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> "Small cultural disagreements between the two staffs also popped up, involving issues such as noise around the office and the size of WhatsApp’s desks and bat
by mlthoughts2018 8y ago
> "Small cultural disagreements between the two staffs also popped up, involving issues such as noise around the office and the size of WhatsApp’s desks and bathrooms, that took on greater significance as the split between the parent company and its acquisition persisted."
^^ coupled with a photo of outrageously poor open-plan office space.
This is just insane. Like, executives should be ashamed of themselves if they think developing a company culture means micromanagement of desk space and bathroom size.
I have to agree with Joel Spolsky that, when you think of things like this, it makes you start to realize that Facebook has to offer outsized salaries and RSU grants to its employees, because the culture and workspace is so poor and surveillance / micro-management oriented that in order to let yourself be embedded into a hellish workplace like that, you would require greater-than-market salary.
And frankly, the salaries aren't high enough to offset this, compared with other companies that don't turn your work life into a micromanagement panopticon, yet still pay well.
- emtel 8y agoI'm a former fb employee, and to say that they "turn your work life into a micromanagement panopticon" is way off. Overall it's a great place to work as a software engineer, although it depends a lot on your team. Many employees have minor frustrations with various things like open plan offices, oversubscribed bathrooms, lack of parking, etc. I suppose there must be some employees who quit because of these sorts of issues, but I've never met any. For most people who work there it's a fantastic opportunity. From what I saw, people quit for the same reasons people quit any company: Burnout, bad relationship with direct manager, or desire to move on to something new.
- mlthoughts2018 8y agoThis seems at odds with the photo in the OP linked article (referenced by the quote in my comment), as well as any other similar photos of what the physical work spaces are like. I mean, it seems like indisputable evidence based on the physical structure of the work space. I don't see how there's a way to interpret photographic depictions of the actual Facebook offices in some other way. It's like saying, "See this picture of a work space that indisputably shows it to be a grotesque panopticon? ... well, trust me, it's not a panopticon." Is the picture a forgery or something?
- emtel 8y agoI agree, the pictures you've seen on the internet definitely trump my personal experience. Thanks for setting me straight.