4 ms·
If you have to ask for permission to do an hour long QoL task to fix some insane thing that stresses everyone out, you need a new job.
by ajkjk 3y ago
If you have to ask for permission to do an hour long QoL task to fix some insane thing that stresses everyone out, you need a new job.
- easeout 3y agoI like to write the same email except as a work ticket, not a request, so long as it's under my team's control. Justify it, then do it.
- hashstring 3y agoPerhaps, but I think that it wasn’t the message that the author was trying to convey.
- ajkjk 3y agoYeah but the author's message is... Problematic. Warping the way you talk because of a creepy manager/engineering culture is not healthy. Anyway the engineers don't say 'this would take an hour to fix and it's worth X to do it'. It's all intuitive! 'this is really annoying so the team agrees to do it soon'. It's not about being a perfect utilitarian robot it's about being productive and having a good life.
- cgio 3y agoEspecially given you probably had to spend an hour just communicating the case for the fix.
- manvillej 3y agoI am a big believer that all approvals are bad. All they do is add wait time and bottlenecks with people who are further from the problem. I think they are a symptom of poor risk mitigation. code reviews are a discussion and my one exception.
- throwaway04f4 3y agoI believe in a balance. Spending 1 hour for the task mentioned in the article is something that should just be done without having to ask for approval. But knowing what to do and when to ask for "approval", requires that we are aligned with the business, so that we can make these decisions in the context of "the greater good". If not, the business may decide to take away these privileges and start micro managing.
- galoisscobi 3y agoI wish our management understand that. Even getting basic cables and adapters can be a kafkaesque battle that requires endless justification. I never thought that this is what it would be like working at a FAANG. Fwiw, I worked at different FAANG and they had a self serve kiosk with free cables and adapters. It was way more efficient.
- tslmy 3y agoAuthor here. It's just a random number I picked to simplify the calculations. But, yes, do find a new job if it's reality.