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Michael Berry

 Discussion on answer by mxyzplk - SE …

Imported from a comment discussion on workplace.stackexchange....
Michael Berry
Feb 6, 2020 19:12
That may be insignificant, but if that individual also has a wide network, lots of contacts or is active in a tech scene of their own, that could have much more damaging implications for your company than it could for that particular individual. (I've seen this very thing happen against a company more than once.)
Michael Berry
Feb 6, 2020 19:11
Good answer (+1) but feel compelled to add - "If I feel strongly about it [...] I can not actively help and recommend them and not consider them for re-hire" - don't forget this works both ways. If they feel you're being unreasonable by asking them to sign something they don't want to sign, or don't feel you're offering them enough, they can leave bad reviews, recommend against applying to your company to any contacts they have, and generally regard you as unprofessional.
 

 Discussion on answer by berry120: How…

Imported from a comment discussion on workplace.stackexchange....
Michael Berry
Feb 6, 2020 12:59
@DanielR.Collins Yes, that didn't really read how I intended. I've now reworded it.
Michael Berry
Feb 6, 2020 12:59
@NibblyPig Of course you don't shrug and carry on - you make it better. But there's a massive chasm between "do nothing" and "rewrite the thing from scratch on my own in a way I deem best and then try to get everyone else on board later". I'm advocating something in between here - notably talking with your coworkers and management, starting a dialog, weighing up pros and cons of each approach and then deciding on a way forward together, before starting work. I really don't think that's as ridiculous an approach as you seem to be suggesting.
 

 Discussion on question by CrabbyCoder…

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Michael Berry
Dec 9, 2019 12:27
Your mistake is asking "Why is it acceptable" rather than "What am I doing wrong". High turnover rates are very rarely due to you just hitting a random batch of job hoppers.
 

 Discussion on question by sureal: Is …

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Michael Berry
Jul 17, 2019 05:33
Surely a country tag should be mandatory here. What you're describing would, for a large company, be practically unheard of in the UK. For a small startup, maybe, but I'd still pass.
 

 Discussion on answer by Kepotx: Why w…

Imported from a comment discussion on movies.stackexchange.com...
Michael Berry
May 15, 2019 11:19
@PaulD.Waite I'd say the people already looked pretty petrified before she started torching the city to the ground. After the city was flattened, your common petrified people are, well... dead, so not much use to you.
Michael Berry
May 15, 2019 11:19
I wish this answer were true, but I really don't buy it. If she's thinking pragmatically, then she knows she's won after all the scorpions are gone. She already had fear on her side at that point. That's why everyone was running screaming from the dragon, and the soldier's laid down their swords. All she did by torching the city after that point was to cement her position as the mad queen in everyone's minds.
 

 Discussion on answer by berry120: Wha…

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Michael Berry
Jan 24, 2019 14:09
@RobP. I've seen many such interview tasks that are "we want to see how far you get in half an hour, so here's more tasks than you could feasibly handle", not "we expect all 9 tasks to be completed and we'll give you a percentage grade." Clearly the task wasn't make or break in the interview, otherwise the OP would never have been hired in the first place, so I don't think it's too much of a leap to assume the rules have in fact been changed under him here.
 

 Discussion on answer by Richard U: Ho…

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Michael Berry
Nov 20, 2018 23:15
+1, and to add a fourth reason - you also significantly reduce the chances of you being accepted for a position at the company you're applying to in the future. Apply again and you'll find yourself up against the mindset of "Ah, skip this guy, we've wasted time with him once already."
 

 Discussion on answer by berry120: Thr…

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Michael Berry
Oct 1, 2018 06:24
@alephzero Afraid I have to agree with the other commentators here - behaving like trash offers you no advantages other than a quick adrenaline kick, and offers a lot of potential disadvantage in the future. If you really want the last laugh, then you don't want your colleagues to think "damn, that guy was a loser and showed his true colours in the end, I'm glad he's gone", you want them to think "damn, that guy was really good at what he did, we were bloody idiots to force him out the door."
2
Michael Berry
Oct 1, 2018 06:24
@Mixxiphoid In all cases I think I'd go for "both of the above."
 

 Discussion on answer by Mister Positi…

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berry120
May 8, 2018 21:13
@user86800 If you do feel you have to make an excuse, then "I just fancy eating on my own today" is just as valid as any other, and it's also very hard for someone to argue against.
 

 Discussion on question by HeyJude: Ho…

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berry120
May 4, 2018 09:43
Blame the code, not the developer.
 

 Discussion on question by Peter: How …

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berry120
Mar 1, 2018 00:25
You're jumping to conclusions. If nothing else, many steam games have windowed dialog launchers before the actual game is launched (to choose game type, etc.) - I regularly leave these open in the background, and these also rack up hours in the same way. I've also accidentally left games open by switching window and forgetting they're there, and sometimes Steam seems to think I'm playing games when I'm not. The evidence you're relying on is really way too fuzzy.
 

