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joeqwerty

 Discussion on question by benjamin: T…

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joeqwerty
Nov 10, 2023 00:21
And if you're thinking of taking punitive action against this employee, like withholding pay... don't. Unless you're looking for a heap of trouble and a lawsuit. Take the high road.
joeqwerty
Nov 10, 2023 00:21
Regarding number 3: You can't make them do anything. You can ask them to do something. The idea that you think you can "make" anybody do anything simply because you employ them leaves me with the suspicion that this situation isn't entirely the fault of the employee.
 

 Discussion on question by Crushed: Cr…

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joeqwerty
Sep 18, 2023 19:21
Have they actually misused company assets or engaged in fraudulent and illegal activity? I don't convict someone without having all of the information and evidence.
joeqwerty
Sep 18, 2023 19:21
@TymoteuszPaul Everyone here is assuming and inferring that this is a misuse of company funds and/or is illegal, based solely on what the OP stated, which is a one-sided story. We don't know that the employee in question wasn't directed to do this by someone else in the company, unbeknownst to the OP. Furthermore, Bitcoin mining is perfectly legal in most countries. I'm simply saying that before I jump the gun and make accusations and call for some action, that I'd like more information. Was this activity directed by someone else? Has this employee broken company policy?
joeqwerty
Sep 18, 2023 19:21
@DanIsFiddlingByFirelight, I'd like to see the legal statutes that prohibit what the OP has stated. Assuming that it's illegal or inferring that it's illegal doesn't make it illegal.
joeqwerty
Sep 18, 2023 19:21
You've stated that this person has installed mining software on all company computers and you've stated that they built a mining rig. Is it one or the other, or both? As far as the mining goes, is that illegal in your country? Does your company expressly forbid it? As an example, Bitcoin mining is perfectly legal in most countries.
 

 Discussion on question by user8469759…

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joeqwerty
Sep 1, 2023 23:57
Some of this seems subjective to me. What is "clean" code and who determines whether code is "clean" or not? Is there a universal or widely and generally accepted standard for "clean" code. Who determines how many nested lops are too many and how many are "just the right amount of nested loops". Who determines if the programming logic is faulty? All I'm seeing in this question are your opinions.
 

 Discussion on question by amnesiacRAM…

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joeqwerty
May 20, 2023 06:03
@amnesiacRAM - Let me boil it down and paraphrase it for you: "I'm great. They're horrible. He's inept and couldn't program his way out of a wet paper bag." - Maybe get rid of all of that nonsense in your question and it would come off as being more reasonable.
 

 Discussion on question by TexasMama06…

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joeqwerty
Apr 7, 2023 13:15
When the question is "Can my employer do this?" the answer 9 times out of 10 is: "Yes, they can."
joeqwerty
Apr 7, 2023 13:15
My question is: Is there a legally binding employment contract? My gut tells me the answer is no. If there is a legally binding employment contract that lays out the terms and conditions of your employment, and you believe this would be a breach of that contract then you may have legal recourse. If not then, yes, they can change your employment terms as they so wish.
 

 Discussion on question by quantum231:…

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joeqwerty
Dec 13, 2022 09:14
Why don't you ask your boss for specifics and ask how you can acquire and develop these skills?
 

 Discussion on question by Sabre: DNS …

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joeqwerty
Sep 14, 2022 00:45
So you went to the trouble of creating a new AD domain but you used your public domain name for it instead of using an unused subdomain (ad.yourdomain.tld), and you introduced an unneeded problem. How far along in this migration are you? Is it too late to wipe it and start from scratch using something like ad.yourdomain.tld, which will prevent and avoid this problem?
 

 Discussion on question by user311438:…

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joeqwerty
Jul 17, 2022 17:54
Should I have just minded my own business? - Yes. Do you also think that I have any grounds for a complaint against what was said to me? - No.
 

 Discussion on question by Aiteru454: …

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joeqwerty
Apr 15, 2022 04:46
Using the situation to your advantage and taking advantage of the situation are two different approaches. The former is worthwhile within the bounds of reason, the latter isn't worthwhile and isn't behavior that I'd engage in.
joeqwerty
Apr 15, 2022 04:46
You are not irreplaceable. If you can learn the code then someone else can learn the code. How painful that is for the business isn't your concern. Should you use your perceived irreplaceably as leverage to ask for a raise, one that is likely well beyond what would be considered reasonable? You could try, but I wouldn't want to wake up every morning looking at that kind of person in the mirror. IMO, you're essentially asking if you can use this situation to extort your employer, which is something that I (and I suspect most other people) would frown upon.
 

