7 ms·

How to survive a job you hate

54 points by pyskool 13y ago

seivan 13y ago
'Changing your environment will not change your circumstances' That can't be true, can it? Isn't that the point? Your environment seemed toxic, so you leave it for a non-toxic place. You can change your circumstances at the job, but that doesn't make the senior-managements behavior any less toxic?
- yason 13y ago
  The reason why he had ended up in a toxic environment is the key. Change jobs and you'll find you're in the same situation a year later, but with different people and different schemes. Change your mind and you'll find you might not need to change jobs at all.
- mwfunk 13y ago
  It's not literally true, and not 100% true in any sense of the phrase, but I interpreted that as meaning that part of how you perceive your job comes from within; it's never just based on a cold and objective evaluation of the work environment. If you're not predisposed to make the best of a bad situation, then every bad situation you find yourself in will seem like a dead end. In reality, some bad situations may even be opportunities for growth and change, instead of just being barriers to overcome. If someone has a particularly nonconstructive outlook, just about every situation might might seem like an insurmountable dead end. To quote Sarah Silverman, "when life gives you AIDS, make lemon AIDS!"
- fuzzywalrus 13y ago
  "You can change your circumstances at the job, but that doesn't make the senior-managements behavior any less toxic?" Too true, I was in the situation awhile ago of being checked-out at a bad job. I realized that I needed to turn around, despite really positive feedback from the management about improving performance, it did nothing to improve the management's ineptness. Most of my proposals of even basic industry practices like using Git to manage our code base, and switch to using a CSS framework were met with smiles but resisted. The company inevitably self-imploded, largely due some egregiously bad management decisions. I was laid off, but at least I had gotten used to a workflow that made my skills more marketable...
- benched 13y ago
  It's just extremely popular at this point in time to always locate all responsibility at the individual who's the subject of the self help. It's empowering! Wherever you go, there you are! Never mind that, much like the concept of responsibility itself, it's only a convention.
- lostcolony 13y ago
  "Changing your environment will not change your circumstances" followed by "How to move on to a better job" Wait, what? I'm in complete agreement. The OP seems undecided what his point is supposed to be. "Keep it together until you can get out" would make sense, except for that harped upon quote, and the fact he also talks about "finding out what negative patterns are holding you back from your goals", which really only applies if you keep having crap jobs; one crap job doesn't mean you have a negative pattern you need to get rid of.
- pyskool 13y ago
  Perhaps I wasn't clear in the original post. If you are facing bullying, racism or sexism (or indeed any other -ism), then yes, leave immediately. But for most of us, it's not outright bullying, but the constant grinding down, the non-stop requests for overtime, the occasional "helpful comments" that are actually insults, the constant interference, that really gets us down. Individually, they might mean nothing, but over time, they build up, and make you feel as small as the full stop at the end of this sentence. That's when you must plan to leave, but by first upgrading your skills.
BrianYesh 13y ago
It's possible that you are responsible for your crappy situation. But it's also possible someone is harassing you and THAT is why your environment sux. It isn't the victim's fault that they are being harassed. This may not have happened to the guy who wrote this. But lets be more open minded and empathetic about the many causes of crappy work environments.
- chrisabrams 13y ago
  This happened to me. HR refused to acknowledge the situation. Had no choice but to leave.
- pyskool 13y ago
  I have updated the original article to make this clearer: If you are facing discrimination or bullying, leave immediately! And perhaps consult a lawyer as well. The article was directed mainly at people who hate their jobs, but not enough to quit (because of fear, because they don't think they are good enough to get another one etc). So they keep showing up, in the misplaced opinion that it will get better. But it doesn't, and one day all their fears are realised, when they wake up to find they are no longer employable, because they spent all their time just coasting through life, doing the bare minimum. If a person is in this situation, they need to accept responsibility, and start making plans to move on. This process is hard and time consuming, which is why I say: First improve your skills, then move to a better job. Don't move from one Dilbert company to another. Rather, move to some place that will recognise and reward your skills.
  - vonmoltke 13y ago
    > The article was directed mainly at people who hate their jobs, but not enough to quit (because of fear, because they don't think they are good enough to get another one etc). Quit on what terms? Before or after finding another position?
navs 13y ago
