Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice
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@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
In many if not most job descriptions in the US, it includes "additional duties as assigned." So yes, that means they can ask - and require - you to clean toilets... is that somehow beneath you?
Yes it is, if that is not in my job description. I've done my bit of menial labour when I had to, but I didn't study and build a career in IT to do things that are not my direct responsibility.
That's why the US is more able to respond to changes. We can hire people to do anything. I hire you to work on Windows today, but we change to Linux, you can't refuse to work on that, instead. You are free to quit, to demand different money, whatever.
It's insane to think that changes in company need can't be reflected in the existing staff, that makes the staff dramatically less valuable.
Great point - so... in that situation what happens in Europe?
Today we have 5 IT people all supporting Windows. The company decides to switch to Linux. Does this mean that those 5 IT people are all fired? I mean the company is going to Linux, so they aren't really 'redundant', so what's it called?
Yes, in the UK that's called redundant. They don't use the dictionary definition, they use it to sound better than "unneeded", but it's poor English.
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@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Sue him for WHAT? He's allowed to quite ANY TIME. There is NOTHING to sue him over.
He was in the middle of a project, and his leaving made the company drop the project and lose millions due to missed deadlines and suing customers. Seen that happen, actually.
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@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
That's why the US is more able to respond to changes. We can hire people to do anything. I hire you to work on Windows today, but we change to Linux, you can't refuse to work on that, instead. You are free to quit, to demand different money, whatever.
You are hired to do IT work, the tech isn't usually mentioned. But in my experience, if a manager suddenly asks you to become a truck driver for the company, you can refuse. If he's not happy with that, he can fire you, and pay the lawful compensation.
Right, same here. You can ALWAYS refuse, even to do the work you were hired to do. I think you are trying to apply logical US laws piece by piece in a system that isn't "at will" and what you are actually seeing is the insanity of not being an at will employee. You can get sued for everything. But in the US you can quit anytime, for any reason. Period. So you always have more protection than you have.
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@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Sue him for WHAT? He's allowed to quite ANY TIME. There is NOTHING to sue him over.
He was in the middle of a project, and his leaving made the company drop the project and lose millions due to missed deadlines and suing customers. Seen that happen, actually.
Sure, but that's the company's fault for not having been properly staff. There is still NOTHING to sue him over, he's done literally nothing wrong.
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But the company did something wrong by having a key man risk and not dealing with it properly. So if there is someone to sue, it would be his boss for allowing that dangerous risk to exist.
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@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Ha, I was not. Way too expensive to be doing that stuff. But I could have been, and it would have been completely reasonable. If it would not have taken the core team away from production work.
I know CEOs that take out the trash. The "it's not my job" mentality is what makes other countries sound like bad unions. People think that they are better than the executives, and every else's job is beneath them.
Interesting. So a CEO calls you into his office, and tells you to wash the floor there. You'll simply do it, right?
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@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
If a company I work for as a sysadmin suddenly decides I have to also be an accountant, I should be able to refuse, and if that leads to a termination, I should be compensated for the company's flimsiness, and not just get thrown out to the street
WHY should you be compensated? that makes no logical sense. You think that companies should not be free to adjust to changing business conditions. that's how US companies stay ahead.
You are just explaining to us why the US makes more money. The US has a lot bad going for it, but you are making it really clear how much basic day to day stuff we get really, really right.
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@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Ha, I was not. Way too expensive to be doing that stuff. But I could have been, and it would have been completely reasonable. If it would not have taken the core team away from production work.
I know CEOs that take out the trash. The "it's not my job" mentality is what makes other countries sound like bad unions. People think that they are better than the executives, and every else's job is beneath them.
Interesting. So a CEO calls you into his office, and tells you to wash the floor there. You'll simply do it, right?
100% no question, yes. Unless I want to quit. Paying me IT executive salary to do a zero stress floor washing job? Score. That sounds great. What kind of idiot would be upset with that?
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@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Sure, but that's the company's fault for not having been properly staff. There is still NOTHING to sue him over, he's done literally nothing wrong.
Well, his actions caused significant damage to the company. Obviously, there is rarely any point in pursuing such a claim because of the deeper pocket principle, but the fact that his direct actions caused damages remains.
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Remember, in the US, "all" jobs are there to "support the business". It's that simple. Our job isn't to be a robot doing one task, that's for robots or minimum wage factory workers who can't learn skills to do. Anyone paid to be a real human with any skills at all's benefit is in being able to adjust to changes in the environment. That's our value. That's our job.
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@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Sure, but that's the company's fault for not having been properly staff. There is still NOTHING to sue him over, he's done literally nothing wrong.
Well, his actions caused significant damage to the company. Obviously, there is rarely any point in pursuing such a claim because of the deeper pocket principle, but the fact that his direct actions caused damages remains.
No, HIS actions did not. The damage came from them not being prepared. Not his fault. What if he had been hit by a bus, would the company have sued his widow?
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@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
WHY should you be compensated? that makes no logical sense. You think that companies should not be free to adjust to changing business conditions. that's how US companies stay ahead.
You are just explaining to us why the US makes more money. The US has a lot bad going for it, but you are making it really clear how much basic day to day stuff we get really, really right.
LOL, ok, you're entitled to your own opinions
I'll simply disagree. -
@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
That's why the US is more able to respond to changes. We can hire people to do anything. I hire you to work on Windows today, but we change to Linux, you can't refuse to work on that, instead. You are free to quit, to demand different money, whatever.
