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How do I ask my manager to make camera mandatory in video meetings
without making it look like a complaint?
Don't. Some/Many people aren't comfortable being on camera. This is their personal space. Don't invade it. I don't mean that their home is their personal space (even though it is), I mean that making the choice to be on video or not is a personal ...
49
A wolf remains a wolf, even if he has not eaten your sheep.
Your CEO has demonstrated a clear lack of respect for ethics and the law, just because he hasn't gotten around to screwing you over doesn't mean he won't do so if the opportunity arises.
Document everything.
Update your resume
Move on to other employment
See a lawyer
**Now as to your specific ...
30
You would focus on your difficulty. "Hey manager, I feel like I'm having trouble communicating without visuals, and am feeling kinda isolated from the team since we're all remote. At my last place we used the cams and it helped with that." That should be enough for him to start a conversation with the team about it, ask if others are having the ...
answered Oct 29 at 0:45
mxyzplk - SE stop being evil
19.4k8 gold badges50 silver badges74 bronze badges
29
Make it mandatory to turn camera on in video meetings at work?
There is a big difference between strongly encouraging or discouraging a given behavior, and requiring or banning that behavior.
In the US for example, people and organizations have communicated the harms and dangers of smoking for a long time, but cigarettes themselves were never made illegal. ...
22
Cracked software has two different issues:
The (lack of) license, which depending on your location could be illegal and hence open your company to legal processes and damages.
The unknown provenance of the software you are using, which means various types of malware could have been introduced to your systems - which could also open your company to legal ...
17
Unwritten rules are learned in a few different ways.
By experience. All workplaces are different but they some share culture, domain, and socio-economic commonalities. If you've worked in one finance firm, others will likely be similar. If you've worked in one laboratory, others will be similar. If you've worked in one factory... you get the idea.
By ...
16
Is this question about seeing people you're having a meeting with, or about hoping that being forced to sit on their chair will magically make them care more about your meeting? Because it sounds like it's the latter, and I don't think forcing people to have their butt in a seat is going to make them more engaged with your meeting.
People don't cook dinner ...
15
That is a tricky situation. You are asking for the right things: setting clear goals, requirements, metrics and schedule is absolutely best practice and your manager's refusal to do so is worrisome and unusual.
If possible, find out WHY that's the case. Could be harmless (stress, incompetence) but could also be nasty: you are actively being managed out the ...
12
Yes, this is pretty common.
Because, ask yourself - how else are customers supposed to get critical software problems fixed in a timely manner?
You have a limited number of options as a business to service your customers:
Have a large organization that has 3 continents worth of shifts, so it's always working hours somewhere (except for weekends, and ...
answered Oct 26 at 18:29
mxyzplk - SE stop being evil
19.4k8 gold badges50 silver badges74 bronze badges
10
Frame challenge: you're looking at the wrong problem.
Here's why:
You don't respect Alex enough to give them any sort of recommendation.
You don't respect Alex enough to value any recommendation they would give.
You don't have any one else to give you a recommendation (you want to "prime the pump", in your words)
#1 and #2 aren't problems in ...
10
Is there any position in software development companies who answers the questions of the programmers like: "Oh I get this error! I searched for that error and couldn't find the solution. May you help me to solve?".
I wouldn't expect there to be a position for someone who can answer such questions, other than "developer". It should be ...
9
When you are a technical person working directly with non-technical people, your job is not just to write the code but to help educate as best as you can (without being condescending) and to understand what the end goals are. Requests almost always have a reason behind them and, sometimes, the request is a XY Problem where what they are requesting is a ...
9
Some good answers here already, but I wanted to touch on a couple of extra points.
The combination of "aircraft parts" and "FEA software" is particularly concerning. For those unfamiliar with it, FEA is a tool commonly used for analysing stresses in structures e.g. machine parts. (It has other applications, but that's the most obvious one ...
8
Praise them for something else if asked
LinkedIn references are short and not very detailed. If they ask for one back, you are probably writing 3-5 sentences. Most people have enough good qualities for 3-5 sentences of reference. Did they stay late one night to solve a problem? Did they contribute to office cheer by organizing parties or bringing donuts? Are ...
8
Seize the opportunity to build it yourself
Depending on your actual company/situation, this might not work. It might not even work in most situations. But it did in mine, with spectacular results for my career, so consider it as an option.
Situation:
You've been handed a brand new department with no systems, processes, documentation, existing employees or ...