I'm currently in a similar situation. I'm in New Zealand under a job search visa. I've been promised a full work visa so I'm sticking with it no matter how much I hate it. It's pretty hard finding a new job with my limited skills and my not being a local resident. I try and find the time to build up my skills which is already a source of much anxiety. I came from a LAMP background building websites as a freelancer before I went off to University to make it official. Coming out of Uni, it's like I'm starting from scratch. Go, Dart, a plethora of frontend tech. It's enough to make me insecure. I've become very frugal. Heck, I don't even have health insurance. I have a tiny shoebox apartment kitchen so stocking up and cooking is pretty difficult. I tend to wait for the supermarket deli to do its clearance in the evening. Half price off all sandwiches! I've also been diagnosed with chronic depression so it's not like things were so great even before the job. This leads me to what the author said on 'Changing your environment'. I've developed a lot of bad habits and while I've attempted CBT, a lot of the time I just go back into that cesspool of depression, of eating copious amounts of terrible food, sleeping all day and putting off all work. I could have a better job and still end up the same way, I'm aware of that possibility. Another thing that I keep telling myself is this is a job, it's work. It was never meant to be fun and games.
- mattmanser 13y ago
  No-one uses Go in the real world. And Dart is used even less than that. As for the rest of it, you've just entered the most in demand profession on the planet, you've got a degree in it and already have prior experience. You've got a lot to be hopeful (and proud) about. Build relationships and you will find work to love, not endure.
  - philsnow 13y ago
    > No-one uses Go in the real world. YouTube uses Go for some very high-qps and mission-critical stuff. https://github.com/youtube/vitess https://github.com/youtube/vitess is in Go and sits on top of YouTube's MySQL databases. There are other as-yet-not-open-sourced systems written in Go that perform similarly-critical roles.
  - AdrianRossouw 13y ago
benched 13y ago
I'm walking the tightrope of surviving a work environment I despise right now. The crux of the game I'm currently locked in is I naively accepted a relocation package, provided in true corporate style by several layers of delightfully asinine outsourced middleman companies. If I leave before a certain date, I'm on the hook for the inflated dollar amount of all that "service", even though I could have moved myself for a tiny fraction of that value. Movers and shakers of the world, keep on making up games for everybody else to play, so we never get bored.
- pyskool 13y ago
  I had the exact same problem. That relocation package doesn't look so hot now, does it? I now follow a few rules before accepting a package like this: 1. It must be pro-rata- That means that the amount you need to pay back must go down with time. So if you leave after 1 year of a 2 year notice period, you must only pay back 50%. 2. Like you discovered, the company can overpay for services and stick you with the bill. So always insist on paying for relocation yourself, and get money back via a expenses form. You will be short of cash in the short term, but it will save you pain in the long term. 3. If possible, try to negotiate a "hiring bonus." This may not be possible unless you are famous (or needed for a critical project), but if you can get the company to give you some extra cash, you can pay for relocation yourself. This is the best option, as you owe the company nothing.
  - x0x0 13y ago
    caveat: hiring bonus is taxeable, so you can't expect to net 60-65 percent; reimbursed relocation expenses aren't per my understanding so the company has to boost the hiring bonus by 2/3 to get you to where you would be otherwise
rjzzleep 13y ago
i was advised to engage with the guy/manager i really hated. as in talk to him every day, ask and see what he likes. you know, make him feel like he's important to me. once he's in his comfort zone, things may change. it doesn't really mean you'll like him, but it'll get him off your back. I was also given two other valuable pieces of advice. 1. try asking the 5 whys [1]. for those that don't know it's basically a simple technique to find out why people do the things they do. it doesn't have to be a good reason, but most of the times it's not a malicious reason why people do things. sometimes though it's malicious. you should be wary of those people. 2. don't marry your job. there's no point getting emotional about things you don't own. in the end you own the things you do in your free time and what you get paid for is your job. so if someone does an incredibly stupid decision, it's their problem. in practice though, i have problems not getting emotional when people are trying to do incredibly stupid decisions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys edit: added google cache link http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pyskool.com/survive-job-you-absolutely-hate/ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pyskool...
- wwweston 13y ago
  > in the end you own the things you do in your free time * subject to the terms of your employment agreement and applicable state and federal law.
  - michaelochurch 13y ago
