The Water Cooler

5:29 PM

I am just itching to one day see a question like this: "I went to HR to report my boss for eating his lunch too loud, now I'm on a PIP"

The Snark Knight

5:50 PM

speaking of HR not being your friend...... askamanager.org/2017/11/…

DarkCygnus

didn't knew of that until David posted that meme ha

Who said the meme post wasn't useful

Chris E

6:39 PM

@TheSnarkKnight That person should get out of management. "I'm going to resign because I can't manage my employees" is the TL;DR of that post. His boss' advice of a verbal warning is spot on.

The Snark Knight

7:03 PM

@ChrisE That would never have happened ANYWHERE I worked.

One thing about working for the government, while they can't fire you easily, they know how to make your life a living hell.

Chris E

The culture is the problem. There is such a lack of respect there it's nuts, but changing the culture to one of respect takes time.

The Snark Knight

@ChrisE when I worked for the Road department, we had more respect for each other than that.

Chris E

I might consider a written reprimand though since the employee did quit. I think a termination though would be too much, but I'd let them know that they should look for work elsewhere if they ever want to advance in their career.

The Snark Knight

We wound up having a rat in our crew. (Report and distort) the supervisor couldn't get rid of him, but he was relegated to cleaning pigeon droppings off of traffic barricades. I think the office equivalent would be good for that crew

NotThatGuy

7:27 PM

Are large companies less likely to fast-track their interview process if the candidate has another offer?

DarkCygnus

@NotThatGuy how can those companies know that a candidate has another offer?

The Snark Knight

@NotThatGuy nope. large companies have their procedures which they follow to the letter.

NotThatGuy

@DarkCygnus If the candidate tells them...

Chris E

@TheSnarkKnight exactly my feelings

NotThatGuy

Getting the fall-back company's offer first just screws everything up.

DarkCygnus

7:38 PM

@NotThatGuy in that case they could know... though that is a risky negotiation technique. Anyways, what Snark Knight said is probably true always... they will stick to their procesess

Chris E

Need to decide which company you'd rather work for. If you have an offer from your #2 choice, set a date, like a week. Ask #2 when they have to have an answer or ask for a week to decide. Tell #1 you need an answer by that date.

If #1 says they can't, then you take #2. If the date goes by, take #2. If #2 resists a week, decide how badly you want #1 and if you actually want to work for #2.

I applied to work for my church at their HQ and they kept delaying, delaying and delaying so I took another position (it was like a month delay). After I'd been there for 3 months, the church said, "we got funding, you still looking?"

I had to turn them down, even though that's the job I really wanted, but loyalty has to mean something.

The job I took got shuttered 8 months later in the dotcom bubble 17 years ago and working for the church would have been far more stable and I'd likely still be there.

It's been a hard time since then, periods of unemployment, etc. But I've never regretted my decision because I didn't screw the company that hired me.

NotThatGuy

8:21 PM

I'd almost definitely regret not accepting the other opportunity (or losing out on both) a whole lot more than being disloyal. I guess that answers my own question. :(

DarkCygnus

9:50 PM

0

Q: Is it legal to have a female only staff?

A report shows that WeWork is funding a female-only work environment for $32m. While I appreciate the progressive stance of more female management, doesn't this go against the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?Also, doesn't it go against new norms in the workplace, stated here and here, th...

gender

Is it just me, or is this too broad, speculative and also legal advise?

DarkCygnus

10:24 PM

First time I VTC an old question...

Lilienthal

I'm weirdly jealous of this guy's avatar...

Darkwing

1k 8

coworker communication confidence bullying code colleagues employment-agreement

Just look at that.

DarkCygnus

lol

so symmetric

and minimalist

I don't even remind mine, I have had the Pillars of Creation as Avatar since day 5 aprox.

Lilienthal

Ah, I forgot that's what those were called.

Nofel

Sup folks

Does one have to understand and read all the clauses of contract?

DarkCygnus

Sup Nofel

Lilienthal

10:38 PM

gravatar.com/avatar/…

Hmm, finding some weird ones today.

Bah, no one-box? Hmf.

DarkCygnus

I am sure that one could calculate the number of possible configurations of gravatars...

given they are symmetric, its even less than if they were any random configuration of the NxM picture

oh, and including the color variable...

Lilienthal

@Nofel What country are we talking? I'd certainly recommend doing so but my contract was only about 9 pages and there are laws against making them deliberately technical so that a layman couldn't figure them out.

