4 ms·

We're talking past each other here, so I'll try to simplify where I'm coming from... It is exploitative by the company to expect you to work nights and weekend

We're talking past each other here, so I'll try to simplify where I'm coming from... It is exploitative by the company to expect you to work nights and weekends, but then all the possible benefits go to the company. If you're going to do work on your nights and weekends, then do work for yourself, not for a company that won't compensate you for it. The above has nothing to do with whether or not it's like a startup; it's speaking only to the deal in question being exploitative. (Side note: I don't have a problem working some nights and the occasional weekend for my job. But it's very rarely expected of me; it tends to happen when I make a commitment to delivering something in a certain timeframe and then it turns out my guess as to how long it would take was wrong. Because I'm flexible, so is my company; if I need to take a half day to help my daughter with something, nobody is going to push back on that. I just wanted to make it clear that I don't consider the occasional night/weekend exploitative automatically... just that the situation described by the OP appeared to be so.)

JumpCrisscross 6y ago
> It is exploitative by the company to expect you to work nights and weekends, but then all the possible benefits go to the company We’re disagreeing, not talking past each other. (Which is fine!) Above-market salaries, bonuses and the promise of promotion (within the company or without) are fair compensation for aggressive work expectations. The upside is sharply capped in comparison with start-ups. But the downside has been practically eliminated. Nobody bemoans investment bankers, who have largely this compensation model.
- RHSeeger 6y ago
  My understanding was that this person's normal job did not include working nights and weekends. It was the act of taking on the "company side project" that necessitated that extra work. If the person's job includes working nights and weekend and compensates fairly for it, and they have the option of working on an official side project _instead_ of their normal work, then I agree with your analysis of the situation. If the person's job does not normally include nights and weekends, and they are compensated based on that, and adding the official side project to their work adds this time with no added benefit, then the company is being exploitative. At the high level... - if the side project can be done instead of your normal work, all good - if the side project is done in addition to your normal work, with no additional compensation, then it's exploitative.

JumpCrisscross 6y ago

> It is exploitative by the company to expect you to work nights and weekends, but then all the possible benefits go to the company We’re disagreeing, not talking past each other. (Which is fine!) Above-market salaries, bonuses and the promise of promotion (within the company or without) are fair compensation for aggressive work expectations. The upside is sharply capped in comparison with start-ups. But the downside has been practically eliminated. Nobody bemoans investment bankers, who have largely this compensation model.

RHSeeger 6y ago
My understanding was that this person's normal job did not include working nights and weekends. It was the act of taking on the "company side project" that necessitated that extra work. If the person's job includes working nights and weekend and compensates fairly for it, and they have the option of working on an official side project _instead_ of their normal work, then I agree with your analysis of the situation. If the person's job does not normally include nights and weekends, and they are compensated based on that, and adding the official side project to their work adds this time with no added benefit, then the company is being exploitative. At the high level... - if the side project can be done instead of your normal work, all good - if the side project is done in addition to your normal work, with no additional compensation, then it's exploitative.