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A layoff fundamentally changed how I perceive work

(mertbulan.com)
1041 points mertbio | 15 comments | 27 Jan 25 08:22 UTC | HN request time: 1.3s | source | bottom
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lm28469 ◴[27 Jan 25 09:30 UTC] No.42839108[source]▶
That's what happened during my first job almost 10 years ago. "we're different than other companies, we're family", "business is always personal", yadda yadda

Then one day out of nowhere "hey btw we're not going to renew your contract, we're nice so we give you an extra 10 days of vacation don't bother coming back tomorrow, oh and all your accesses have been revoked". At least I got the reality check right away, some people get that way down the line when their whole persona has already been built around their job

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1. agumonkey ◴[27 Jan 25 10:06 UTC] No.42839358[source]▶
One thing that astonishes me, is that most people want to have a real team to be part of, contribute, give our best.. yet most jobs are just a game of lies and end up being the opposite (there are some good bosses but the stats are low). It's like two needs that can never meet.
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2. bravetraveler ◴[27 Jan 25 10:11 UTC] No.42839383[source]▶
The purpose of the system is what it does
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3. formerly_proven ◴[27 Jan 25 10:53 UTC] No.42839615[source]▶
I've been part of two really good teams, one went away because the company closed, the other because it was managed into smithereens. It honestly seemed like it didn't sit right with any level of management to have a bunch of at best average teams and then one very good team in the same org chart, they seemed to prefer to just have every team scrape along.
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4. agumonkey ◴[27 Jan 25 11:38 UTC] No.42839969[source]▶
Maybe society is submitted to a law of averages..
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5. CharlieDigital ◴[27 Jan 25 12:50 UTC] No.42840594[source]▶
The whole system of education is designed to channel this type of behavior from early childhood.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big proponent of high quality public education; it's a necessity. But the reason we have it is because businesses and corporations need workers.

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6. elzbardico ◴[27 Jan 25 13:50 UTC] No.42841129{3}[source]▶
Obedient workers.
7. agumonkey ◴[27 Jan 25 14:05 UTC] No.42841249{3}[source]▶
if I assume that the system is a neutral emergent phenomenon, i'd say it values "skills" required by businesses because these are strong indicator of what ensures survival of the group (we might all study cosmology and get hawking IQ level in the end, if we don't know how to grow food, we're toast)

that said i'm curious if there are cities or groups who reduce the importance of material economy / business and promote real deep and beautiful learning

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8. ryandrake ◴[27 Jan 25 16:27 UTC] No.42842781{3}[source]▶
You can graduate from high school and leave your hometown, but the attitudes of high school remain in the office: the cliques, the cruelty, the in-groups and out-groups, the manipulation, the brown-nosing, the behind-the-back-shit-talking. The C students from your high school are now mid level managers above you and brought the mentality straight from there to the office.
9. BriggyDwiggs42 ◴[27 Jan 25 21:09 UTC] No.42845643{3}[source]▶
Systems built around profit seek efficiency, thus standardization.
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10. agumonkey ◴[28 Jan 25 08:16 UTC] No.42850036{4}[source]▶
even without the notion of profit, averages reduce risks and helps survival imo
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11. dennis_jeeves2 ◴[28 Jan 25 12:27 UTC] No.42851551{3}[source]▶
>The whole system of education is designed to channel this type of behavior from early childhood.

So what exactly are the parent doing all along?

(I think I know the answer - they are inexperienced/dysfunctional themselves)

12. dennis_jeeves2 ◴[28 Jan 25 12:28 UTC] No.42851565{3}[source]▶
True, one can build a society with no layoffs etc. but collectively we are just not smart enough to do it.
13. dennis_jeeves2 ◴[28 Jan 25 12:30 UTC] No.42851573[source]▶
>One thing that astonishes me, is that most people want to have a real team to be part of, contribute, give our best..

What astonishes me is that people fall for that BS.

14. CRConrad ◴[29 Jan 25 07:17 UTC] No.42862438{4}[source]▶
> (we might all study cosmology and get hawking IQ level in the end, if we don't know how to grow food, we're toast)

I first read that as "we might all study cosmetology ...", so my mind went to an altogether different space-based metaphor.

15. BriggyDwiggs42 ◴[30 Jan 25 02:49 UTC] No.42874254{5}[source]▶
No that’s not it. Averages are easy to reason about top down. Averages are like manufactured parts; you can replace them when they break or slot them in where they’re needed. They’re easy to herd as a manager because they all work the same way. Before we had societies, this sort of reasoning wouldn’t have been very useful. A tribal chief doesn’t need uniformity, he needs to understand his members, all of whom he knows from birth, well enough to utilize their talents.