    subject to the terms of your employment agreement and applicable state and federal law. If any employer tries to assert ownership of a non-work-related side project... 1. It would not be hard to challenge that in court. For example, the employer does not own personal communications. They cannot read your private email, much less assert copyright over it. 2. The very fact should be outed here, on Slashdot, on Lobsters, and on Valleywag. It will ruin that company's reputation, and that ruin will be deserved.
    - ojbyrne 13y ago
angersock 13y ago
We've all been there...for folks there right now, don't worry, things get better. Other people are going through the same thing, and it's normal to be unhappy with things at a bad place: it isn't your fault, and you deserve better. Talk with people, get support, and try to find a way out.
- pyskool 13y ago
  "Talk with people, get support, and try to find a way out." This is very good advice, but so rarely followed. The problem is, most programmers are shy and reserved, and besides, they don't understand (or at least I didn't) that their problems aren't unique. That hundreds and thousands of programmers before them have faced this exact problem and survived. And not just survived, but thrived. In the long term, it doesn't matter. But in the short term, it can feel like the world is ending.
rubysucks 13y ago
Wasted time playing games? You lost me there sir. I went through a period of not playing games, it was awful. Speak for yourself, but I can code 20x better after have a game session break. I suppose everybody has to release and relax in their own way. Taking a step back from the terminal every now and then is vital to success. BTW, life is too short to be in a job you hate. Unless you have serious immigration (or lack of healthcare) consequences like this chap, then tell your manager to shove it and run :)
NerdfaceKillah 13y ago
You quit.
NerdfaceKillah 13y ago
Life is too short to work at a job you hate every day.
- pyrrhotech 13y ago
  what if the problem isn't the job, but that you are lazy and/or don't like "working"? Quit life?
  - romanovcode 13y ago
    If one hates working as software developer no matter the language and other environments he has chosen wrong profession.
UK-AL 13y ago
Sounds like this guy suffers from just-world syndrome. I've been in a bad situation, my only regret is not getting out sooner.
alashley 13y ago
So I'm wondering, if you're in a place where they expect you to work overtime without paying you, They take away salary for "equity" that never comes, they constantly call and email you outside of normal business hours, and they come in on a Friday at 4 pm and tell you that they need you to work all weekend, also, they arbitrarily move deadlines forward, what do you do then? This may or may not be something that happened to a friend of a friend of mine.
- josephschmoe 13y ago
  So...office space?
  - alashley 13y ago
    Close, very close.
- hrktb 13y ago
  I think you look for anyone reliable (family, friend, social helper, counselor...) to help you get out of that, because you might not be able to do it just by yourself (or you'll have done it already). Just like any other long lasting abusive relationship.
  - alashley 13y ago
    Working on it, but its a process.
- hackerboos 13y ago
  That signs like a nightmare job. I'd be stuffing resumes into every other related job I could find because the grass can only be greener in a situation like that.
arnorb 13y ago
OP's link is down, cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1JZ6-n7RO0cJ:pyskool.com/survive-job-you-absolutely-hate/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=is http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1JZ6-n7...
uladzislau 13y ago
If you hate your job you should quit asap. End of story.
- hrktb 13y ago
  It's a common enough way to put it, I think it needs commentary. Putting it the other way round it becomes funny: - If you love your job you shouldn't leave it for any reason - Conditions and circumstances don't matter, do something you like - Your 8h at work are more important than the 16h left in the day
- hackerboos 13y ago
  I'll forward my mortgage, health insurance and credit card bills to you then?
ChristianMarks 13y ago
I left an abusive working environment. High turnover places exist. The American business press likes to tell oppressed employees to take their torturer's perspective, to become one with their abuser, to act with the supreme, Zen-like indifference of the Buddha and meditate their personal Hell out of existence. The year I left, 16 people out of around 30 left, 8 after I did. I didn't have a job waiting for me, but it was a tremendous relief not to be constantly hectored in email at all hours, seven days a week. Continually having work boundaries tested is not for me. The chronic mistreatment was bad for my hemorrhoids, I informed them. (I don't necessarily believe in taking the masochistic high road in all cases.)
fsk 13y ago
There are good work environments and bad work environments. I've seen both, and it does make a difference. If it really is a bad environment, you probably can't change or improve it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a bad environment. Sometimes, finding a new job is the correct answer.
wudf 13y ago
West coast is so soft.
CmonDev 13y ago
"that being technically good is good enough to get promoted and get pay rises" - it's not?

