2,444 karma · joined November 30, 2010
I was laid off from Intel in early 2023. As far as lay offs go, it was handled as well as can be expected during those times. I left with my dignity intact and I would jump at an opportunity to work there again.
Everything has been commodified.
And Apple just piled on.
That same kid also got to watch Pete Townsend (and others) get superstar status, while breaking instruments during a performance. It was heartbreaking to me that he didn't just donate those instruments to disadvantaged kids and still bothers me today.
So, while I understand the intention of the ad, when you couple that, with Apple products being too pricey for a lot of people, yeah, it bothered me.
Additionally, are the costs of Visual Studio over Rider. My work pays for my Visual Studio Subscription, which does not allow for personal use. The JetBrains Ultimate sub is affordable for me, but this AI integration has me rethinking this.
But to me, it always looked like it was designed by Fisher Price.
Sure, you can view your Dataverse database in SSMS, but it's read only and you get no autocomplete.
And don't even get me started on XRM Toolbox.
My desire to maliciously comply with your company's policy would have me stating things like, "I have this red, oozing puss on my ass cheeks and would like a day off," or, "My balls are really itchy and red and it's spread to my fingers."
The article quotes a few people. One of the quotes is, "The accounting team is not happy with me providing this time off, because it’s a liability for the company". Another quote is equating not taking sick days to having a "work ethic".
Read the article. Companies just want to company.
This is why it still boggles my mind that companies with antiquated RTO policies aren't embracing remote when they can. There are many days I'm not feeling great enough to get dressed up and drive a couple of hours into an office, but I can get up, put on my shorts and a t-shirt, and sit down in my home office and work.
The guy's story about never taking a sick day and falling asleep at his computer while on meds, only to eventually get fired, would be a huge wakeup call. It's just not worth it to give that much of yourself to a job.
Don't you think that over a 30 year tech career that I've touched and used many different products and technologies?
Every company and every vendor has strengths and weaknesses. Laughing in someone’s face for choosing to use one platform is ridiculous at best.
My entire almost 30 year career has been Microsoft centered, except for brief stints with Novell, mainframes, and OS/2.
And based on my anecdotal evidence over many companies and many years, Microsoft has been pretty solid.
Also when we lived in the same city, we would meet in physical locations for a beer and a burger.
Now that I don't even live in the same state, we make plans to fly to each other's cities and get together. We'll also carry over convos to Slack or Telegram and phone calls.
None of the other things you mention (bonding, siloes, etc.) happen because a worker is remote. They happen because companies treat remote workers the same as in office workers, without putting in any effort to become a remote first company.
Having lived in PDX and commuting there, what would sometimes take me a 30 min drive early in the morning, would be a 2-3 hour drive coming home. Absolutely absurd and guess who it was costing? Certainly not my employer for sitting in traffic for 2-3.5 hours each day...
I cannot even begin to tell you how much my work/life balance has evened out since I stopped having to be in an office. Additionally, I get far more hours of singular concentration at home versus an office.
But it doesn't surprise me that companies who are forcing people into the office are having a hard time recruiting. If Covid showed us anything, it was that we could all work from home and be just as productive, if not more so, doing it.
IMHO, forcing me into an office is actually a punishment. Why punish me for the high cost of your real estate?
As someone who has a growth mindset I can assure you that in corporations like Microsoft or Intel (I worked at the latter), one's own personal growth is not only fostered, but highly encouraged.
Corporate life ain't for everyone and I get that. As a 56 year-old being squeezed out of the marketplace due to ageism, some of us aren't just after the highest pay or the most prestige at our jobs.