You are hired to do IT work, the tech isn't usually mentioned. But in my experience, if a manager suddenly asks you to become a truck driver for the company, you can refuse. If he's not happy with that, he can fire you, and pay the lawful compensation.
Oh - well that's the same in the US then... but there is zero compensation when you're fired. zero. the job changed - now... with that change, they can also try to change the salary - at which point that basically means you're going through a job interview process again... you choose to take it not. If you choose not to take it, then you're quitting. Just that simple.
It's insane to think that changes in company need can't be reflected in the existing staff, that makes the staff dramatically less valuable.
If a company I work for as a sysadmin suddenly decides I have to also be an accountant, I should be able to refuse, and if that leads to a termination, I should be compensated for the company's flimsiness, and not just get thrown out to the street
Flimsiness? what? The company is changing, what makes that flimsy? If anything - you should be happy they didn't just fire you directly. instead they liked you enough to offer you another job to keep you at the company. now if you don't like that job - fine, don't take it, but then you've quit. I suppose one could look at it like this - the company forced you into the new job duties - you refused to do them, so they fired you... I have no idea how that would play out in court.
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@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
In many if not most job descriptions in the US, it includes "additional duties as assigned." So yes, that means they can ask - and require - you to clean toilets... is that somehow beneath you?
Yes it is, if that is not in my job description. I've done my bit of menial labour when I had to, but I didn't study and build a career in IT to do things that are not my direct responsibility.
That's why the US is more able to respond to changes. We can hire people to do anything. I hire you to work on Windows today, but we change to Linux, you can't refuse to work on that, instead. You are free to quit, to demand different money, whatever.
It's insane to think that changes in company need can't be reflected in the existing staff, that makes the staff dramatically less valuable.
Great point - so... in that situation what happens in Europe?
Today we have 5 IT people all supporting Windows. The company decides to switch to Linux. Does this mean that those 5 IT people are all fired? I mean the company is going to Linux, so they aren't really 'redundant', so what's it called?
Yes, in the UK that's called redundant. They don't use the dictionary definition, they use it to sound better than "unneeded", but it's poor English.
Ok thanks.
and wow - so they have to pay to get rid of employees they no longer need. Socialism at it's best!
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@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
WHY should you be compensated? that makes no logical sense. You think that companies should not be free to adjust to changing business conditions. that's how US companies stay ahead.
You are just explaining to us why the US makes more money. The US has a lot bad going for it, but you are making it really clear how much basic day to day stuff we get really, really right.
LOL, ok, you're entitled to your own opinions
I'll simply disagree.The US has a Per Capita GDP of $60K. Canada has a per capita GDP of $48K. Cost of living is higher in Canada.
You've done a great job of explaining to us why the US is like this. Often Americans don't understand why we tend to be so rich and have so many job opportunities. But this is an area that really, really explains it. Why we don't fear loss of work like other countries.
Don't get me wrong, I prefer living most anywhere else and I'll take the lower incomes, there are far more important things than money. But when it comes to "why US companies thrive" in, this really shows the dramatic different between sensible, flexible, logical business laws that protect both parties, and draconian insanity that makes everyone poorer without benefiting anyone.
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@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
In many if not most job descriptions in the US, it includes "additional duties as assigned." So yes, that means they can ask - and require - you to clean toilets... is that somehow beneath you?
Yes it is, if that is not in my job description. I've done my bit of menial labour when I had to, but I didn't study and build a career in IT to do things that are not my direct responsibility.
That's why the US is more able to respond to changes. We can hire people to do anything. I hire you to work on Windows today, but we change to Linux, you can't refuse to work on that, instead. You are free to quit, to demand different money, whatever.
It's insane to think that changes in company need can't be reflected in the existing staff, that makes the staff dramatically less valuable.
Great point - so... in that situation what happens in Europe?
Today we have 5 IT people all supporting Windows. The company decides to switch to Linux. Does this mean that those 5 IT people are all fired? I mean the company is going to Linux, so they aren't really 'redundant', so what's it called?
Yes, in the UK that's called redundant. They don't use the dictionary definition, they use it to sound better than "unneeded", but it's poor English.
Ok thanks.
and wow - so they have to pay to get rid of employees they no longer need. Socialism at it's best!
That's nothing to do with socialism.
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@Dashrender said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Flimsiness? what? The company is changing, what makes that flimsy?
Yeah, healthy companies adapt to change. The world is a changing place, companies that aren't changing are dying.
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There is a reason that Canada is the number one place we never want to hire (or do business.) We actively don't do business in Canada, as nice of a place as it is, because it's legal system is so terrible and everything is so costly.
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@scottalanmiller I can relate to that. Sometimes I'm asked to go move or set up a printer to make someone feel like they were getting attention, instead of just sending an intern to do it. It is refreshing because then I get to go walk around a bit, say hi to people, have zero stress, and a break from more complicated issues. So I really don't mind it either.
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@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@dyasny said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
@scottalanmiller said in Never Give More than Two Weeks Notice:
Ha, I was not. Way too expensive to be doing that stuff. But I could have been, and it would have been completely reasonable. If it would not have taken the core team away from production work.
I know CEOs that take out the trash. The "it's not my job" mentality is what makes other countries sound like bad unions. People think that they are better than the executives, and every else's job is beneath them.
Interesting. So a CEO calls you into his office, and tells you to wash the floor there. You'll simply do it, right?
100% no question, yes. Unless I want to quit. Paying me IT executive salary to do a zero stress floor washing job? Score. That sounds great. What kind of idiot would be upset with that?
Exactly!
