[HN Gopher] Google tells employees more of them will be at risk ...
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       Google tells employees more of them will be at risk for low
       performance ratings
        
       Author : latchkey
       Score  : 37 points
       Date   : 2022-12-22 19:39 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.cnbc.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.cnbc.com)
        
       | vineyardmike wrote:
       | I often hear a lot of people speak poorly about Googlers,
       | claiming they're lazy/entitled/whatever, but I hope we can all
       | agree that performance reviews should be fair and not expect "the
       | near impossible".
       | 
       | It seems likely that Google over-hired and is trying to avoid
       | public layoffs or just raise productivity/velocity. I wish
       | employers who wanted to layoff workers would do it directly
       | instead.
        
         | justin_oaks wrote:
         | Performance reviews should be fair, but I dare say that none of
         | them are. They're based on the subjective views of the bosses.
         | I wish we could all just drop the charade and eliminate formal
         | performance reviews.
         | 
         | Bosses should provide frequent feedback on employees'
         | performance, not just once a year. I don't believe that low
         | performers (or perhaps employees that the boss dislikes) should
         | be surprised that they're getting fired. They should be able to
         | see it coming well before it happens.
        
           | wildrhythms wrote:
           | >Bosses should provide frequent feedback on employees'
           | performance, not just once a year.
           | 
           | I agree, but I don't think this addresses the problem; a boss
           | with an axe to grind, or some quota to fulfill still leaves
           | the worker with no means of pushback within the organization
           | (absent of collective action).
        
         | zug_zug wrote:
         | I'd go a step further and say that several marketplaces are
         | moving toward a trend of "Overhire, overwork, attempt to cut
         | the 'bottom' 15%, repeat" [tech support, amazon, now engineers]
         | 
         | It's dehumanizing and unsustainable -- any job that sets a pace
         | you can't keep up until retirement (i.e. 30+ more years) is
         | overtaxing you. Not to mention the lack of psychological safety
         | -- no point befriending anybody at work if you're all
         | interchangeable at a moment's notice.
         | 
         | I think to turn this trend around we need to say "no" to places
         | that treat you this way, and not glorify them simply because
         | they are big (I'm referring to the F-word).
        
           | 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
           | Is it not factored into the high salary? It's always an
           | option to not work at these high comp/high stress companies.
        
           | dsfyu404ed wrote:
           | Other than the overhire part the trades have been this way
           | for decades...
        
           | vineyardmike wrote:
           | > It's dehumanizing and unsustainable
           | 
           | Absolutely. And there are a variety of legal solutions to
           | this. Unions are the big scary one in the US. Other nations
           | give employees equal voting power to shareholders etc.
           | 
           | I think tech unions could be good. Everyone always defaults
           | to "blue collar" unions like factories that set wages but
           | there are "high skill" unions where wages aren't set (eg
           | Hollywood unions). They spread the protection around too. Eg
           | if you want to hire a famous Union actor, you need Union
           | cameramen. Everyone wants the famous actor, and that protects
           | the camera crew. In Hollywood unions, they set hours and
           | expectations and basic standards but not salaries and other
           | perks.
           | 
           | Another benefit a Union could get is related to on-call load
           | and getting paid for that overtime.
        
         | mathverse wrote:
         | I dont get overhiring for money printing companies like Google.
         | Cant they just move these people into some "experiment, r&d
         | divisions"?
        
           | vineyardmike wrote:
           | Google hasn't built new income streams though, despite being
           | famously R&D focused. Look at stadia, or their countless
           | other paid products they killed.
        
           | thefourthchime wrote:
           | That's all they do. They come up with something, make it a
           | product for a couple years. Then kill it.
           | 
           | They have zero commitment to any of these products. If they
           | don't suddenly become the next search they're dead.
        
       | UncleMeat wrote:
       | More headlines for a system that was announced in April.
        
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       (page generated 2022-12-22 23:02 UTC)