277
votes
Staying late for appearance?
The short answer: "Because I do not supervise them."
If they don't report to you, you don't control their work or assignments, and shouldn't have to stay late due to whatever is going on, whether ...
- 61.8k
241
votes
HR trying to sabotage my wife's work because we're married
Is there something we could do?
Having your wife report to you directly and sit in the same office (regardless of the size) is highly irregular in my experience and, sadly for you, a legit spot for ...
- 84.6k
228
votes
Staying late for appearance?
Am I doing anything wrong?
Yes. You are working 66-hour weeks and taking part in a culture that promotes even longer hours. You are considering going even further into dogmatic presenteeism in which ...
- 7,784
221
votes
Company does not understand what the “bus factor” is and continues to give me more and more responsibilities
I've explained the concept of "bus factor" to my manager (who is the
CTO of the company; there is nobody above his head to go to) and to
other senior people in the company, and their answer is "we ...
- 368k
220
votes
How can I deal with my CEO asking me to hire someone with a higher salary than me, a co-founder?
Right now, you're being used, and the CEO is feeding you vague promises to convince you to let yourself keep being used. Demand appropriate guarantees. If you can't get them, walk.
If you had ...
- 21.2k
210
votes
Accepted
Salary increases in startups
Keep in mind if you don't offer at least a 2% raise, you're actually paying him less due to inflation. Are they doing less valuable work now than they were 12 months ago?
Plus, a programmer early in ...
- 2,489
196
votes
HR trying to sabotage my wife's work because we're married
Lord forgive me, but I am actually on HR's side this time.
Your arrangement is an HR office's worst nightmare....
Nepotism
Fraternization
Liability for lawsuits...
Having a spouse be a direct ...
- 158k
167
votes
Company does not understand what the “bus factor” is and continues to give me more and more responsibilities
It's somebody else's problem.
It is very considerate of you that you do not want to be the single point of failure for your whole organization. More people should be that thoughtful of their ...
- 38.4k
165
votes
Can I rescind my offer of working on weekends after last day?
Any offer can be revoked at any time.
Your plans might have changed. Your new employer might want to send you on weekend training. You might just not feel like it.
Even if you signed a contract to ...
- 15.2k
164
votes
How to answer "Are you interviewing anywhere else?" during an interview
Just say yes
You can point out that you expect them to be interviewing other candidates as well. You can also say that you find it unwise to stop looking elsewhere until you reach an agreement with ...
- 1,439
163
votes
"Startup" working hours - is it normal to be asked to work 11 hours/ day?
It feels unethical and even immoral
In Germany, it's illegal. As in against the law. The relevant sections are "Arbeitszeitgesetz (ArbZG)"
§3: Die werktägliche Arbeitszeit der Arbeitnehmer darf ...
- 127k
150
votes
Accepted
Boss hasn't transferred my salary yet. How to approach the situation?
Just start with whatever you use for general informal communications with your boss (instant messaging, text messaging, whatever) and just say:
Hi Boss. My August salary doesn't seem to have made ...
- 101k
126
votes
How can I make a company I co-founded a better place to be or cleanly move onto something else?
Find a new job, submit your two weeks notice and leave. This doesn't sound like a valuable company so your shares are almost certainly worthless. You're probably shielded by the corporate veil if this ...
- 8,984
119
votes
Colleague I "hired" watching football - am I responsible?
Is it even the problem?
I frequently watch nature documentaries while working. Yes, I miss most of it, but while my code is building I can learn something about dolphins.
I suppose it depends on the ...
- 47.3k
118
votes
Is it ok to accept the proposal to work from home?
Is it ok to accept the proposal to work from home?
It sounds like the CEO trusts you, and is offering up the work from home arrangement as a token of that trust and to perhaps help with the small ...
- 84.6k
116
votes
How to answer "Are you interviewing anywhere else?" during an interview
Are there any general DOs and DONTs for this kind of question?
DO say "yes", because it's the truth, because it conveys the impression that you in demand, and because it creates a sense of urgency ...
- 368k
116
votes
A major investor asked me (the software lead) whether the board should fire my boss (the Co-Founder and CTO). What should I do?
You don't know how your opinion will be portrayed. So, you are right so far, do not pass a direct judgement/opinion. Instead, stick to the facts. Instead of talking about someone in particular (...
- 67.2k
112
votes
Accepted
Company does not understand what the “bus factor” is and continues to give me more and more responsibilities
You have done the number one thing that you can do to help the company: call it to their attention and give them the chance to get in front of this. They have decided not to take any action, with the ...
- 11.9k
109
votes
Managing startup, how to control stress levels?
There is only one way to mitigate the "under-sleep" problem: allow your employees to have a healthy life, and to separate the job life from the private life.
Other than that, you need ...
- 26.2k
108
votes
Accepted
Would I be wrong to leave the start-up I’m working for with one month’s notice?
Did I do something wrong if I decide to leave the company?
Of course not.
You are a C-level executive in this company, not an indentured servant. You have every right to try and find a company that ...
- 368k
108
votes
Is it unusual for an employee to be denied knowledge of where the company's funding comes from?
For the sake of simplicity, I am going to write my response as if you were the engineer in question.
Usually, you ask these kinds of questions before you join a startup, not after. And yes, the type ...
- 55.7k
102
votes
Would opting out of catered lunch be taken poorly?
But - I'm wondering, will this harm me at the company, and how can I determine that during the interview, as I'd imagine this might vary a bit between companies?
I’m pretty sure it won’t harm you at ...
- 839
99
votes
Is it ok to accept the proposal to work from home?
Take the offer for its face value and enjoy not having to listen to another traffic report.
As a business owner, I changed our policies and had everyone go work from home. I made this decision after ...
- 23.3k
86
votes
How to retract an idea already pitched to an employer?
You can't retract work done while being employed at X. Your pitched ideas, I assume under your current laws, are part of this work.
That being said, talk to a lawyer. If the law says you own 100% of ...
80
votes
My employer wants me to do a work of 6 months in just 2 months
You are not the owner. You get paid a salary, and you work for that salary. If the owner wants you to work more, he needs to pay overtime.
You can tell him that it will take longer. Then you come to ...
- 164k
79
votes
HR trying to sabotage my wife's work because we're married
It sounds like you already used your position to give someone you're married to a position at the company she may not have gotten otherwise, and now HR wants to make sure you two are physically ...
- 2,467
79
votes
Does my workplace lack guidance or is it my lack of skills?
I lack the appropriate skills?
or
Is it a lack of guidance on the part of the company?
Both.
You lack the required skills for the assignment (not your fault, but it's true). You cannot certainly ...
- 67.2k
78
votes
Accepted
Boss about to scold and demand more of me
First, wait to see what Bob does.
If he gives you a hard time, take this directly to Alice and let her know what is going on.
If Bob scolds you about what's going on, explain your situation and ...
- 158k
76
votes
Would I be wrong to leave the start-up I’m working for with one month’s notice?
A toxic environment is not going to get better, especially since owner seems to be at the center of the company's climate.
When the situation is bad and you've taken steps to improve it, at some ...
- 3,485
76
votes
A major investor asked me (the software lead) whether the board should fire my boss (the Co-Founder and CTO). What should I do?
You mentioned that she performs well in sales and as the face of the company. At the same time she is not the right person (anymore!) for development.
So the company has a high profile employee that ...
- 7,428
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