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Or. Hear me out. You're going to then publicly embarrass another co worker. Not a good idea. I need to clarify though, there's a difference between functiona

Or. Hear me out. You're going to then publicly embarrass another co worker. Not a good idea. I need to clarify though, there's a difference between functional code that could have been written better, and code which does nothing at all . I was at a company where three or four people literally were writing code that did nothing but was appearing to function correctly. Imagine an API that checks the status of another service, and you just code it to always return 200. Instead of trying to save an organization from itself, you can just go somewhere else. I did so and I got like a $30,000 raise.

icedchai 2y ago
Not necessarily. You can escalate things to your boss. Or then their boss. They talk to the coworker about it. It doesn't have to (and shouldn't be) a public inquisition. Maybe you do some one-on-one sessions / mentoring to try to help them. Maybe you're not patient enough to try this. It's certainly easier to leave most of the time. The code aspect is all shades of gray. I've seen code that "functions" but has such unacceptable levels of performance, quality, duplication, security problems, etc. that it would barely qualify as "working" and certainly not maintainable. You can't polish a turd.
- 999900000999 2y ago
  I didn't have that experience, I was basically told that I should shut up and get used to working with code that doesn't functionally do anything . Then when I complain later my manager was like, even though the code doesn't do anything it makes our metrics look better. Imagine seeing function1(){ ApiCall("1") } function2(){ ApiCall("2) } Over and over again.
  - icedchai 2y ago
    I'd tell them I am not shutting up and this is a major problem affecting the quality of the product. I would then speak to the boss's boss about it and start complaining about the boss doing a poor job, encouraging fake, meaningless metrics to game the system. Maybe they'll get get fed up and tell you to GTFO. Probably not though. The thing about broken organizations is that they take forever to fire anyone, so use that to your advantage while you look for other jobs.
    - sgarland 2y ago
      > The thing about broken organizations is that they take forever to fire anyone, so use that to your advantage while you look for other jobs. My last place was horrendously broken in many aspects, and fired people at the drop of a hat.
    - 999900000999 2y ago
      That seems like a whole lot of work, compared to just finding another job and walking out . I'm not trying to change the world, I'm trying to make money so I can save and retire preferably before I turn 50. If I've learned anything about life is that you need to pick what battles you want to fight. If option A is argue with numerous people and openly expose multiple layers of incompetence, to the point where my manager and my coworkers are going to hate me . Compared to, option B , keeping my head down until I can jump ship and then hoping the next place isn't as bad. I'm picking B. You gain nothing by going above and beyond your pay grade.
      - icedchai 2y ago
        I mean, if you don't care about the company, product, or project, then yes, you are right. Lay low and move on. Some fights definitely aren't worth it. If you do care about more than your paycheck, maybe it is. And do you really care if some incompetent hates you? I hate working with incompetent people, so some mutual feelings are perfectly fine. It may even improve the situation, at least temporarily: They'll reduce their interactions with you to avoid conflict, since most people are rather conflict avoidant.
        recursive 2y ago
        Bad impressions can be contagious. Some "incompetents" have political capital.
        mlhpdx 2y ago
        IMHO labeling people “incompetent” is a bright orange flag. Sometimes it is true, but far more often it’s a genuine lack of respect.
  - dotancohen 2y ago
    Write a test case and file a bug.
- seadan83 2y ago
  That is a difficult escalation. When talking to your boss, it's almost always better to be discussing the solution to business problems, specifically those that are financially incentivized goals of your boss. Talking about other problems, and suddenly you're 'that' guy. The boss might stop listening even and decide you are the problem, and not the fugly baby.
BobbyJo 2y ago
> Hear me out. You're going to then publicly embarrass another co worker. Not a good idea We should all be working with each other under the assumption we are adults capable of receiving feedback. If a coworker is doing poorly, talk to them. If they wont listen escalate. If escalation doesn't work, its a bad fit.
jimmaswell 2y ago
> You're going to then publicly embarrass another co worker. Not a good idea. Worth it if they really deserve it.

icedchai 2y ago

Not necessarily. You can escalate things to your boss. Or then their boss. They talk to the coworker about it. It doesn't have to (and shouldn't be) a public inquisition. Maybe you do some one-on-one sessions / mentoring to try to help them. Maybe you're not patient enough to try this. It's certainly easier to leave most of the time. The code aspect is all shades of gray. I've seen code that "functions" but has such unacceptable levels of performance, quality, duplication, security problems, etc. that it would barely qualify as "working" and certainly not maintainable. You can't polish a turd.

999900000999 2y ago
I didn't have that experience, I was basically told that I should shut up and get used to working with code that doesn't functionally do anything . Then when I complain later my manager was like, even though the code doesn't do anything it makes our metrics look better. Imagine seeing function1(){ ApiCall("1") } function2(){ ApiCall("2) } Over and over again.
- icedchai 2y ago
  I'd tell them I am not shutting up and this is a major problem affecting the quality of the product. I would then speak to the boss's boss about it and start complaining about the boss doing a poor job, encouraging fake, meaningless metrics to game the system. Maybe they'll get get fed up and tell you to GTFO. Probably not though. The thing about broken organizations is that they take forever to fire anyone, so use that to your advantage while you look for other jobs.
  - sgarland 2y ago
    > The thing about broken organizations is that they take forever to fire anyone, so use that to your advantage while you look for other jobs. My last place was horrendously broken in many aspects, and fired people at the drop of a hat.
  - 999900000999 2y ago
    That seems like a whole lot of work, compared to just finding another job and walking out . I'm not trying to change the world, I'm trying to make money so I can save and retire preferably before I turn 50. If I've learned anything about life is that you need to pick what battles you want to fight. If option A is argue with numerous people and openly expose multiple layers of incompetence, to the point where my manager and my coworkers are going to hate me . Compared to, option B , keeping my head down until I can jump ship and then hoping the next place isn't as bad. I'm picking B. You gain nothing by going above and beyond your pay grade.
    - icedchai 2y ago
      I mean, if you don't care about the company, product, or project, then yes, you are right. Lay low and move on. Some fights definitely aren't worth it. If you do care about more than your paycheck, maybe it is. And do you really care if some incompetent hates you? I hate working with incompetent people, so some mutual feelings are perfectly fine. It may even improve the situation, at least temporarily: They'll reduce their interactions with you to avoid conflict, since most people are rather conflict avoidant.
      - recursive 2y ago
        Bad impressions can be contagious. Some "incompetents" have political capital.
        mlhpdx 2y ago
        IMHO labeling people “incompetent” is a bright orange flag. Sometimes it is true, but far more often it’s a genuine lack of respect.
- dotancohen 2y ago
  Write a test case and file a bug.
seadan83 2y ago
That is a difficult escalation. When talking to your boss, it's almost always better to be discussing the solution to business problems, specifically those that are financially incentivized goals of your boss. Talking about other problems, and suddenly you're 'that' guy. The boss might stop listening even and decide you are the problem, and not the fugly baby.

BobbyJo 2y ago

> Hear me out. You're going to then publicly embarrass another co worker. Not a good idea We should all be working with each other under the assumption we are adults capable of receiving feedback. If a coworker is doing poorly, talk to them. If they wont listen escalate. If escalation doesn't work, its a bad fit.

jimmaswell 2y ago

> You're going to then publicly embarrass another co worker. Not a good idea. Worth it if they really deserve it.