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I think this is a delusional take. The fact of the matter is you do not have any leverage at all and your only option, like everyone else's, is to be a politica

I think this is a delusional take. The fact of the matter is you do not have any leverage at all and your only option, like everyone else's, is to be a political entity operating in the confines of the system to effect change. This author is acting like some kind of primadona who is above it all and such a sneaky snake because he totally knows HRs game and is going to tattle to them to get his boss fired.

hashstring 3y ago
> the fact of the matter is you do not have any leverage at all … What evidence do you have to believe this?
- cj 3y ago
  The only leverage any employee has (non-union, in the US) is purely political. All employment is “at will” in Tech, you can be fired for any reason. The only thing preventing you from being fired is your capacity to create value for the company (as seen in the company’s eyes) Unless you’re truly irreplaceable, you don’t have much leverage by default.
  - testacct22 3y ago
    > All employment is “at will” in Tech, you can be fired for any reason Wrong. The reason cannot be discriminatory An important distinction to make, one that can cost a great deal if not made
    - cj 3y ago
      Technically you’re right. Except in the US there are about 100 ways employers can still fire you even if the underlying reason is discriminatory. They just can’t expose the real reason in writing and they make up other reasons (or no reason at all). Edit: and just to be perfectly clear, I don’t applaud companies who discriminate (I myself am a minority frequently discriminated against). Just pointing out the unfortunate reality that non-discrimination laws are extremely weak and ineffective in the US when it comes to hiring/firing.
hackermatic 3y ago
Sometimes you can project leverage even when you only have a little. Being sure to use the language of the business, and framing problems in ways that make sense to the stakeholders, implies that you have some organizational experience and power -- and that you won't be easily brushed off. You can get pretty far by creating an impression that you have a mandate for what you're trying to do. Having a higher-level individual contributor position seems to create that impression in itself, at least at my company.
- tracerbulletx 3y ago
  Yeah I'm not a nihilist about impacting change. There are lots of things you can do to change things because companies are just people and not every single thing is a hard decision from on high, there is leeway and room to lead. I just take issue with framing it as wielding your leverage and acting like an outsider of the company looking in and being in conflict with the company.
testacct22 3y ago
> The fact of the matter is you do not have any leverage at all You do have leverage though, that's a point that this article makes. It costs time and money to onboard people. Also you can unionize, and acquire even more leverage You're making a pretty strong claim and just assert it to be "the fact of the matter", reminiscent of an opinion column from a newspaper

hashstring 3y ago

> the fact of the matter is you do not have any leverage at all … What evidence do you have to believe this?

cj 3y ago
The only leverage any employee has (non-union, in the US) is purely political. All employment is “at will” in Tech, you can be fired for any reason. The only thing preventing you from being fired is your capacity to create value for the company (as seen in the company’s eyes) Unless you’re truly irreplaceable, you don’t have much leverage by default.
- testacct22 3y ago
  > All employment is “at will” in Tech, you can be fired for any reason Wrong. The reason cannot be discriminatory An important distinction to make, one that can cost a great deal if not made
  - cj 3y ago
    Technically you’re right. Except in the US there are about 100 ways employers can still fire you even if the underlying reason is discriminatory. They just can’t expose the real reason in writing and they make up other reasons (or no reason at all). Edit: and just to be perfectly clear, I don’t applaud companies who discriminate (I myself am a minority frequently discriminated against). Just pointing out the unfortunate reality that non-discrimination laws are extremely weak and ineffective in the US when it comes to hiring/firing.

hackermatic 3y ago

Sometimes you can project leverage even when you only have a little. Being sure to use the language of the business, and framing problems in ways that make sense to the stakeholders, implies that you have some organizational experience and power -- and that you won't be easily brushed off. You can get pretty far by creating an impression that you have a mandate for what you're trying to do. Having a higher-level individual contributor position seems to create that impression in itself, at least at my company.

tracerbulletx 3y ago
Yeah I'm not a nihilist about impacting change. There are lots of things you can do to change things because companies are just people and not every single thing is a hard decision from on high, there is leeway and room to lead. I just take issue with framing it as wielding your leverage and acting like an outsider of the company looking in and being in conflict with the company.

testacct22 3y ago

> The fact of the matter is you do not have any leverage at all You do have leverage though, that's a point that this article makes. It costs time and money to onboard people. Also you can unionize, and acquire even more leverage You're making a pretty strong claim and just assert it to be "the fact of the matter", reminiscent of an opinion column from a newspaper