 Discussion on question by Luke: Is us…

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berry120
Feb 20, 2018 20:08
@HopelessN00b +1 - I came on here to say that very thing before I realised you'd just beaten me to it. Fortunately I think the OP now realises how serious this is, but hopefully as an apprentice he may be able to get away with a grovelling apology / pleading inexperience. The key thing is not to try to defend the behaviour by saying "but you didn't say specifically I couldn't use proxies..." - taking that route will almost certainly result in no mercy being granted.
 

 Discussion on answer by berry120: Man…

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berry120
Nov 8, 2017 09:27
@bobo2000 If the problem is genuinely just performance related with him not doing the work he should be, then there should be a procedure in place for dealing with underperforming employees that you can follow. Just bear in mind that if he's given good, valid reasons why he can't do what you're asking him to and you escalate this to management, you could come off worse than he does - especially as a new employee.
 

 Discussion on answer by The Snark Kni…

Imported from a comment discussion on workplace.stackexchange....
berry120
Nov 7, 2017 21:54
+1 - Only thing I'd add is that in point 4, I'd be tempted to make even softer - "Management is asking if any of you guys can work overtime", or "Any other suggestions as to how we could get this thing shipped on time?" The best managers I've come across are always those that see themselves as working for the team (giving them what they need so they can do their jobs as effectively as possible) rather than seeing themselves ruler of a team that works for them.
 

 Discussion on question by Omegastick:…

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berry120
May 23, 2017 22:51
@MarkAmery That's very true, but two months without getting paid? That's downright suspicious in any scenario.
 

 The Base Camp

Nothing running?
1
berry120
Aug 14, 2015 12:25
Don't have enough score to vote, sorry, otherwise I would!
berry120
Sep 12, 2012 15:18
Yeah, same
berry120
Sep 12, 2012 15:09
just one more to reach 3000 and a few others to 200
berry120
Sep 12, 2012 15:09
We're pretty close to excellent in terms of rep scores two
berry120
Sep 12, 2012 15:04
Definitely
berry120
Sep 12, 2012 14:56
area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/3659/the-great-outdoors We're now into the "ok" range on everything other than number of questions, our number of visits a day has been gradually increasing. Looks like we're slowly getting there...
berry120
Sep 12, 2012 14:55
@RussellSteen I'm in that same category - well I was in the scouts for a while but it wasn't as outdoors-y as I would have liked
berry120
Jul 27, 2012 18:00
Dammit. Horrible feeling when you build up almost 90 consecutive days then lose it all - because you're spending time outdoors. Dahh...!
berry120
Jun 1, 2012 16:01
Posted a few questions that came to mind after a while thinking... :-)
berry120
Feb 20, 2012 18:37
We need more activity... :-(
berry120
Feb 16, 2012 00:16
@Kevin Yeah... the number of questions seems to be dying down somewhat... hate to think it's weeding out after starting off so well
berry120
Feb 16, 2012 00:14
@RussellSteen Doh, sorry. Misread the question, thought you were including lighter gear, less gear, etc.
berry120
Feb 15, 2012 23:23
@RussellSteen Night hiking I guess is the main one - if for some reason you have a watch / phone on hand to tell the time but it's broken. Granted it's a bit farfetched in practice but still possible - and if nothing else I quite like the question for general knowledge! Some things about the great outdoors are fun to know even if you'll never put them into practice :-)
berry120
Feb 15, 2012 23:21
@RussellSteen Thanks, I was actually looking at that one coincidentally anyway!
berry120
Feb 13, 2012 21:46
but if anyone has any i'd be interested to hear them on here
berry120
Feb 13, 2012 21:46
I thought i better keep it out of the question itself because with exact product suggestions sometimes people argue whether they're a good fit or not for the Q&A format - too subjective
berry120
Feb 13, 2012 21:45
http://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/1062/what-makes-a-good-head-lamp

Are there any models people would specifically recommend? Just out of interest
berry120
Feb 13, 2012 21:45
In relation to this question:
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 21:21
@RussellSteen Doh, course they don't. Thick moment! Have edited the answer now :)
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 15:45
@Kevin Yeah that would be nice
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 15:40
which i think is a good fit for SO
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 15:40
I guess, but a lot of the CS example ones are along the lines of "Is this algorithm O(N) in worst case?"
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 15:38
computer science for instance
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 15:38
I do wonder why some proposals are there if they come under the banner of SO
berry120
Feb 10, 2012 15:38
Honestly wasn't following it that closely
 

 The Bakery

Main chat room for raspberrypi.stackexchange.com +++ Visit Piv...
berry120
Jun 13, 2012 14:20
Meh, they're still badges ;)
berry120
Jun 13, 2012 14:20
Lol
berry120
Jun 13, 2012 14:18
I wondered why my rep wasn't going up then realised...
berry120
Jun 13, 2012 14:17
17 badges :P
berry120
Jun 13, 2012 14:16
I'm not participating in badge wars, honest...
berry120
Jun 13, 2012 14:16
17 here ;)