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Comment by dfxm12 | Hacker News Reader

My big company just throws more and more work at fewer and fewer people. Our managers are quiet quitting as we're mostly told to just figure it out for ourselves. I've asked for more money due to having more responsibilities, but the answer is "we can't have that conversation now". I suspect I'll get the same answer in a few months. Hey, the stock is up though.

Talking to friends in other places, and reading the article, it isn't really different elsewhere. Given the disarray the US government is in & their refusal to give us benefits we've already paid for, employers know they have all the power at this time.

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They may have all the power, but all of this shows is they have no idea how to wield it. The job market is horribly broken, there are inefficiencies everywhere, and their hedging/procrastination on what to do with hiring and growth is tanking the economy (and their customers ability to purchase their products).

If their goal is reducing wages through layoffs/attrition and lowballing new hires, they aren't going to get it without triggering a recession or worse.

Companies don't care about triggering a recession. They care about profits and stock price (If they're publicly traded).

there's a vast oversupply of labor so employers can take their pick and treat employees however they will. that doesn't mean the job market is broken.

> ...more and more work at fewer and fewer people.

Many people around me want to leave tech because of this. I'm considering it too, but unfortunately, I have no other skills outside of IT. I guess I would need to get re-qualified. These days, I think it's better to be in healthcare than IT.

> These days, I think it's better to be in healthcare than IT.

Meh, nurse pay seemed alright till I learned how much they’re worked. Maybe physicians get a pretty good deal, but the reasons for that are also why you won’t be able to transition to that career.

Physicians have to work residency, which SUCKS. It is quite common for an advanced postgrad resident (neurosurgery, heart surgery, other specialties) to be paid less than a CRNA.

Why not simply quietly refuse to jump on that train? Maintain velocity, keep working as per your contract, not a second more. Don't pick up phones outside work hours, weekends are for yourself, recharging and family. You know, humane working conditions, the only setup sustainable long term without risking permanent (both mental and physical) health damage.

No amount of money is worth that, despite many otherwise brilliant people get into tunnel vision (mortgage, some investment, chasing some top performer image or whatever else) and then SHTF.

Maybe its my European perspective, maybe I am old enough to realize its just a job and life satisfaction and legacy is defined by very different things, maybe I don't give a fuck anymore. Maybe all of it.

Maybe it is possible when you have a sane social safety net. If I don't work and I get sick, I will not be able to afford treatment. If I need a loan for a new car (might be necessary to find a new job) or home repairs, and they see I'm not working. I will not be approved.

The US is systemically anti worker.

You write a new car, you write home repairs. I've never bought a new car, despite it being always an affordable option - they are simply too expensive, literally throwing money into fire. If you are a home owner, it means you are at least moderately wealthy, probably more.

If you ended up as a prisoner in some sort of golden cage, your own choices brought you there. Probably too late for you but a cautionary tale for others - dont go down that path unless you grok what it really means, its a decision for rest of life.

Also I never said don't work. Just dont be a prisoner of your company, with your rationale you already gave up the fight for yourself and ended up as a modern slave to... ability to afford health care treatment?

Maybe start some good sports, eat healthy and sleep well and healthcare costs will most probably not be your major concern till retirement.

Tech companies need engineers to create the products, and as long as people like yourself are knowingly and willingly tolerating those environments, they'll continue.

I left tech for this reason.

Employers don't have all the power, employees do because they can quit and work for a competitor. All businesses must compete for employees.

That’s only true when there’s jobs available for the employees to move to.

No, this isn't true and it's especially not true when, as I mentioned, so many benefits are tied to employment.

Employers only have that power as a group. Any individual employer cannot kill any benefits if you change, or even have the option to change employer.

Really it's the government pushing very hard to force people to accept jobs.

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