For me:

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard you work, your going to get laid off either way.
Just showing up can sometimes make the difference.
Your not paid to be a software developer. Your being paid to be a problem solver.

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    5 hours ago

    People (customers and coworkers alike) are generally not very bright, putting it politely. No matter how foolproof you design a system, the human race is out there absolutely cranking out bigger fools than you even imagined.

  • hardcoreufo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    4 hours ago

    We had big layoffs last year. The order of layoffs was troublemakers that couldn’t be fired for other reasons > attendance > performance > how recent you were hired.

  • Nycifer@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    8 hours ago

    *You’re. I’m sorry for being that guy, but you’ve made that mistake three times.

    Anyways, it is never worth being the hard-working type. I’ve learned the lesson that once you prove to be reliable, management is going to gravitate towards you and work you to death. That means, they’ll want you always helping others, they want you in multiple departments, they want you doing extra tasks on top of everything you do.

    So, don’t be reliable. Just do what you can and call it a day. Don’t over-achieve, especially if the company-related rewards aren’t worth it.

  • MuttMutt@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    13 hours ago

    Just because someone was made a supervisor it doesn’t mean they know what they are doing.

    • chunes@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 hours ago

      I was once made a boss over this particular employee who was better at their job than me, and much older. I made it clear to her that I had no desire to wield any authority over her and that I considered us peers.

      If my bosses knew what I’d done I would have been roasted but I feel like I made the right call. And having her respect was more invaluable than anything my bosses ever did.

    • StickyDango@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      11 hours ago

      My manager has been the manager of my department for over 7 years and admitted to my face that she has no idea what we do. 💀… And then did not make any effort in the last 8 months to learn what I do.

      • Nycifer@piefed.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        8 hours ago

        Forget the 8 months, it’s the 7 years that makes you think ‘how come you’ve not taken some of that time to learn what we do’?

        • StickyDango@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          21 minutes ago

          Ah yeah, well, it was about 8 months ago when she said it to me, and somehow she’s gotten away with it because my department knows what it’s doing at all times. She’s being investigated and has decided this is the time to retire. Good riddance, absolute piece of shite.

      • MuttMutt@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        11 hours ago

        I had worked at a theme park a couple summers. I operated one of the rides during a state inspection. It wasn’t a simple push the button and off it goes kind of thing, you manually controlled it. There were three big hydraulic motors with tires that powered the moving portion. The goal was to never equal the tires and I was good at it.

        A new supervisor was promoted only because her sister was a manager already. She didn’t know how to properly operate the ride and was training others. I walked past one day to hear it roaring around one direction then the tires started screeching as it was hammered the other direction. I put in my notice the same day as that was my tipping point of stupidity, I wasn’t going to be there when someone was hurt or worse.

        The supervisor who promoted her only did it to kiss ass, she complained she hadn’t had a single day off all summer because the new supervisor couldn’t perform the job.

        • StickyDango@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          23 minutes ago

          That’s flat out nepotism, and an impending disaster. Good call on getting out sooner rather than later. The pay 100% was not worth the risk.

  • StickyDango@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    11 hours ago

    That’s a great question and there are so many good answers in this thread.

    Don’t expect your superiors to ever back you up. I got burned so many times. I knew I was right, but they didn’t have a backbone and only thought about the budget, their reputation, and the work they’d have to put in for damage control. I wanted to shut restaurants for their filthiness, but “Oh noes, what will the community think”. Well, if someone dies, then it’s on your head. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.

    Even if a conversation or direction was made verbally, always follow up with an email to say “Just to confirm our conversation today, you have directed me to…” Even if it’s about holidays. My old boss was such a prick. Him and all upper management are the reason I am suspicious of everyone and everything.

    99% of people don’t wash their hands properly.

    • CaptPretentious@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      5 hours ago

      The number of times I’ve seen people get out of the shitter and just head back to work, is disgustingly too damn high. I used to bring sanitary wipes with to clean every door handle. Now I work from home thankfully.

      • StickyDango@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        20 minutes ago

        Now, picture the same people in restaurants preparing your food. It’s exactly the same thing 💀

  • tomiant@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    12 hours ago

    It can take them up to a year to realize that I totally lied on my resume and am incompetent, by which time I am no longer so incompetent.

  • Sunsofold@lemmings.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    10 hours ago

    Re: lesson two

    Long time ago, one of my teachers showed the class the data from a survey of managers. It asked them to prioritize a list of things that could lead to a firing. Number one was punctuality/attendance. Number four was theft. This suggested to him that you could be stealing from the company, but if you showed up every day on time you’d be less likely to be fired than if you were always MIA but not a thief. Years in the workplace has only served to confirm this for me.

    • dnick@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 hours ago

      Probably truth in that, but also possible the question was phrased in a way where the managers weren’t prioritizing the things that could lead to firing, but things they were most likely to die someone for, and theft certainly isn’t as common as or attendance.

      Personally i always put a person’s attitude above being on time. Someone who regularly showed up late but was willing to help others who were struggling is better, in my opinion, than someone who was on time everyday but was just watching the clock. That said, it definitely depends on the job. If someone else is waiting for you to get there before they can leave, you are definitely on the block if you’re constantly that guy.

  • barkybeak@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    33
    ·
    16 hours ago

    No matter what, under no circumstances should you ever believe the company or place you work for will back you up.

    If a company was placed in a situation where they can get rid of you for any reason, they will and they will do it as fast as possible.

    Even if you believe you are irreplaceable, a company will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to get you out of the equation.

    Even if you have been with the company for 20+ years, if the company sees a way to save a hundred bucks by getting rid of you, they will.

    Even if you and your boss and their bosses are buddy buddy and they are the godparent to your child and if you donated them a kidney, they will replace you.

    Even if you show that you work the most, bring in the most sales, work the longest, get paid the least, and do work so everyone can slack off, they will replace you.

    Also HR is never there for you. It is there to protect the company first and foremost. If you go to them for any reason, you are on a list to be the first to go.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      13 hours ago

      Even if you ARE irreplaceable and crucial to success, the company will only realize it a month after you’re gone.

      • pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        6 hours ago

        Even if you ARE irreplaceable and crucial to success, the company will only realize it a month after you’re gone.

        So true.

        But it is still fucking hilarious, to watch go down.

        Pro tip: Make sure some colleagues have your contact info, so you can enjoy the news right away when your former boss gets fired for incompetence. It doesn’t fix anything, but it feels nice.

  • iegod@lemmy.zip
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    16 hours ago

    Hard skills are important for doing the underlying job, but soft skills matter more if you want to progress in the career as well as financially.

    You could be the smartest person alive, but if you don’t communicate effectively and play nice with others you’re almost useless.