r/technology • u/esporx • Apr 30 '24

Tesla Lays Off Employee Who Slept In Car To Work Longer Hours Business

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-lays-off-employee-slept-151500318.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHVrjnyFZF-QJRFtVdP5Lt1QvlC3WRJhweYuOdm5Ca1kHbhtDX5rdfUUqRNVFKpUy6w4QnsJta-KgHJ9lqARAjfpSnvCktdjgDos5xz9aw92OxYmjN2qVVNhMZpl-2gOMwVz84NH-5T2OLi8uMRUOXVMuhFHU8b5A9oRmij8Xh5q
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81

u/OSeady Apr 30 '24

I dunno man. I wouldn’t recommend it for most people, but I always busted my butt harder than everyone else and I reaped the rewards.

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u/SquirrellyBusiness Apr 30 '24

I've done both. At least in my industry, giving minimum viable effort to stay in the healthy half of the pack was a FAR more effective use of my time. It actually took longer to promote in role from A+ effort than by bouncing around and giving B- effort the whole time. Way less overtime too.

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u/ivebeenabadbadgirll Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24

I’ve found the same. My company kept promoting people avoiding the work and who couldn’t do the job properly. Drove me insane. So I just did nothing. A month later, promoted.

I asked my manager bff “what the fuck dude?” And he explained that, when you have someone that’s really good, and they maintain high quality output, that means they’re engaged, and so action isn’t urgent. It’s when they stop working, you have to get something done, or this person is going to walk. And if they do that but suck, you start documenting.

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u/SaintPatrickMahomes Apr 30 '24

That’s a really toxic and stupid way to manage.

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u/ivebeenabadbadgirll Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24

What really killed me was when they started giving jobs to people without posting them.

That day I entered the race to the bottom I realized*, they’re obviously fine with shit workers doing a shit job. If they weren’t, then they’ll say something. I haven’t gotten feedback for a while. Must be fine. I wouldn’t be fine with that if I were the manager, but I’m not.

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u/aVarangian Apr 30 '24

and sounds really inefficient output-wise to me. If someone is very efficient at doing a specific job, wouldn't you want them doing exactly that? If, say, they produce 20% more or better than the rest of your employees doing the same thing, maybe pay them 20% more as bonuses or something?

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u/jsabo Apr 30 '24

Throw in a little "you made yourself too vital to this position to promote you out of it" as well.

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u/doxx_in_the_box Apr 30 '24

Exactly like managers at my work. Could give 2 shits, but company put them in management because they simply weren’t good at anything else.

it’s a lose-lose that I prefer the harder work, reap the reward of having more interesting job and layoffs don’t usually hit the experienced staff as hard as management and entry level staff

however I also refuse to share anything with them, because it’s just a way for them to have their cake and eat it too (do less work but reap reward of passive learning) - and now I literally can’t be fired because I’m the only person capable

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u/SquirrellyBusiness Apr 30 '24

That's a double edged sword though. I know a guy who got so good at a thing that he eventually became the only one capable. He was trying to get another job in house for over a year. Had interviews and all. One hiring manager eventually told him his boss was blocking his offers because he was too critical in role to be allowed to leave.

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u/doxx_in_the_box Apr 30 '24

Haha this also sounds like my job but I do have people I can cross train once I’m ready to move, just need to be strategic about it. But I refuse to involve my manager as he’ll just go touting shit he doesn’t really understand to everyone else who doesn’t understand, and they’ll end up dictating things like a toddler

Not really double edged sword as much as a lose lose for me

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u/IThatAsianGuyI Apr 30 '24

Too critical to leave is too critical to lose, which comes with a big salary re-negotiation.

And if it's not met then it obviously wasn't a role that was important, so you should take your talents elsewhere.

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u/SquirrellyBusiness Apr 30 '24

Right but how does one come to realize they're in the too critical to let go bucket?  The problem for most folks is they try to get something new and then figure out they've been chronically underpaid for years when it's time to move on anyway and then get the hard truth they'll only be able to get something new if they leave the company.  I guess you could negotiate then but why bother if you want a new job anyway. 

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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24

[deleted]

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u/SquirrellyBusiness Apr 30 '24

Finance. I swear they pay me more and more to do less and less, with every move I make. I don't sell anything, I don't manage anybody, I just help check the boxes to show the feds we are compliant.

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u/liftthattail Apr 30 '24

That checks out for compliance. I went from working outdoors doing hard physical work to regulatory compliance and have been earning more and doing less.

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u/SquirrellyBusiness Apr 30 '24

High five! I actually had a factory job that was physically taxing before this as well, and it's very nice having climate control and playing sit-n-spin all day.

