Every time I left a company it was because of the pay and promotion structure and not because of my coworkers or direct bosses.
Right now I am considering leaving because the deadlines get squeezed more and more. This also comes from way up management and not from anyone I interact with directly.
Yeah, 100% this. While quite a few people do indeed leave companies because the boss is terrible or they hate the working environment there, a lot of the time it's simply because opportunities for advancement or making more money are limited in said company. A tiny startup or lifestyle business can't exactly pay FAANG level salaries, and there's not much room for a promotion if the company has less than 30 or so employees.
And if their situation changes outside of work, then finding a better paying job can be a necessity regardless of how much they enjoy their current one.
A lot of managers are either spineless (afraid of arguing with people higher up in the food chain) or two-faced (overpromising to management because if they deliver it will look good, while simultaneously telling reports that they tried their best at reducing the workload)
Most middle managers don’t have much power. If your CEO gets it into his head that a project needs to be delivered at a certain date you can push back but what can you do if nobody listens?
During bad times it’s awful, during good times it’s “only a matter of time”.
I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless. So far I have tried “pretending to not care what happens to me and my career” and “fantasizing unrealistically about freelancing”
I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless.
Try to leave at a time of your choosing. Try to set some parameters or goals for how/when to do that, such as paying down debt, having a savings cushion or lining up another job.
In tech, there’s also lots of outside of work professional opportunities, too. Obtaining certifications helped me feel more secure in a previous, awful work experience. I also did a number of home projects that I could add to the resume.
Also, I’d tell anyone in a tough work environment to ensure they're keeping their mental and physical health up. I needed PT from all the muscle strains the one place gave me, for instance.
I also drank roasted cacao daily for a good theobromine and caffeine kick! It really did help me feel like “it’ll all be ok” during the worst of it.
As long as you don't overdo it, caffeine can help provide some oomph for the adrenals during short-term stress. When paired with the right nutritional support, such as better quality salt, real licorice and coconut oil, it's sustainable for fairly long periods and makes a real difference in your ability to rise to the occasion.
Comments
Every time I left a company it was because of the pay and promotion structure and not because of my coworkers or direct bosses.
Right now I am considering leaving because the deadlines get squeezed more and more. This also comes from way up management and not from anyone I interact with directly.
Yeah, 100% this. While quite a few people do indeed leave companies because the boss is terrible or they hate the working environment there, a lot of the time it's simply because opportunities for advancement or making more money are limited in said company. A tiny startup or lifestyle business can't exactly pay FAANG level salaries, and there's not much room for a promotion if the company has less than 30 or so employees.
And if their situation changes outside of work, then finding a better paying job can be a necessity regardless of how much they enjoy their current one.
Why doesn’t your management push back?
A lot of managers are either spineless (afraid of arguing with people higher up in the food chain) or two-faced (overpromising to management because if they deliver it will look good, while simultaneously telling reports that they tried their best at reducing the workload)
Most middle managers don’t have much power. If your CEO gets it into his head that a project needs to be delivered at a certain date you can push back but what can you do if nobody listens?
Dates are only one lever, there are three others:
Cut scope
Increase resources
Decrease quality
Shit runs downhill.
The reality is that if the people up top have abusive practices, no one below them can fix it. They cave to keep their paycheck or they leave.
Thanks for putting this into words.
During bad times it’s awful, during good times it’s “only a matter of time”.
I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless. So far I have tried “pretending to not care what happens to me and my career” and “fantasizing unrealistically about freelancing”
I wish I knew how I could avoid feeling so helpless.
Try to leave at a time of your choosing. Try to set some parameters or goals for how/when to do that, such as paying down debt, having a savings cushion or lining up another job.
Control some piece of it to some degree.
In tech, there’s also lots of outside of work professional opportunities, too. Obtaining certifications helped me feel more secure in a previous, awful work experience. I also did a number of home projects that I could add to the resume.
Also, I’d tell anyone in a tough work environment to ensure they're keeping their mental and physical health up. I needed PT from all the muscle strains the one place gave me, for instance.
I also drank roasted cacao daily for a good theobromine and caffeine kick! It really did help me feel like “it’ll all be ok” during the worst of it.
As long as you don't overdo it, caffeine can help provide some oomph for the adrenals during short-term stress. When paired with the right nutritional support, such as better quality salt, real licorice and coconut oil, it's sustainable for fairly long periods and makes a real difference in your ability to rise to the occasion.
And from a pure business/money point of view it may make sense to burn people out.
I concur with this. I am in the same boat with my current company.