Nofel

@DarkCygnus going through contract. It’s lengthy. @Lilienthal uk. It’s more about laws and monitoring , working hours (WDT)

DarkCygnus

@Nofel Still I would do as Lil says and read it thoroughly. Ask about anything you don't understand... if possible (and if it is a loong contract) you could try taking it home to read it carefully and then returning it signed.

Nofel

Though starting date was changed after contract, the recruiter suggest I should sign it and send them before offer expire. They will sign the new date when u go in first day

DarkCygnus

10:44 PM

Mine was really short (3-4 pages) ... my NDA was longer (5-6)

Nofel

Yea, I am reading it. Read it actually

Lilienthal

Well considering you should only be doing it once every couple of years, I'd take the time to work out what most if not all of it means. There could be some things in there you wouldn't expect.

In my case I found a completely unexpected non-compete in there.

DarkCygnus

It is also a reading day for me :) already through the 3rd paper I am reading to come with new ideas to improve some algorithm... the calm before the storm

Lilienthal

And my lack of legal skills initially had me concerned until I figured out that in order to exercise it they'd have to pay me two yearly salaries and I could just go work in another country instead so that was fine with me. :)

But yeah, I'd say give it all a read through so you have a general sense of what it all means, then if there's anything concerning that you're unsure of, you can try just asking HR about it.

Though I'd personally avoid doing so in most cases.

DarkCygnus

(is there a way to see the posts that were recently on featured? I wanted to read again that one where @Lilienthal gave the 500 bounty)

Lilienthal

10:47 PM

That's more something for when you're in the room with them and going through it.

@DarkCygnus Not to my knowledge. I think there's a bounty filter in search but easiest is to click through on my username and open my bounty tab.

DarkCygnus

(y)

Lilienthal

24

A: How can I search for bounty questions?

Using combinations of advanced search operators, you can reach around 90%-95% accuracy: hasnotice:1 (bounty is considered a post notice, but there are more kinds of notices) closed:0 (show only questions which are not closed) locked:0 (exclude most common notice that isn't a bounty) lastactive:...

Oh, and even easier: the guy who go the bounty was the avatar I linked above. :)

DarkCygnus

Ha, I knew it... good thing for that user though, although I am a bit jealous as his answer was born of mine, he just explicitly elaborated on some point I implicitly suggested in answer

@Lilienthal lol I had already voted that Post... thanks though

Nofel

Why do I need to sign working time regulations form

Though it’s optional

DarkCygnus

Hey, and, as a Mod, is that Rep yours or its magically created? (Do you lose your bounty rep?)

@Nofel Company-specific ? ... ask them?

Ok guys, going home earlier today... see you later, good luck

Lilienthal

10:53 PM

No, it's an opt-out form, UK-specific.

Whether you should sign it depends on what your employer's expectations regarding it are.

In a regular 9-to-5 I expect they wouldn't care too much.

In a consultancy you'd most likely be expected to sign it.

Though IIRC they can't actually require it or order you to sign.

Check if there's a question on it, I remember reading about it here before.

@DarkCygnus Nope, it's all my own rep. No special perks on bounties.

I was kind of hoping mod powers would let me award a bounty instantly but no such luck. :)

DarkCygnus

@Lilienthal says you have given away about 5.6k rep :) hats off to that

Lilienthal

I have enough rep to retire on ;)

DarkCygnus

@Lilienthal Yeah, the post would not reach Featured in that way I guess, so it would be a silent bounty

No attention drawn to it, no users remembering it for future occasions etc.

Lilienthal

@DarkCygnus True, but it'd make sense to instantly assign "reward existing answer" bounties.

But it's been a request on meta for years now.

DarkCygnus

Yeah, so people actually know what answer is that before the bounty is given (and the post disappears from the featured radar)

Nofel

10:57 PM

@Lilienthal it says u can opt out. If u want and I never till now had any form like that. What does it do? Restrict me from working freelance (if I want)?

DarkCygnus

Thanks for the UV though lol @Lilienthal

Lilienthal

Hah, you're welcome @DarkCygnus.

I contemplated starting another 500 bounty but you don't need the rep. ;)

DarkCygnus

xD

Yes I do need.... it's for the Cookies lol

Lilienthal

@Nofel The form is what will make you opt out. You're opting out of some kind of overtime protection laws.

DarkCygnus

I'll rest my repwhoreness after 25k