3 ms·

Questions I have learned to ask (the hard way): -Do you do performance evaluations / raises? -Do you block any part of the internet? -Do you allow working re

Questions I have learned to ask (the hard way): -Do you do performance evaluations / raises? -Do you block any part of the internet? -Do you allow working remotely? -Do you have a sane sick day policy? -What kind of basic hours per week do you expect?

jgs1 14y ago
I've found that the small companies I've worked for ignore the HR related policy issues for as long as possible with a mostly negative impact on employee morale. Owners/management say things like "we're small so we don't have a set vacation policy." Which sounds cool and works out fine until Willy starts coming in at 11 am and leaving at 3 pm and you wonder why you're stuck at the office on a holiday. IMO It's much better to have set policies so everyone knows where they stand. Another option is to find a company that doesn't hire/tolerate those types of Willys, but that's difficult to know beforehand.
- joeblossom 14y ago
  I agree -- I've turned down a job before I received a formal offer (was told one was in the works) partly because no one could tell me what the vacation policy was. Not that I'm only interested in time off work, but I do live a few states away from the rest of my family (and many friends) and I'd like to visit them once in a while and not feel guilty.
niggler 14y ago
You will never get a straight answer to any of these questions: "-Do you do performance evaluations / raises?" Yes, we do performance evaluations and raises. (We haven't actually issued a raise yet, but there is a plan at one point in the future) "-Do you block any part of the internet?" Not to my knowledge (We do block parts of the internet, such as porn websites, but we don't expect you to attempt to go to any of those blocked sites) "-Do you allow working remotely?" Yes (but it looks really bad and you will be judged negatively) "-Do you have a sane sick day policy?" Yes (for certain definitions of sane) "-What kind of basic hours per week do you expect?" We don't expect you to work 24-7 if that's what you are asking (but we do expect 16-hour days)
- rmc 14y ago
  But sometimes you might get a straight answer. "Do you allow remote working?" "Yes, someone on our team currently works remotely, it's fine" A non-straight answer is still an answer and still tells you something.
VLM 14y ago
- On call policy / standards ? - Can I talk to a future coworker (aka what is the "real" job and what is the "real" culture like) - Bro-grammer culture or professional culture? (will I be required to slam shots after hours, play xbox each lunch hour, and whistle at chicks with my coworkers or can I act civilized?). Probably best to ask the "future coworker" - (assuming I'm replacing someone) What happened to the guy I would replace? (my brand new future boss, fired for cause, died, transfer, prison, quit, or what exactly am I stepping into at least in the rather short term?) - When would you expect me to start work (tomorrow is a no-go, gimme about 3 weeks?) - Any weird requirements for dress code?
- herge 14y ago
  Professional culture, that's the one with the dress code and long meetings?
  - VLM 14y ago
    LOL good point you got me. I meant treating others professionally, aka with at least a surface layer of respect, ethnic/sex/age/orientation blindness, at least an attempt at avoiding stereotypes, rather than brogramming. There's a time and place for fraternity bro antics, from memory it is a lot of fun, but the office probably isn't the time and place for it. I will concede that a brogramming environment could theoretically be, for the sake of brevity, civilized. Unlikely, but possible. Hearing phrases at the interview about behavior like "boys will be boys" and discovering at the interview its a hard drinking all straight single white male existing staff might be a bad sign. I can't believe I'm actually advocating for diversity after a lifetime of making fun of it, but...
gesman 14y ago
Better versions of questions that may not help you to be hired :) >> -Do you do performance evaluations / raises? What's the average percentage of base salary raise your non-management employees received last year? (cut the crap and just give the real numbers) >> -Do you allow working remotely? Do you believe that employee's productivity and ability to contribute to company's success is impossible without him occupying the same office chair every day? (answering yes would make employer look really stupid)
mrcharles 14y ago
Just so people understand where these questions come from, since some of the replies are suggesting I was asking the wrong questions: -I worked at a place for 4.5 years without a single raise. -I worked at a place that blocked every port other than 80, and that blocked most websites that used post operations, all email websites, and all personal file transfer apps (like dropbox). -I worked at a place that literally did not allow working remotely, even though it was the kind of place where that actually would have been useful and productive, especially for emergencies. -I worked at a place that only gave you three sick days per year. After that you were expected to either use your vacation days or accept unpaid days. -I worked at a place that required 60 hours per week as a bare minimum, but in reality, expected more like 80+ (And these were all high tech companies)
- niggler 14y ago
  I don't think you are asking the wrong questions, but I also don't think you will get the answers you want. "-I worked at a place for 4.5 years without a single raise." Did this place have solid revenues? They very well may not have earned a penny, in which case the backers wouldn't necessarily OK a raise. "-I worked at a place that blocked every port other than 80, and that blocked most websites that used post operations, all email websites, and all personal file transfer apps (like dropbox)." Were you in a regulated company? (I know you said high-tech but even within that area there are companies bound by various regulations like HIPAA) "-I worked at a place that literally did not allow working remotely" See above "-I worked at a place that only gave you three sick days per year. After that you were expected to either use your vacation days or accept unpaid days." How many vacation days did they give you? I've seen some companies give more vacation days but force you to take vacation days when you are sick. All in all, I think I would prefer 4 weeks vacation and no sick days versus 2 weeks vacation and 2 weeks sick days. "-I worked at a place that required 60 hours per week as a bare minimum, but in reality, expected more like 80+" I'm reminded of the office space scene with the flair. Especially when you are joining an early-stage company, you should expect to work long hours initially (which should taper off as the business settles.
  - mrcharles 14y ago

jgs1 14y ago

I've found that the small companies I've worked for ignore the HR related policy issues for as long as possible with a mostly negative impact on employee morale. Owners/management say things like "we're small so we don't have a set vacation policy." Which sounds cool and works out fine until Willy starts coming in at 11 am and leaving at 3 pm and you wonder why you're stuck at the office on a holiday. IMO It's much better to have set policies so everyone knows where they stand. Another option is to find a company that doesn't hire/tolerate those types of Willys, but that's difficult to know beforehand.

