[HN Gopher] Glass Walls
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Glass Walls
Author : cjlm
Score : 55 points
Date : 2021-04-28 00:46 UTC (22 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.jamestgreen.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.jamestgreen.com)
| corry wrote:
| Thought-provoking article and interesting story in of itself.
|
| I can't help but think that this is just a VC-funded version of
| traditional media, where the # of "sufficiently talented" people
| (i.e the supply) vastly outstrips the number of full-time well-
| paying positions (the demand), and therefore creates a massive
| power disparity in the labor market. Most employers will operate
| in a way like this because they can.
|
| What's surprising here is that we'd think of podcasting as new
| media. Why would really talented people work for Gimlet vs.
| trying to get their own shows off the ground?
|
| Financial security is probably the only reason. In fact, it's
| cited as THE reason this guy went to Gimlet both times. Holding
| his nose both times. Even the 2nd time, knowing what the company
| was.
|
| So let's talk about Substack. (Didn't you know? All discussions
| of online media MUST go back to Substack these days).
|
| This is why Substack is genius. Give the producers more direct
| access to monetizing their creative efforts. Even give the most
| promising ones an advance on their efforts to create some short-
| term financial security so they can do their thing. Let the
| talented people control their output and business.
|
| Otherwise, in markets where labor vastly outstrips demand, you
| are fodder for the people with sufficient resources/capital to
| take the chance. And minority / disadvantaged folks are more at
| prey to it.
| medicineman wrote:
| When they say it is because you are young, that's a lie. They
| treat the other young workers like rock stars. When they say it
| is because everyone gets the same benefits, that's a lie because
| the others would be complaining too, at least among each other.
| When they only listen to your advice when they are forced to by
| reality, begrudgingly, that is real. You can read it on their
| faces and in their mannerisms.
|
| This article is a little too real. Should probably get myself a
| substack.
| legerdemain wrote:
| ME: "I've been supporting your team a lot for the past year. Can
| I just join your team? You have a lot of interesting projects
| available."
|
| MGR: "Actually, it's really hard to onboard new people right now.
| We're stretched very thin. Can you do this urgent project for us
| and then get back to me?"
|
| MGR: <onboards some new hires>
|
| ME: <finishes urgent project>
|
| ME: "So, any chance I can join the team?"
|
| MGR: "Actually, I'm not sure we really have space on the team
| anymore, I'm really sorry about that."
|
| Takeaway: If you're in a meeting with a manager and they sound
| _completely unenthusiastic_ , and not even making eye contact,
| and falling back on their basic lead training to feed you non-
| committal apologies, you have _lost hard_. I don 't know how you
| messed up or what clues you misread, but there is nothing for you
| there. Stop hoping to strike gold. Run.
| twobitshifter wrote:
| He did get hired as full time eventually.
|
| But I don't know why he took the second offer for contract work
| other than lack of options, as they say "fool me once..."
| legerdemain wrote:
| I assume it's some combination of hard luck and interesting
| work.
| happytoexplain wrote:
| Is "Gimlet Media" a quirky name?
| kgin wrote:
| https://www.lexiconbranding.com/entertainment-branding-podca...
| BugsJustFindMe wrote:
| The article should be called "glass text", because I can barely
| see it.
| alphabet9000 wrote:
| lately i have been having a pavlovian reaction to seeing barely
| readable text on websites - i associate it in my mind with
| downvoted HN comments
| kgin wrote:
| Reader Mode in Safari is the main reason I use it. One click
| and any unfortunate website styles change into plain text, any
| size and/or font I want.
| coldpie wrote:
| Firefox's Inspect Element tool comes in handy a lot lately. You
| can use it to disable CSS styles to make text readable. I feel
| like that would make for a good browser extension: detect the
| page background color and make all text on the page either #FFF
| or #000 as appropriate.
| DavidVoid wrote:
| You can also just press F9 to toggle reader view.
| coldpie wrote:
| That is a great tool, and I should use it more often.
|
| Sadly doesn't help for some cases, like the code snippets
| in Apple's docs. Have to use the Inspect Element tool for
| that. https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/technotes
| /tn2091...
| IIAOPSW wrote:
| Poor mans option: press ctrl+A to highlight everything on the
| page.
| djoldman wrote:
| There is a lot going on here but I'll comment on just one facet:
| the seemingly inexhaustible supply of trust that
| current(prospective) employees have for their employer(possible
| future employer).
|
| One should _never_ rely on a statement from an employer that isn
| 't in writing. Furthermore, even if it is in writing, if it says
| "discretionary bonus," you should consider that a big fat ZERO.
