4 ms·

I had a software engineering job where I clocked in and time was tracked. Pretty good deal for people who tend to overwork themselves.

hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
I did as well. My company ran a 36 hour hackathon. By law, hours 8-12 were 1.5x time and hours 13+ were 2x time. It was basically an extra paycheck.
- gruez 5y ago
  Your company ran a paid hackathon? Were you able to do whatever you want? Or was it a crunch to get a project launched?
  - hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
    Yep, paid hackathon, but participation was voluntary. There were a few limitations: * It had to directly relate to the product. * You could not use the time to work on some existing project. * You had to be able to finish it by the end of the hackathon. Hackathon projects were sometimes adopted by a permanent team, if there was a good fit.
    - bckr 5y ago
      How many incidents did those nice new features cause?
      - hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
        They didn't cause problems in the way you're implying. We took the time to polish hackathon projects before releasing them. We didn't just shove them out the door as soon as they were done. That said, one of them was an unmitigated disaster. Leadership loved it, users hated it, you know the drill. The company eventually gave in and turned the feature off three years later.
        bckr 5y ago
        Ah, thanks for responding. I was in a cynical mood and probably came across somewhat rude.
ChuckNorris89 5y ago
In Austria (and I think in Germany it's the same), for most jobs, including IT, employees must track their working time for legal reasons, so I had to clock in and out via a device at the entrance like a factory worker, to prove to HR, accounting and the bureaucratic government institutions in charge of taxing me, that I'm indeed at my workplace 8h/day. One company I interviewed at had a work-time time tracking machine next to the coffee machine as breaks were not included in the working time. I said no thanks to that job but it's quite common in Austria at more traditional companies who insist you're only productive while your butt is in the chair. Thanks Covid for the disruption but it's a massive shame it took a global tragedy for companies and governments to realize people working in tech and other sectors can be just as productive without needing to commute somewhere else just so they can keep a seat warm for 8h/day.
- phillc73 5y ago
  I can confirm this is the case in Austria. However, my experience is mostly using a computerised system via the company Intranet. There's an option to use an access card and touch it to a login pad at the office entrance, but I can also work from home, logging the time via the Intranet based system. I don't get paid overtime, but I do receive time off in lieu of excess hours worked.
- b112 5y ago
  for companies and governments to realize people working in tech and other sectors can be just as productive It may seem this way, but the conditions allowing this situation still exist. I assure you, large swaths of people will be called back to the office ASAP. And many non-IT/computing types need to be there, to be productive. Which means many managers need to be too. Which means, in non pure tech firms, the call will be stronger, for lots of other employees will be in-office. Some say, that they'll just refuse. That's fine and dandy now, but when the market crashes, 2 years, 5 years, and jobs become scare? You, and everyone else will work in office to put food on the table. I don't think this will stick.
- Xylakant 5y ago
  > and I think in Germany it's the same It should be, but it’s not in most circumstances. (Industry is fighting it tooth and nail, all of a sudden unpaid overtime would be so much harder.)

hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago

I did as well. My company ran a 36 hour hackathon. By law, hours 8-12 were 1.5x time and hours 13+ were 2x time. It was basically an extra paycheck.

gruez 5y ago
Your company ran a paid hackathon? Were you able to do whatever you want? Or was it a crunch to get a project launched?
- hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
  Yep, paid hackathon, but participation was voluntary. There were a few limitations: * It had to directly relate to the product. * You could not use the time to work on some existing project. * You had to be able to finish it by the end of the hackathon. Hackathon projects were sometimes adopted by a permanent team, if there was a good fit.
  - bckr 5y ago
    How many incidents did those nice new features cause?
    - hn_go_brrrrr 5y ago
      They didn't cause problems in the way you're implying. We took the time to polish hackathon projects before releasing them. We didn't just shove them out the door as soon as they were done. That said, one of them was an unmitigated disaster. Leadership loved it, users hated it, you know the drill. The company eventually gave in and turned the feature off three years later.
      - bckr 5y ago
        Ah, thanks for responding. I was in a cynical mood and probably came across somewhat rude.

ChuckNorris89 5y ago

In Austria (and I think in Germany it's the same), for most jobs, including IT, employees must track their working time for legal reasons, so I had to clock in and out via a device at the entrance like a factory worker, to prove to HR, accounting and the bureaucratic government institutions in charge of taxing me, that I'm indeed at my workplace 8h/day. One company I interviewed at had a work-time time tracking machine next to the coffee machine as breaks were not included in the working time. I said no thanks to that job but it's quite common in Austria at more traditional companies who insist you're only productive while your butt is in the chair. Thanks Covid for the disruption but it's a massive shame it took a global tragedy for companies and governments to realize people working in tech and other sectors can be just as productive without needing to commute somewhere else just so they can keep a seat warm for 8h/day.

phillc73 5y ago
I can confirm this is the case in Austria. However, my experience is mostly using a computerised system via the company Intranet. There's an option to use an access card and touch it to a login pad at the office entrance, but I can also work from home, logging the time via the Intranet based system. I don't get paid overtime, but I do receive time off in lieu of excess hours worked.
b112 5y ago
for companies and governments to realize people working in tech and other sectors can be just as productive It may seem this way, but the conditions allowing this situation still exist. I assure you, large swaths of people will be called back to the office ASAP. And many non-IT/computing types need to be there, to be productive. Which means many managers need to be too. Which means, in non pure tech firms, the call will be stronger, for lots of other employees will be in-office. Some say, that they'll just refuse. That's fine and dandy now, but when the market crashes, 2 years, 5 years, and jobs become scare? You, and everyone else will work in office to put food on the table. I don't think this will stick.
Xylakant 5y ago
> and I think in Germany it's the same It should be, but it’s not in most circumstances. (Industry is fighting it tooth and nail, all of a sudden unpaid overtime would be so much harder.)