5 ms·

Well, it's better than the talk my manager gave me, "Looks like you're not as productive lately? What's going on? This place (bay area) is small, everyone know

Well, it's better than the talk my manager gave me, "Looks like you're not as productive lately? What's going on? This place (bay area) is small, everyone knows everyone. Your reputation will follow you."

giantg2 5y ago
Mine said, "Come with me, we have to talk.". Then told me how I was about to be let go. I got to transfer in time.
felipellrocha 5y ago
That right there is your manager projecting their fear onto you.
- wccrawford 5y ago
  Perhaps, but it's also a very clear attempt to mentally manipulate the employee. It's one of the signs of an abusive relationship. It's the same as saying, "If you fail me, I will ruin you."
JMTQp8lwXL 5y ago
The world is far too big for anyone to care as to a minute detail of "Developer John Doe didn't meet my productivity metrics". That's worthy of a (mental) eye roll. Workers in this industry, at the moment, have the leverage, not the employers.
- LimaBearz 5y ago
  True but the tech world IS small. I’m not coming to the defense of the business or management but there is some truth to it. Everyone is only a degree or two from anyone else in the BA, and you bet your ass people ping old coworkers about candidates that land on someone’s desk. You may eyeroll but if you have a trusted coworker ping someone and they come back with “he was the most unsuccessful junior dev I’ve ever met” (a real personal story) that guy does and did end up at the bottom of a waste basket
  - unishark 5y ago
    But there's a big difference between a system where you are unhireable once you disappoint someone, versus just living with a risk that someone where you apply might know your last boss personally. I can't think of any case where someone left a job in tech for any reason (fired for cause for getting in a fight, bridge-burning angry walkout, etc.) and didn't emerge someone else better off. I've always assumed it was because hopping around just pays off, no matter the reason, while sticking around (especially when it's not working out) tends to be bad for your career.
  - gotaran 5y ago
    It’s highly unprofessional for someone to disclose a job search to your current manager. I wouldn’t expect that to happen. Back channel references are a thing, but even they’re becoming less and less common
- mustacheemperor 5y ago
  95% of the time someone attempts to bury or denigrate the reputation of another professional like that, it does more to damage their own reputation. The issue at hand is almost always as you quoted something relatively small and meaningless or at least related to context completely unknown to the audience. It only serves to advertise "I think I am bigly enough to talk crap about my former subordinates, so you should be very careful about working with me."
gotaran 5y ago
Haha, another Bay Area tech person here. A manager pulled that line on me, after he canned all my projects, and when I was dealing with COVID burnout and a bunch of family issues. I casually reached out to a few former managers, interviewed, and had offers in hand after two weeks. Meanwhile, the only reason this dude joined my (former) employer was that he got a 2X pay raise (they pay F/N/G levels but have a laughably low bar for managers). 3 months after my departure, my entire team leaves and he's fired. As far as I can tell, he's still looking for a job. He had no reputation whatsoever.
triceratops 5y ago
If the Bay Area, the single-largest, most prosperous market for software engineers in the world, is a "small place", what's "big"?

giantg2 5y ago

Mine said, "Come with me, we have to talk.". Then told me how I was about to be let go. I got to transfer in time.

felipellrocha 5y ago

That right there is your manager projecting their fear onto you.

wccrawford 5y ago
Perhaps, but it's also a very clear attempt to mentally manipulate the employee. It's one of the signs of an abusive relationship. It's the same as saying, "If you fail me, I will ruin you."

JMTQp8lwXL 5y ago

The world is far too big for anyone to care as to a minute detail of "Developer John Doe didn't meet my productivity metrics". That's worthy of a (mental) eye roll. Workers in this industry, at the moment, have the leverage, not the employers.

LimaBearz 5y ago
True but the tech world IS small. I’m not coming to the defense of the business or management but there is some truth to it. Everyone is only a degree or two from anyone else in the BA, and you bet your ass people ping old coworkers about candidates that land on someone’s desk. You may eyeroll but if you have a trusted coworker ping someone and they come back with “he was the most unsuccessful junior dev I’ve ever met” (a real personal story) that guy does and did end up at the bottom of a waste basket
- unishark 5y ago
  But there's a big difference between a system where you are unhireable once you disappoint someone, versus just living with a risk that someone where you apply might know your last boss personally. I can't think of any case where someone left a job in tech for any reason (fired for cause for getting in a fight, bridge-burning angry walkout, etc.) and didn't emerge someone else better off. I've always assumed it was because hopping around just pays off, no matter the reason, while sticking around (especially when it's not working out) tends to be bad for your career.
- gotaran 5y ago
  It’s highly unprofessional for someone to disclose a job search to your current manager. I wouldn’t expect that to happen. Back channel references are a thing, but even they’re becoming less and less common
mustacheemperor 5y ago
95% of the time someone attempts to bury or denigrate the reputation of another professional like that, it does more to damage their own reputation. The issue at hand is almost always as you quoted something relatively small and meaningless or at least related to context completely unknown to the audience. It only serves to advertise "I think I am bigly enough to talk crap about my former subordinates, so you should be very careful about working with me."

gotaran 5y ago

Haha, another Bay Area tech person here. A manager pulled that line on me, after he canned all my projects, and when I was dealing with COVID burnout and a bunch of family issues. I casually reached out to a few former managers, interviewed, and had offers in hand after two weeks. Meanwhile, the only reason this dude joined my (former) employer was that he got a 2X pay raise (they pay F/N/G levels but have a laughably low bar for managers). 3 months after my departure, my entire team leaves and he's fired. As far as I can tell, he's still looking for a job. He had no reputation whatsoever.

triceratops 5y ago

If the Bay Area, the single-largest, most prosperous market for software engineers in the world, is a "small place", what's "big"?