54 points by pyskool 13y ago

'Changing your environment will not change your circumstances' That can't be true, can it? Isn't that the point? Your environment seemed toxic, so you leave it for a non-toxic place. You can change your circumstances at the job, but that doesn't make the senior-managements behavior any less toxic?

yason 13y ago
The reason why he had ended up in a toxic environment is the key. Change jobs and you'll find you're in the same situation a year later, but with different people and different schemes. Change your mind and you'll find you might not need to change jobs at all.
mwfunk 13y ago
It's not literally true, and not 100% true in any sense of the phrase, but I interpreted that as meaning that part of how you perceive your job comes from within; it's never just based on a cold and objective evaluation of the work environment. If you're not predisposed to make the best of a bad situation, then every bad situation you find yourself in will seem like a dead end. In reality, some bad situations may even be opportunities for growth and change, instead of just being barriers to overcome. If someone has a particularly nonconstructive outlook, just about every situation might might seem like an insurmountable dead end. To quote Sarah Silverman, "when life gives you AIDS, make lemon AIDS!"
fuzzywalrus 13y ago
"You can change your circumstances at the job, but that doesn't make the senior-managements behavior any less toxic?" Too true, I was in the situation awhile ago of being checked-out at a bad job. I realized that I needed to turn around, despite really positive feedback from the management about improving performance, it did nothing to improve the management's ineptness. Most of my proposals of even basic industry practices like using Git to manage our code base, and switch to using a CSS framework were met with smiles but resisted. The company inevitably self-imploded, largely due some egregiously bad management decisions. I was laid off, but at least I had gotten used to a workflow that made my skills more marketable...
benched 13y ago
It's just extremely popular at this point in time to always locate all responsibility at the individual who's the subject of the self help. It's empowering! Wherever you go, there you are! Never mind that, much like the concept of responsibility itself, it's only a convention.
lostcolony 13y ago
"Changing your environment will not change your circumstances" followed by "How to move on to a better job" Wait, what? I'm in complete agreement. The OP seems undecided what his point is supposed to be. "Keep it together until you can get out" would make sense, except for that harped upon quote, and the fact he also talks about "finding out what negative patterns are holding you back from your goals", which really only applies if you keep having crap jobs; one crap job doesn't mean you have a negative pattern you need to get rid of.
pyskool 13y ago
Perhaps I wasn't clear in the original post. If you are facing bullying, racism or sexism (or indeed any other -ism), then yes, leave immediately. But for most of us, it's not outright bullying, but the constant grinding down, the non-stop requests for overtime, the occasional "helpful comments" that are actually insults, the constant interference, that really gets us down. Individually, they might mean nothing, but over time, they build up, and make you feel as small as the full stop at the end of this sentence. That's when you must plan to leave, but by first upgrading your skills.

BrianYesh 13y ago

It's possible that you are responsible for your crappy situation. But it's also possible someone is harassing you and THAT is why your environment sux. It isn't the victim's fault that they are being harassed. This may not have happened to the guy who wrote this. But lets be more open minded and empathetic about the many causes of crappy work environments.

chrisabrams 13y ago
This happened to me. HR refused to acknowledge the situation. Had no choice but to leave.
pyskool 13y ago
I have updated the original article to make this clearer: If you are facing discrimination or bullying, leave immediately! And perhaps consult a lawyer as well. The article was directed mainly at people who hate their jobs, but not enough to quit (because of fear, because they don't think they are good enough to get another one etc). So they keep showing up, in the misplaced opinion that it will get better. But it doesn't, and one day all their fears are realised, when they wake up to find they are no longer employable, because they spent all their time just coasting through life, doing the bare minimum. If a person is in this situation, they need to accept responsibility, and start making plans to move on. This process is hard and time consuming, which is why I say: First improve your skills, then move to a better job. Don't move from one Dilbert company to another. Rather, move to some place that will recognise and reward your skills.
- vonmoltke 13y ago
  > The article was directed mainly at people who hate their jobs, but not enough to quit (because of fear, because they don't think they are good enough to get another one etc). Quit on what terms? Before or after finding another position?