 Discussion on question by Beveled: Ho…

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joeqwerty
Mar 25, 2022 23:41
@PhilipKendall "That's what she said!"
joeqwerty
Mar 25, 2022 23:41
Maybe in the meantime bring in a wired keyboard and mouse? Maybe ask your manager if that would be acceptable?
 

 Discussion on question by Joe Smentz:…

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joeqwerty
Dec 14, 2021 16:34
This is the nature of contracting. Nothing to see here. Stan pays you to perform work. What he does with that work and how he presents it to his client is of no concern to you.
 

 Discussion on question by Jim Lars Sv…

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joeqwerty
Dec 5, 2021 11:17
@JimLarsSvenson - Understood that you're offering the same title. Thanks.
joeqwerty
Dec 5, 2021 11:17
@JimLarsSvenson - Understood. My suggestion would be to offer the same title (Engineer) and the same salary that you would offer an external candidate. If that isn't acceptable to the internal candidate then don't offer them the position.
joeqwerty
Dec 5, 2021 11:17
"We'd like her to take on more responsibilities and duties, but we'd like to keep her title and salary the same." - Therein lies your problem. Fix that.
2
joeqwerty
Dec 5, 2021 11:17
If you were hiring someone from the outside, what would their title and salary be? Offer that to your internal candidate. Anything less is disingenuous and in bad faith.
 

 Discussion on question by Elisease: C…

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joeqwerty
Oct 28, 2021 18:50
As disconcerting as this may be, I don't see how this is a workplace issue. Even if you could prove that the character in the book is based on you, what could HR do? What could you do? How does this fall into the realm of workplace issues? What you need to do is to contact an attorney regarding libel in works of fiction.
 

 Discussion on question by DJG: Is it …

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joeqwerty
Jul 29, 2021 09:10
Is this unusual? Probably not. Is it unreasonable? Probably not. While it might be nice to know, I'm not sure the employees have a right to know. My opinion is that they don't.
 

 Discussion on question by LazyColleag…

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joeqwerty
Jun 7, 2021 21:04
You lost me at "Extracting work from people".
 

 Discussion on question by Kaushal28: …

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joeqwerty
May 7, 2021 12:53
It's not a court of law. They have no obligation to accept your answer, even if it is correct. Let it go.
 

 Discussion on question by Jonathan Or…

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joeqwerty
Mar 29, 2021 21:22
There's no such thing as "fair". There's what is legal and what is illegal. Is it legal for them to require this of you and your team? If it is legal then you don't really have much choice in the matter. You can acquiesce or you can leave. Unfortunately I don't see any alternatives.
 

 Discussion on question by Runch: Am I…

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joeqwerty
Jan 19, 2021 15:42
This story seems a bit... unbelievable?
 

 Discussion on question by Pender: Sen…

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joeqwerty
Jan 18, 2021 13:20
I'm always amazed by these question, and not in a good way. "We screwed our employee and now he's not happy. Why?" - It should be fairly evident to you.
 

 Discussion on question by YaDav: I'm …

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joeqwerty
Jan 3, 2021 19:53
Wait 10 days?...
 

 Discussion on question by Ten2Four: M…

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joeqwerty
Dec 11, 2020 12:53
It's doubtful that there are any legal issues at all. A job offer is not a contract. In the US, companies are only legally obligated to pay you the minimum wage, unless you have a legally binding contract that says otherwise. Your best course of action is to consult an attorney.
 

 Discussion on question by TheVal: How…

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joeqwerty
Aug 14, 2020 13:07
Why don't you ask him who he sent it to?
joeqwerty
Aug 14, 2020 13:07
I believe that my boss did a borderline defamation and shown unethical behavior - He sent it only to you, correct? If so, that's not defamation. If you don't like his letter why don't you just throw it away and get a reference letter from a trusted colleague or ex-colleague?
 

 Discussion on question by Socrates: H…

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joeqwerty
Aug 5, 2020 16:06
Does anybody have any secret tips for locating smart people? - You could write and distribute a book titled "How to win friends and influence people by not being a self-entitled, arrogant jerk"
 

 Discussion on question by hk88: Hirin…

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joeqwerty
Jul 27, 2020 03:14
They're left in the candidate pool? So what? How does that impact you? How does it impact them? Do you think they're waiting around for your company? They're not. They're moving on to other positions at other companies. Are the diversity candidates you're hiring unqualified for the positions they've been hired into or are they simply less qualified? If they're qualified then why does it matter? Less qualified candidates get hired over more qualified candidates every day, for reasons completely unrelated to diversity issues. How is this any different? How is this a diversity issue?
 