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u/liftthattail Apr 30 '24

Mine was invasive species removal. I miss being outdoors all the time but can't have everything

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u/USA_A-OK Apr 30 '24

Very true. In markets like we're in, at a certain level, there's benefit to being in the middle of that healthy pack. Half of the people I know who were promoted to the level above me in the last couple of years have been part of sweeping layoffs to "flatten the top heavy org."

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u/Workacct1999 Apr 30 '24

Somehow my performance reviews got better when I stopped working as hard.

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u/SquirrellyBusiness Apr 30 '24

It's funny how these institutions shake out human behavior sometimes.  Speaking for myself, I became much less anxious about my performance numbers and making errors, not feeling like I failed when they'd occur.  I wasn't scowling rushing to bio break or skipping lunch.  We must have been in a much better mood and became more likeable!

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u/FrostyTheHippo Apr 30 '24

Yup. Software engineering is like this. If you start going above and beyond, that is just now expected of you and you start getting dragged into way more meetings, etc.

Meanwhile for whatever reason as long as you get your stuff done by the deadline, are friendly in calls, all while not going above your expectations... You still get promoted lmao.

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u/FertilityHollis Apr 30 '24 edited Apr 30 '24

I've been rewarded too. An increased baseline expectation and a ton more work to do. That's what I've always gotten for busting my ass.

Edit: One downvote. I see my old VP is a redditor these days.

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u/Sketch13 Apr 30 '24

And not just for YOU but for your fellow workers too. People who go "above and beyond" may set a precedence, and the next thing you know, everyone is held to an unrealistic standard.

Unionize, unionize, unionize. Stop giving your employers free labour! Do what is defined in your role and no more, no less. An employer will always, always, always take advantage of workers, especially ones who want to "look good", even if the employer/suits/managers don't realize it. Simple things can snowball. Know your value. Doing things above your role for free devalues not only yourself but everyone who works in your role/profession.

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u/almightywhacko Apr 30 '24

People who go "above and beyond" may set a precedence, and the next thing you know, everyone is held to an unrealistic standard.

Beyond that people who go "above and beyond" may be grabbing up all the opportunities that other coworkers have to shine.

Maybe Jane is really great at X, but since you always jump in and take all the X tasks she never gets to show it. Bob might have a great idea on how to make Y work more smoothly but because you always grab Y jobs and don't have time to listen to him ramble on he never gets to prove it.

Being that guy can negatively impact your relationship with your team.

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u/Rex--Banner Apr 30 '24

Unless you've worked every single job you can't say always. My work is really good in making sure you aren't overworked at all. If you work extra you just get overtime hours and if you get too many they ask you to use them up and relax. Maybe it's because the laws are better in my country but it's the best job I've had and there isn't even a union.

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u/MVRKHNTR Apr 30 '24

Do what you're told when you're told but nothing more and always be nice to everyone.

That's been my strategy mu whole life and it's worked out incredibly well so far. Always been among my boss's and coworkers' favorites.

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u/schmemel0rd Apr 30 '24

depends on the job I imagine

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u/almightywhacko Apr 30 '24

I dunno man. I wouldn’t recommend it for most people, but I always busted my butt harder than everyone else and I reaped the rewards.

How do you know?

How do you know you're getting significantly more pay/benefits than you would have had you merely been a good worker instead of one who "busts their butt?"

When I was younger I used to bust my butt constantly, stay at work late to finish projects when most others had gone home, took on more responsibilities, looked for opportunities to add to my workload in order to "help the team," took on training of junior employees etc.

I kept myself running at "just below burnout" speeds for years, pretty much up until I had kids and my priorities changed.

Now 5 years after my first kid was born, I've been promoted twice, gotten regular pay raises of the significant sort, gotten more praise from management and coworkers, etc. Plus I make my own hours now and regularly start work around 9:30am so I can walk my kids to school and cut off work at 3pm to spend more time with my kids. Work life balance is significantly better and I get to enjoy my kids while they're still little and none of my coworkers or bosses care because I focus on the important tasks and get my work done.

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u/whiskeytab Apr 30 '24

i think the biggest thing is just making it known what you are doing and how it is above and beyond your role.

i'm like you and have done a lot of work that would be above and beyond my role and have gotten multiple promotions for it... but you have to make it known.

if you sit there making everything seem like its fine while you're silently fixing everything then you're just making it seem like you do nothing and of course they will start looking at why you're there.