navs 13y ago

I'm currently in a similar situation. I'm in New Zealand under a job search visa. I've been promised a full work visa so I'm sticking with it no matter how much I hate it. It's pretty hard finding a new job with my limited skills and my not being a local resident. I try and find the time to build up my skills which is already a source of much anxiety. I came from a LAMP background building websites as a freelancer before I went off to University to make it official. Coming out of Uni, it's like I'm starting from scratch. Go, Dart, a plethora of frontend tech. It's enough to make me insecure. I've become very frugal. Heck, I don't even have health insurance. I have a tiny shoebox apartment kitchen so stocking up and cooking is pretty difficult. I tend to wait for the supermarket deli to do its clearance in the evening. Half price off all sandwiches! I've also been diagnosed with chronic depression so it's not like things were so great even before the job. This leads me to what the author said on 'Changing your environment'. I've developed a lot of bad habits and while I've attempted CBT, a lot of the time I just go back into that cesspool of depression, of eating copious amounts of terrible food, sleeping all day and putting off all work. I could have a better job and still end up the same way, I'm aware of that possibility. Another thing that I keep telling myself is this is a job, it's work. It was never meant to be fun and games.

mattmanser 13y ago
No-one uses Go in the real world. And Dart is used even less than that. As for the rest of it, you've just entered the most in demand profession on the planet, you've got a degree in it and already have prior experience. You've got a lot to be hopeful (and proud) about. Build relationships and you will find work to love, not endure.
- philsnow 13y ago
  > No-one uses Go in the real world. YouTube uses Go for some very high-qps and mission-critical stuff. https://github.com/youtube/vitess https://github.com/youtube/vitess is in Go and sits on top of YouTube's MySQL databases. There are other as-yet-not-open-sourced systems written in Go that perform similarly-critical roles.
- AdrianRossouw 13y ago

benched 13y ago

I'm walking the tightrope of surviving a work environment I despise right now. The crux of the game I'm currently locked in is I naively accepted a relocation package, provided in true corporate style by several layers of delightfully asinine outsourced middleman companies. If I leave before a certain date, I'm on the hook for the inflated dollar amount of all that "service", even though I could have moved myself for a tiny fraction of that value. Movers and shakers of the world, keep on making up games for everybody else to play, so we never get bored.

pyskool 13y ago
I had the exact same problem. That relocation package doesn't look so hot now, does it? I now follow a few rules before accepting a package like this: 1. It must be pro-rata- That means that the amount you need to pay back must go down with time. So if you leave after 1 year of a 2 year notice period, you must only pay back 50%. 2. Like you discovered, the company can overpay for services and stick you with the bill. So always insist on paying for relocation yourself, and get money back via a expenses form. You will be short of cash in the short term, but it will save you pain in the long term. 3. If possible, try to negotiate a "hiring bonus." This may not be possible unless you are famous (or needed for a critical project), but if you can get the company to give you some extra cash, you can pay for relocation yourself. This is the best option, as you owe the company nothing.
- x0x0 13y ago
  caveat: hiring bonus is taxeable, so you can't expect to net 60-65 percent; reimbursed relocation expenses aren't per my understanding so the company has to boost the hiring bonus by 2/3 to get you to where you would be otherwise

rjzzleep 13y ago

i was advised to engage with the guy/manager i really hated. as in talk to him every day, ask and see what he likes. you know, make him feel like he's important to me. once he's in his comfort zone, things may change. it doesn't really mean you'll like him, but it'll get him off your back. I was also given two other valuable pieces of advice. 1. try asking the 5 whys [1]. for those that don't know it's basically a simple technique to find out why people do the things they do. it doesn't have to be a good reason, but most of the times it's not a malicious reason why people do things. sometimes though it's malicious. you should be wary of those people. 2. don't marry your job. there's no point getting emotional about things you don't own. in the end you own the things you do in your free time and what you get paid for is your job. so if someone does an incredibly stupid decision, it's their problem. in practice though, i have problems not getting emotional when people are trying to do incredibly stupid decisions. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys edit: added google cache link http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pyskool.com/survive-job-you-absolutely-hate/ http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:pyskool...

