mccI like my Linux laptop that crashes once or twice a day. I like my Mastodon account where you can't really talk to anyone about anything but webdev or Rust. I like my Lenovo tablet that sometimes switches into Japanese for no reason. I like my Steam Deck that needs unique settings fiddling per game. I'm willing to put up with some friction & frustration from my computers & software. But what I can't ~abide~, and will twist my life into pretzels to avoid from my computers & software, is *malice*.
Do I feel like this computer is mine, or The Company's? Do I feel like The Company is trying to manipulate me? Do I feel like The Company feels that they own me? Does the computer feel like a sort of interloper, in my life, something that's wormed its way into my home, something I can't get rid of, something that will use this foothold someday to hurt me?
unattributed 𓂃✍︎@mcc I felt this way about the last job that I had -- they forced the installation of software on my phone that was logging my activities... This was my personal phone. I told them they could issue me a company phone if it was required -- but instead the counter was for me to leave.
@unattributed i am sorry about this
@mcc Well, I'm not there anymore, so there's that... (But the phone situation isn't the reason I left...)
Glyph@unattributed @mcc I am glad you could leave, because this kind of demand ought to be a crime on par with wage theft (and also wage theft should be prosecuted a lot more)
The Long Tail@glyph @unattributed @mcc That a company would do this tells you all you need to know about everything else wrong with the company culture.
Better out than in.
It's only a matter of time till they harm you.
Better out than in.
It's only a matter of time till they harm you.
@sleepyfox @glyph @mcc I wouldn't say that... I would say that this was a symptom of what is wrong with the work culture that we are seeing in the west, and possibly globally.
However, understand that the company was doing a lot of things right. My salary was extremely good (I would say in the top five percent for employers in my field), benefits were well above what other companies offered, and they had numerous other perks and benefits. And, in addition, they had a pretty decent work / life balance.
The problem comes down to something that is highly symptomatic of this whole digital age: where do we draw the line for an individual's privacy? IMO - they were stepping over the line in this area, but from their perspective, I can see where they didn't see it that way.
In the end, I didn't leave the company over this issue... I left the company for family issues, which lead right into the pandemic...so I never went back after.