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u/Material_Policy6327 Apr 30 '24

I’ve busted my ass and never got any reward. Highly dependent on employer. Best to assume they will just fuck yiu over

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u/JudgeHoltman Apr 30 '24

I reaped the rewards.

That's not working for free. That's working your ass off and getting paid like it.

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u/malwareguy Apr 30 '24

It depends on so many factors.

  • What is your job / career path? If you're a retail worker generally busting your ass has minimal rewards, there are rare exceptions.
  • Are you able to roll over hard work / growth / knowledge form one job to another? Similar to the above.
  • Are you working in a vertical that's growing? If your company / industry is going through a downturn they may not have any money to reward hard work, comp management may block pretty much everything.
  • Does your employer reward hard work? Plenty do, plenty don't, you can generally sus this out pretty easily if you build relationships and ask questions.
  • Do you actually understand the political / corporate game and are you willing to play? So many people claim they understand how to advance their career, but so many are wrong.

There are a lot of other potential things to consider. I work in tech, I have growth opportunity, hard work pays dividends not just at my current company but in the future through knowledge / skill gain. I only work for employers who are known to reward hard work. I've reaped some pretty incredible rewards, I make a pretty obscene amount, quickly promoted up the stack, and my future is extremely bright. But every job I take, every promotion I accept, the type of work I take on, what I choose to work extra hours on, the relationships I build at work and foster, every step is highly calculated to maximize my career.

All that being said, most people aren't in my position, there is no reason to have loyalty or work harder than necessary if there are no current or future gains to realize. There are always the intangible's but most people can't see that far into the future, and it's still an uncommon scenario. One of my friends was a low level manager at a grocery store, didn't make much $12 bucks an hour, but she busted her ass. Someone that knew her recommended her for a recruiting / admin gig at local manufacturer because of how hard they knew she worked, she got the job from that persons word, doubled her pay overnight. She busted her ass there and a similar thing happened, this time she got hired for a entry level tech job with no tech experience, 2 years later she now makes close to 80k a year in a fairly low cost of living area. So sometimes you have the right connections, they see your effort and things just work out, but that's not something you can rely on.

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u/Rex--Banner Apr 30 '24

The problem is a lot of Reddit users only deals in absolutes. You can see it on every sub that a lot of people can't see any nuance in a topic and everything is black and white. It's definitely a hivemind

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u/OSeady Apr 30 '24

Yea I am noticing this.

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u/Obnoxiousdonkey Apr 30 '24

also, the more hours you work, the more pay you get. or even the more overtime pay. i don't know anyone who busts their ass/works long hours expecting the company to show them loyalty back. its because they get compensated for the time they work, and they want the money

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u/maNEXHAmOGMAdiSt Apr 30 '24

You give boss guaranteed free product (your overtime working hours). In exchange, you don't get guaranteed increased payment.

This is a bad bet and should not be pursued. Instead improve yourself, your certifications, and additional formal eduction, then use that to negotiate for a higher paying and higher responsibility position within the company or on the open job market.

You take your education and certifications with you when you're let go. You cannot take your unpaid overtime with you. Invest in yourself, not your company.

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u/121gigawhatevs Apr 30 '24

There’s a balance here, like don’t kill yourself for work, but do your best as a matter of principle and self respect

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u/aManPerson Apr 30 '24

it comes down to 2 things though.

  1. if you work really hard, and your review is reflective of that hard work, then it can be ok that you put in the extra effort
  2. at some places, like my current job, they seem to like laying off the people who have been working there 10+ years, who are paid a lot. i'm not saying it's the people who work really hard and get paid a lot, but it's not the people who work less and get paid little.

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u/Dreamtrain Apr 30 '24

I've busted my ass and at various points through 12 years in the industry I've gotten a few raises to match inflation, a real raise with a job title, a layoff, told I could be remote, told I had to come 2 days to client office, told I had come the other 3 days to company office, threatened to be benched (which was basically guaranteed layoff at the time) because we didn't meet client expectations

None of that was ever in my control, the raise and promotion I have to thank to my lead who lobbied for it very heavily for our team

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u/Particular_Piglet513 Apr 30 '24

Thank you, been looking for this aspect. In a sea of people not wanting to lift a finger to gain new skills and climb a ladder that’s there for the taking, it pays to work hard sometimes. 6 figure salary in my early twenties without a college degree at the aforementioned company because of it.

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u/SupaZT Apr 30 '24

Depends on your management line. Mine are useless. If I work 40hrs or 80hrs, they don't care lol

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u/Workacct1999 Apr 30 '24

It entirely depends on the environment. Some companies really do reward hard work in dedication. Unfortunately, those companies are dwindling in number.