wwweston 13y ago
> in the end you own the things you do in your free time * subject to the terms of your employment agreement and applicable state and federal law.
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  subject to the terms of your employment agreement and applicable state and federal law. If any employer tries to assert ownership of a non-work-related side project... 1. It would not be hard to challenge that in court. For example, the employer does not own personal communications. They cannot read your private email, much less assert copyright over it. 2. The very fact should be outed here, on Slashdot, on Lobsters, and on Valleywag. It will ruin that company's reputation, and that ruin will be deserved.
  - ojbyrne 13y ago

angersock 13y ago

We've all been there...for folks there right now, don't worry, things get better. Other people are going through the same thing, and it's normal to be unhappy with things at a bad place: it isn't your fault, and you deserve better. Talk with people, get support, and try to find a way out.

pyskool 13y ago
"Talk with people, get support, and try to find a way out." This is very good advice, but so rarely followed. The problem is, most programmers are shy and reserved, and besides, they don't understand (or at least I didn't) that their problems aren't unique. That hundreds and thousands of programmers before them have faced this exact problem and survived. And not just survived, but thrived. In the long term, it doesn't matter. But in the short term, it can feel like the world is ending.

rubysucks 13y ago

Wasted time playing games? You lost me there sir. I went through a period of not playing games, it was awful. Speak for yourself, but I can code 20x better after have a game session break. I suppose everybody has to release and relax in their own way. Taking a step back from the terminal every now and then is vital to success. BTW, life is too short to be in a job you hate. Unless you have serious immigration (or lack of healthcare) consequences like this chap, then tell your manager to shove it and run :)

NerdfaceKillah 13y ago

You quit.

NerdfaceKillah 13y ago

Life is too short to work at a job you hate every day.

pyrrhotech 13y ago
what if the problem isn't the job, but that you are lazy and/or don't like "working"? Quit life?
- romanovcode 13y ago
  If one hates working as software developer no matter the language and other environments he has chosen wrong profession.

UK-AL 13y ago

Sounds like this guy suffers from just-world syndrome. I've been in a bad situation, my only regret is not getting out sooner.

alashley 13y ago

So I'm wondering, if you're in a place where they expect you to work overtime without paying you, They take away salary for "equity" that never comes, they constantly call and email you outside of normal business hours, and they come in on a Friday at 4 pm and tell you that they need you to work all weekend, also, they arbitrarily move deadlines forward, what do you do then? This may or may not be something that happened to a friend of a friend of mine.

josephschmoe 13y ago
So...office space?
- alashley 13y ago
  Close, very close.
hrktb 13y ago
I think you look for anyone reliable (family, friend, social helper, counselor...) to help you get out of that, because you might not be able to do it just by yourself (or you'll have done it already). Just like any other long lasting abusive relationship.
- alashley 13y ago
  Working on it, but its a process.
hackerboos 13y ago
That signs like a nightmare job. I'd be stuffing resumes into every other related job I could find because the grass can only be greener in a situation like that.

arnorb 13y ago

OP's link is down, cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1JZ6-n7RO0cJ:pyskool.com/survive-job-you-absolutely-hate/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=is http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1JZ6-n7...

uladzislau 13y ago

If you hate your job you should quit asap. End of story.

hrktb 13y ago
It's a common enough way to put it, I think it needs commentary. Putting it the other way round it becomes funny: - If you love your job you shouldn't leave it for any reason - Conditions and circumstances don't matter, do something you like - Your 8h at work are more important than the 16h left in the day
hackerboos 13y ago
I'll forward my mortgage, health insurance and credit card bills to you then?

ChristianMarks 13y ago

I left an abusive working environment. High turnover places exist. The American business press likes to tell oppressed employees to take their torturer's perspective, to become one with their abuser, to act with the supreme, Zen-like indifference of the Buddha and meditate their personal Hell out of existence. The year I left, 16 people out of around 30 left, 8 after I did. I didn't have a job waiting for me, but it was a tremendous relief not to be constantly hectored in email at all hours, seven days a week. Continually having work boundaries tested is not for me. The chronic mistreatment was bad for my hemorrhoids, I informed them. (I don't necessarily believe in taking the masochistic high road in all cases.)

fsk 13y ago

There are good work environments and bad work environments. I've seen both, and it does make a difference. If it really is a bad environment, you probably can't change or improve it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a bad environment. Sometimes, finding a new job is the correct answer.

wudf 13y ago

West coast is so soft.

CmonDev 13y ago

"that being technically good is good enough to get promoted and get pay rises" - it's not?