8
Treat it like working on some kind of classified research. Explain your duties, skip over the details or purpose of it, and if anyone asks tell them you're on an NDA and can't discuss the specifics of what you did.
It shouldn't be that weird that you're not allowed to talk about some secret project you worked on. Just because you're on an NDA to yourself (...
7
It is
perfectly normal, common and acceptable
if you are paid a high salary to compensate for it.
The situation is: "the job is tough", hence "you get more money".
So,
Candidate: "As a skilled junior, I'd like X30,000 for the job."
Employer: "You have to be available 24/7 for emergencies."
Candidate: "...
7
It may depends on the country but you will find most people consider this abnormal. In some countries it is even illegal to do so.
Take France for example (mandatory IANAL) you have a "right to disconnection" meaning you have the right to not read your emails or to not accept calls after work hour. If you need to stay available in case of support ...
7
tl;dr;
No, I don't think it's a good idea to ask somebody for a recommendation if you wouldn't be comfortable recommending them.
If doing so anyway, there is no approach to avoid being sent a request back, you can't decide what others do, but you still can't be forced into writing one neither. From there you can just ignore and push back, or tell/explain you ...
7
"Oh I get this error! I searched for that error and couldn't find the
solution. May you help me to solve?"
A software developer. Many people can fake development by being cut-and-paste experts, but real developers read the documentation, read the code, and learn how to work with systems. The internet is an awesome tool; but, not so much when it ...
6
You're trying to fix a problem before you fully understand it. As such, your solution is unlikely to succeed.
The question you need to ask to gain that additional understanding is: why are coworkers not paying attention in meetings? The simplest, and therefore most likely correct, answer is that there are too many meetings and "meeting fatigue" has ...
6
By observation:
Do some googling, get an understanding of what unwritten rules are out there in the world, then see which of them fit with what you see of your new workplace/co-workers.
By asking:
In a 1-on-1 setting, at an appropriate point in your conversation/whatever you're doing, ask the person you're with "Hey, since I'm new, is there anything I ...
5
I've been in similar situations before, and it's not an easy one. Work becomes exponentially more cumbersome and inefficient without processes and proper tools to do the job right. On the few occasions where I've assumed a role in a new department, or where I filled a newly created role, there were always deficits in processes, tools, systems, and ...
5
You don't. There's no way to request this without sounding whiney. It would be a career limiting move if it came out that you were the cause. These people are all adults. Treat them as such- they can judge whether its best for them to turn on the camera or not.
And quite truthfully, cameras on won't have any effect on people paying attention. I'm more ...
5
Actually I think that making it mandatory/strongly encouraged to have people turn on their cameras during online meetings is a good way to help keep everybody engaged during the meeting. I personally also think it's nice to actually see the faces of your colleagues sometimes during this period.
However I also think that having a lot of people clearly doing ...
5
Please give nice advice :')
I try my best.
TL;DR: Yes, you are a little bit inexperienced to be a CTO, but that is not the problem. The problem is your priorities.
Including yourself you have a team of 1 1/2 developer and for being a TL of 1 1/2 people you seem to have the right level of experience.
Yes i tried learn anything
This seems to be the problem.
...
5
Don't accept the blame, but also don't defend yourself. Look for the kernel of truth that both you and the manager could potentially agree to. Verbalize that kernel of truth. Restate what happened at that HR meeting using own words, but keep any blaming language out of it. And no, don't call out HR on their own use of blaming language.
Then, suggest an ...
4
Relax, don't panic.
I am guessing that this is your first job where you would be billable. Probably your first job.
Your company knows that not everyone will working on something billable, all of the time, and they set their prices accordingly.
Trust your manager when he says that it will not affect your pay. You have a contract, don't you? Read it again. It ...
answered Oct 30 at 8:45
Mawg says reinstate Monica
11.6k4 gold badges23 silver badges51 bronze badges
4
It's not your job to police this.
Instead of getting annoyed about it why not take a leaf out of their books and try improving your own work/life balance a bit? As long as the work gets done a good boss probably doesn't mind exactly how people choose to manage their work.
4
How do I avoid alienating them?
You work with them. You first gain their confidence and trust, then you suggest changes that will help them and explain to them the benefits to be gained. You propose pilot projects so that they can experience the benefits for themselves. You act like a consultant rather than a dictator. You try to put yourself in their ...
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