of PR. Engineers talk to each other and do very frank "what it was like to work for BigCo X" all over the place. I think you probably understand this but it doesn't really fit well with your agenda here. Honestly, work at a lot of companies is a drag, for a lot of people. Big deal. However, stories like the ones coming out of Uber are far outside the norm, even if you think that the endless publicity about shiny happy people working at same of the other companies is a product of PR.

__jal 10y ago

Have you worked at more than one company in the valley? There are vast differences in general happiness in different places. Churn rate has a ton of other reasons, unless you want to pack so many different variables under 'happiness' that the term is meaningless. But I guess if you're right, we have a test case: Uber will soon be perceived as Disneyland, because they have a massive hairball of a company happiness problem to deal with.

yanilkr 10y ago
Actually time will solve this problem very easily. Uber does not have to do any thing differently. (Its not a recommendation). Every successful company has these problems. Success attracts ambitious people and many of these high achievers accomplish their goals ruthlessly. In this process some other people who have different priorities feel left behind. Its just the way of life. Take all the ambitious people and throw a challenging problem at them that can humble them other than that there is PR. PR expert will come out and tell you that not all teams in uber are bad, some of them are really good and the routine stuff we hear about any other big company.
- __jal 10y ago
  Not every successful company has the constant stream of horrible behavior emanating from it over the course of years. Trying to normalize this as growing pains or bored ambitious people(?!?) or whatever is simply false. I don't work there, but know people who have, and left, because it was such a toxic place. The point of my comment was that this was emphatically not a PR problem - it is a culture problem that obviously comes from the top of the firm.
  - yanilkr 10y ago
    It is a PR problem because all the other people who did not have problems do not come out and say they like it there. If people come out and say I think uber is good to me they will look insensitive given the context of two women with bad experiences. PR will create a place where other people can speak out. Over all churn rate in the valley is pretty bad, uber cannot doing any worse than the other companies there.