 Discussion on question by mark951131b…

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joeqwerty
Jul 2, 2020 11:40
his attitude towards the rest of team has improved from his previous light grumpiness, and he's probably still the best and most productive engineer in the team - It sounds like you don't have an actual problem to solve. "You're working at a level commensurate with your salary and you're doing great work, but we'd like you to give us even more."... is not an approach I would recommend.
 

 Discussion on question by Spotted_Fla…

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joeqwerty
Jun 25, 2020 12:00
Unless you have a contract that states otherwise, they're only legally required to pay you the minimum wage. Your salary/hourly rate is a "gentlemen's agreement", they have no legal requirement to pay you what is stated in your job offer. Only a contract where your pay is stipulated in the contract is legally binding. If you quit or are fired, they are only legally required to pay you the minimum wage for the hours you've worked.
joeqwerty
Jun 25, 2020 12:00
You need to find out what the laws in your state are regarding pay, final pay, etc. In most states they are legally required to deliver your final pay within a certain time frame, but in most states they also are only legally required to pay you the minimum wage for hours worked. So if you make more than the minimum wage you may find yourself with a very small final paycheck if they choose to go that route.
 

 Discussion on question by Jamie F: Ca…

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joeqwerty
May 28, 2020 10:13
They said that because everybody is working from home, my home counts as my office while I'm working. - That seems like a stretch. Having said that, they can probably fire you without cause (laws depending), so don't give them cause. Whether or not this is a thing.
 

 Discussion on question by wipeoututop…

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joeqwerty
May 18, 2020 11:52
I understand that you have no malicious intent, but the fact is that software piracy is a crime. You can try to justify, excuse, or differentiate it any way you like but the fact of the matter is that you're breaking the law and you're stealing from the people who create and produce the software you're pirating. Stop doing it.
joeqwerty
May 18, 2020 11:52
Theft is theft in whatever form it takes. Software piracy is theft.
joeqwerty
May 18, 2020 11:52
Saying that you needed it for school and couldn't afford it neither justifies it nor excuses it. If I steal your wallet because I need the money, does that excuse or justify my actions? Pirating software is illegal. Stop doing it.
joeqwerty
May 18, 2020 11:52
You know that the people who work to create and produce the software you're pirating want to earn a living too, right? Just like you, right? You want to be payed for your work, right? Well they want to be paid for their work too. When you pirate software you're stealing from the men and women who work to create and produce that software. They have rent, mortgages, utility bills, grocery bills, etc., etc. just like you. So stop stealing their work. There's nothing that can excuse or justify doing that.
 

 Discussion on question by johnDanger:…

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joeqwerty
May 3, 2020 06:12
The problem, as I see it, is that while the phrase may be meant seriously, it probably won't be taken seriously. It will be taken as flippant and may even be taken as a "shot" against your current employer. That's not going to leave a good impression on potential employers who may think "What will he say about us? Will he take this job seriously?"
joeqwerty
May 3, 2020 06:12
The phrase in general. Humor on the job (when it's appropriate) is fine, but in your LinkedIn profile it sends the message "I'm not a serious person, don't take my job seriously, and I shouldn't be taken seriously." - That's what that phrase would say to me.
joeqwerty
May 3, 2020 06:12
Think of LinkedIn as the first stage of an interview. "Dress to impress" and put your best foot forward. If potential employers get the impression that you're "a funny guy" they'll probably pass you right by, unless they're looking for a comedian.
joeqwerty
May 3, 2020 06:12
Being flippant on your LinkedIn profile probably isn't going to get you any serious interest from anyone.
 

 Discussion on question by hackydude: …

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joeqwerty
Apr 2, 2020 12:37
The advice I found was that I generally should list what achievement it was that prompted the hire. - I've never heard that advice and personally wouldn't follow that advice. You were offered a job. It could have been for a multitude of reasons. Why does the reason matter?
 

 Discussion on question by Anthony: Ac…

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joeqwerty
Jan 2, 2020 22:44
How do I best explain that my intention was not malicious but a genuine mistake? - Just like that. That it was a mistake and wasn't intended.
 

 Discussion on question by jhcoates: H…

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joeqwerty
Dec 12, 2019 12:27
Part of that includes doing code reviews on Github with people who are either not very competent or lack any programming skills at all. - I don't understand what that means. Are these people employees at your company? If so, how did they get hired to write code if they don't have programming skills?