joeblossom 14y ago
I agree -- I've turned down a job before I received a formal offer (was told one was in the works) partly because no one could tell me what the vacation policy was. Not that I'm only interested in time off work, but I do live a few states away from the rest of my family (and many friends) and I'd like to visit them once in a while and not feel guilty.

niggler 14y ago

You will never get a straight answer to any of these questions: "-Do you do performance evaluations / raises?" Yes, we do performance evaluations and raises. (We haven't actually issued a raise yet, but there is a plan at one point in the future) "-Do you block any part of the internet?" Not to my knowledge (We do block parts of the internet, such as porn websites, but we don't expect you to attempt to go to any of those blocked sites) "-Do you allow working remotely?" Yes (but it looks really bad and you will be judged negatively) "-Do you have a sane sick day policy?" Yes (for certain definitions of sane) "-What kind of basic hours per week do you expect?" We don't expect you to work 24-7 if that's what you are asking (but we do expect 16-hour days)

rmc 14y ago
But sometimes you might get a straight answer. "Do you allow remote working?" "Yes, someone on our team currently works remotely, it's fine" A non-straight answer is still an answer and still tells you something.

VLM 14y ago

- On call policy / standards ? - Can I talk to a future coworker (aka what is the "real" job and what is the "real" culture like) - Bro-grammer culture or professional culture? (will I be required to slam shots after hours, play xbox each lunch hour, and whistle at chicks with my coworkers or can I act civilized?). Probably best to ask the "future coworker" - (assuming I'm replacing someone) What happened to the guy I would replace? (my brand new future boss, fired for cause, died, transfer, prison, quit, or what exactly am I stepping into at least in the rather short term?) - When would you expect me to start work (tomorrow is a no-go, gimme about 3 weeks?) - Any weird requirements for dress code?

herge 14y ago
Professional culture, that's the one with the dress code and long meetings?
- VLM 14y ago
  LOL good point you got me. I meant treating others professionally, aka with at least a surface layer of respect, ethnic/sex/age/orientation blindness, at least an attempt at avoiding stereotypes, rather than brogramming. There's a time and place for fraternity bro antics, from memory it is a lot of fun, but the office probably isn't the time and place for it. I will concede that a brogramming environment could theoretically be, for the sake of brevity, civilized. Unlikely, but possible. Hearing phrases at the interview about behavior like "boys will be boys" and discovering at the interview its a hard drinking all straight single white male existing staff might be a bad sign. I can't believe I'm actually advocating for diversity after a lifetime of making fun of it, but...

gesman 14y ago

Better versions of questions that may not help you to be hired :) >> -Do you do performance evaluations / raises? What's the average percentage of base salary raise your non-management employees received last year? (cut the crap and just give the real numbers) >> -Do you allow working remotely? Do you believe that employee's productivity and ability to contribute to company's success is impossible without him occupying the same office chair every day? (answering yes would make employer look really stupid)

mrcharles 14y ago

Just so people understand where these questions come from, since some of the replies are suggesting I was asking the wrong questions: -I worked at a place for 4.5 years without a single raise. -I worked at a place that blocked every port other than 80, and that blocked most websites that used post operations, all email websites, and all personal file transfer apps (like dropbox). -I worked at a place that literally did not allow working remotely, even though it was the kind of place where that actually would have been useful and productive, especially for emergencies. -I worked at a place that only gave you three sick days per year. After that you were expected to either use your vacation days or accept unpaid days. -I worked at a place that required 60 hours per week as a bare minimum, but in reality, expected more like 80+ (And these were all high tech companies)

niggler 14y ago
I don't think you are asking the wrong questions, but I also don't think you will get the answers you want. "-I worked at a place for 4.5 years without a single raise." Did this place have solid revenues? They very well may not have earned a penny, in which case the backers wouldn't necessarily OK a raise. "-I worked at a place that blocked every port other than 80, and that blocked most websites that used post operations, all email websites, and all personal file transfer apps (like dropbox)." Were you in a regulated company? (I know you said high-tech but even within that area there are companies bound by various regulations like HIPAA) "-I worked at a place that literally did not allow working remotely" See above "-I worked at a place that only gave you three sick days per year. After that you were expected to either use your vacation days or accept unpaid days." How many vacation days did they give you? I've seen some companies give more vacation days but force you to take vacation days when you are sick. All in all, I think I would prefer 4 weeks vacation and no sick days versus 2 weeks vacation and 2 weeks sick days. "-I worked at a place that required 60 hours per week as a bare minimum, but in reality, expected more like 80+" I'm reminded of the office space scene with the flair. Especially when you are joining an early-stage company, you should expect to work long hours initially (which should taper off as the business settles.
- mrcharles 14y ago