| If it says "possible," "maybe," "if," etc. you should consider it
| to never happen (if it's for your benefit, otherwise, assume it
| definitely will happen).
|
| Only after the above can you reasonably compare offers between
| prospective employers or value your current job.
|
| HR is trained to hire you at the lowest price and say the most
| that they can without making fraudulent claims.
|
| Additionally, if you are a current employee, and you EVER speak
| to HR, walk in with a pen and notepad and take long long notes
| and do not hesitate to ask someone to pause while you document.
| Treat it as a legal deposition. They are not your friends, they
| are trained to extract or give statements that protect the firm
| (not you).
|
| It's unfortunately a pretty stark reality but it's business. It's
| even worse if the people involved are your friends - because it
| will hurt more if you aren't protected or have the wrong
| expectation. There's a reason that the expression, "never go into
| business with your family," is a thing.
| lumost wrote:
| I wouldn't be surprised to see a company successfully sued on
| the basis that they've been promising HR is for employees when
| it is not at some point in the future.
|
| I've seen many junior employees hold the wrong expectation of
| HR in terms of who's on their side. I can't directly fault them
| at the times that the company is pushing that version of the
| world.
| _jal wrote:
| > I've seen many junior employees hold the wrong expectation
| of HR in terms of who's on their side
|
| "Friend or foe" is a super reductive way to look at it, and
| will limit your ability to actually understand what is going
| on.
|
| To the generic employee, HR thinks of you the same way a
| farmer treats cattle. Within the range you are judged to be
| worth, they want you content, quietly productive and enjoying
| whatever perks they throw your way.
|
| But if you're problematic in some way, you're only worth so
| much effort.
|
| And worse, if whatever is wrong with you threatens to spread
| to the rest of the herd (eloquent expressions of shared
| discontent, organizing, even being a bit of a natural leader,
| if they're paranoid), well, who employs things that threaten
| them?
| djoldman wrote:
| I don't think you're wrong.
|
| At the same time, HR does regularly help employees avail
| themselves of resources (communications with health insurers,
| 401k providers, etc.). So in that sense, they are "there" for
| employees.
|
| As far as I can tell, HR does a few things:
|
| 1. promote the idea that the company is a great place at
| which to work (market the company to potential hires, tell
| current employees about all the great perks, downplay
| negatives or ignore them)
|
| 2. answer most general questions of current employees
| (benefits)
|
| 3. document statements given to and taken from employees
| (hiring them, firing them, workplace allegations, rules
| violations, etc.)
|
| Most of it is designed to protect the company but some of it
| is sometimes the only way to get something if you're an
| employee. If you ask: "where should I go to set up my 401k?"
| or some variation, you are pointed to HR.
| aitkenably wrote:
| HR can be very useful and has helped me on multiple
| occasions, so the advice I often see that HR isn't your
| friend might be a little reductive. Perhaps the advice
| should be that HR is not your friend _during a dispute with
| your organization?_
| setr wrote:
| What it is, is that HR exists to serve the company.
| Helping you onboard, get your basic finances straight,
| resolving conflicts, etc, ultimately serves the company
| (or is neutral to the company, so free to be executed
| under moral/friendly obligation without repercussion) --
| a happy employee is a working employee (and resources
| suddenly quitting in anger is not good for anyone).
|
| So they help employees, but it's to a large degree self-
| serving (even if the HR person himself does not realize
| it -- it's why he doesn't get in trouble for wasting time
| on it). But when it becomes actively detrimental to the
| company, always assume HR will make the decision in favor
| of the company.
|
| Treating HR as generally hostile is also a bad idea --
| the assumption of hostility is often met with the same,
| and now both you and HR are acting slowly, carefully and
| inefficiently -- but never assume they'll always be your
| friends. They're generally friendly, and they may even be
| considered friends, but ultimately their loyalty is not
| to you.
|
| The same is true of really anyone in the company -- your
| boss, your coworkers, your attorneys, etc. Their
| loyalties are always to themselves, and their families
| first (by which job preservation is a very strong
| incentive), and maybe you fall in line somewhere.
| aitkenably wrote:
| Yes, but then I never expected someone in HR to fall on
| the sword on my behalf and risk their livelihood because
| I've picked a fight with the boss. Perhaps others did?
|
| I think we agree on the role played by HR. You need to be
| aware they serve the organization first (as do we all). I
| just wanted to point out that in the day-to-day, they
| often provide real benefits to employees, which may be
| self-serving but there's no rule that self-serving
| behavior can't be mutually beneficial.
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(page generated 2021-04-28 23:01 UTC)