4 ms·

The worst part of that answer was edited out. He had "(n.b. -- we are revoking the questioner's offer to work at Zenefits)." Which is a reasonable thing to do,

The worst part of that answer was edited out. He had "(n.b. -- we are revoking the questioner's offer to work at Zenefits)." Which is a reasonable thing to do, I guess, if you feel the person isn't all that interested in working for your company, but it isn't all that reasonable to say in a public forum. Edit: Here's a link that has the quote about rescinding the offer: http://www.quora.com/Zenefits-CEO-Rescinds-Job-Offer-May-2015/Should-Zenefits-CEO-Parker-Conrad-regret-publicly-rescinding-a-job-offer-on-Quora http://www.quora.com/Zenefits-CEO-Rescinds-Job-Offer-May-201...

gravity13 11y ago
lol I didn't know that. Meh. It's something I would have done myself in the same situation.
- jasonlotito 11y ago
  You would have shared publicly that you are revoking someones employment offer because you found them seeking career advice on a Q&A board?
  - bsder 11y ago
    This one is kind of tough. I'd like to think that I'd be better than the Zenefits CEO, but, man, this kid makes it really hard to take his side. First, it shows really poor judgment on the part of the junior engineer. Dear God, did you think that people can't identify you, specifically? It's not like Zenefits is giving out 10 job offers a day. Second, you're likely to jump as soon as you get the chance. Neither employer nor employee have any commitment to one another. Okay, fine. But, as an employer, will you completely leave me hanging at a critical time or will you stick a couple of months to complete your task before jumping. Given your lack of discretion, probably you'll leave me hanging. Third, are you going to air dirty laundry in public? Every company has some, even successful ones. Startups are worse. Again, lack of discretion. So, yeah, I'd rescind that offer very fast. He'll be lucky if Uber doesn't rescind his offer. I guarantee if I were HR at Uber I'd be trying to pick him out to rescind it. Would I air that publicly? Probably not. However, this kid should consider himself lucky that the CEO called him out publicly so he knows what he did wrong. If I were the CEO, I'd probably just rescind his offer without comment. I'd call Uber HR, and they'd rescind his offer without comment. And, he'd be wondering what the hell happened.
    - jsprogrammer 11y ago
      >But, as an employer, will you completely leave me hanging at a critical time or will you stick a couple of months to complete your task before jumping. And do you put out a handbook or other disclaimer stating that the employer and employee have zero obligation to each other and can terminate the relationship at any time?
      - bsder 11y ago
        Yes, but I generally also attempt to engage in professional courtesy. And, yes, this goes both ways. If I, as a boss, can see the writing on the wall, I will attempt to protect my employees. While that includes internal protection in a political firefight, it also includes calling up friends at other companies to see if they might have a job for people on my team if I can see that it's going to be ugly. I have also helped usher people out of my company because I simply couldn't get them what they were worth. It's called "being a professional". It's also called "this industry is damn small, don't piss off the good people in it." Sometimes you get caught completely unaware and get sacked without notice, but it's really rare. Most senior people can tell when things are about to get bad generally a month or two in advance--if not more.
        jsprogrammer 11y ago
        If internal, "hidden", policy is different from public, written, policy...the company can go fuck off. Professional courtesy would be telling someone you want/need them for the next X months and making a real commitment to the worker instead of having a public policy of 'no obligations' while secretly expecting the worker to 'be a professional' and to show undue loyalty.
        bsder 11y ago
        Wow. I hope you never become a manager. It's called "politics". And it occurs when two or more humans get together. There are always hidden agendas, different goals, etc. Learning to navigate it is an essential prerequisite if you want to accomplish something that requires more than your singular individual skill. And, for your information, yes, people like you wind up on the short end of the stick because you ignore politics. People like me get new jobs, better opportunities, advance warning, etc. because I have helped out people in the past. The combinations of being both technically qualified and politically savvy is quite powerful. You don't owe any loyalty to a company, but if you piss off the people, it will bite you in the ass.
- thrillgore 11y ago
  Really? I would have kept my mouth shut and not removed doubt about my foolery.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - gravity13 11y ago
    Why? To preserve my "image" with fickle internet communities full of judgmental people who give me a double standard because my name is known? This is why I'm glad I'm not famous...
    - jasonlotito 11y ago
      Smart people don't want to work for fools.

gravity13 11y ago

lol I didn't know that. Meh. It's something I would have done myself in the same situation.

jasonlotito 11y ago
You would have shared publicly that you are revoking someones employment offer because you found them seeking career advice on a Q&A board?
- bsder 11y ago
  This one is kind of tough. I'd like to think that I'd be better than the Zenefits CEO, but, man, this kid makes it really hard to take his side. First, it shows really poor judgment on the part of the junior engineer. Dear God, did you think that people can't identify you, specifically? It's not like Zenefits is giving out 10 job offers a day. Second, you're likely to jump as soon as you get the chance. Neither employer nor employee have any commitment to one another. Okay, fine. But, as an employer, will you completely leave me hanging at a critical time or will you stick a couple of months to complete your task before jumping. Given your lack of discretion, probably you'll leave me hanging. Third, are you going to air dirty laundry in public? Every company has some, even successful ones. Startups are worse. Again, lack of discretion. So, yeah, I'd rescind that offer very fast. He'll be lucky if Uber doesn't rescind his offer. I guarantee if I were HR at Uber I'd be trying to pick him out to rescind it. Would I air that publicly? Probably not. However, this kid should consider himself lucky that the CEO called him out publicly so he knows what he did wrong. If I were the CEO, I'd probably just rescind his offer without comment. I'd call Uber HR, and they'd rescind his offer without comment. And, he'd be wondering what the hell happened.
  - jsprogrammer 11y ago
    >But, as an employer, will you completely leave me hanging at a critical time or will you stick a couple of months to complete your task before jumping. And do you put out a handbook or other disclaimer stating that the employer and employee have zero obligation to each other and can terminate the relationship at any time?
    - bsder 11y ago
      Yes, but I generally also attempt to engage in professional courtesy. And, yes, this goes both ways. If I, as a boss, can see the writing on the wall, I will attempt to protect my employees. While that includes internal protection in a political firefight, it also includes calling up friends at other companies to see if they might have a job for people on my team if I can see that it's going to be ugly. I have also helped usher people out of my company because I simply couldn't get them what they were worth. It's called "being a professional". It's also called "this industry is damn small, don't piss off the good people in it." Sometimes you get caught completely unaware and get sacked without notice, but it's really rare. Most senior people can tell when things are about to get bad generally a month or two in advance--if not more.
      - jsprogrammer 11y ago
        If internal, "hidden", policy is different from public, written, policy...the company can go fuck off. Professional courtesy would be telling someone you want/need them for the next X months and making a real commitment to the worker instead of having a public policy of 'no obligations' while secretly expecting the worker to 'be a professional' and to show undue loyalty.
        bsder 11y ago
        Wow. I hope you never become a manager. It's called "politics". And it occurs when two or more humans get together. There are always hidden agendas, different goals, etc. Learning to navigate it is an essential prerequisite if you want to accomplish something that requires more than your singular individual skill. And, for your information, yes, people like you wind up on the short end of the stick because you ignore politics. People like me get new jobs, better opportunities, advance warning, etc. because I have helped out people in the past. The combinations of being both technically qualified and politically savvy is quite powerful. You don't owe any loyalty to a company, but if you piss off the people, it will bite you in the ass.
thrillgore 11y ago
Really? I would have kept my mouth shut and not removed doubt about my foolery.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- gravity13 11y ago
  Why? To preserve my "image" with fickle internet communities full of judgmental people who give me a double standard because my name is known? This is why I'm glad I'm not famous...
  - jasonlotito 11y ago
    Smart people don't want to work for fools.