Feeling Even Better About Leaving

an update on my saga:

My company (the one I'm leaving) has about 15 extremely bad reviews on a local job-rating site. In fact, we're the worst-reviewed of any local company. Many companies get one review of "1" (worst); none have as many reviews as we do while being rated anywhere nearly as poor.  The guy who runs the site had to talk to somebody here that he happened to know personally to verify that the comments were accurate and not some sort of smear campaign (and both were verified).

Anyways, a month or two ago, somebody emailed a board member a link; and our executives dealt with it by denying that any problems exist.

Now, apparently, potential investors are finding the site as well. Our CEO responded by yelling (overheard): "I'm not going to lose my funding because my two most negative employees feel the need to write a bunch of shit on some web site". In other conversations, he's said that he believes those same two people (me and the other senior guy) wrote _all_ of the reviews.

As a matter of fact, we wrote exactly one review each - and we weren't the first or even the third or fourth. The site was sent to all current and former employees after a bad round of ill-done firings.

Unfortunately, it appears that this latest thing (the investors asking the CEO about the site) is partly responsible for the pressure on the other senior guy here, for which I feel bad (but of course, he found the site before most of the rest of us did - and he didn't tell us about it; we found it on our own).

So, this CEO will never lose a ton of money for being a dick, but at least he apparently is going to have a bit more trouble getting even more obscenely rich. This makes me feel happy.

http://austinjobhunt.com/ajh/employer.jsp?id=637

(if curious, my review was the earliest on 12/16/03 beginning with the words "Very unprofessional").

MD
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Well MD, as much as I love following all the drama, I've gotta admit that you've really gone and done it now. Three or is it four threads and now this. I'd say it's it only dismissal with cause it your future but you might get hit with a pesky lawsuit as well.

Not that they didn't have it coming. But you might consider showing a bit of restraint, or at least have the decency to wait until you are dismissed before starting in at this level.

Observer
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

I gave my notice already.

MD
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Observer, I would say it's the employer who's at risk of a lawsuit.

In a democracy, people are allowed to complain about their employer, their co-worker, their neighbour, their politician. If the dickhead money bags who wants to be rich doesn't like it, stiff for him.

It's also a law in democracies that workers have certain rights.

Must be a Manager
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

"The CFO once sent out an email discussing whether or not employees should track the time they spend in the bathroom. "

OMFG.  PLease, *please* tell me this is just a joke.  You only hear of things like that in urban legands and chain eMails.

Norrick
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Norrick,

Rich people tend to be some of the dumbest f*cks you will ever meet. They stay rich by doing at least one very smart thing which is hiring expensive professionals to manage their money.

 
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

I agree that an employer's lawsuit would be pointless, but based on what he has said, I think it's the sort of thing his employer will do justs to intimidate him and make his life miserable. One big problem here is that the OP has given enough information to identify himself.

Observer
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

austinjobhunt.com is a seriously cool site.  Talk about leveling the playing field.  Every city needs one of those.

Dan Brown
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

"The CFO once sent out an email discussing whether or not employees should track the time they spend in the bathroom. "

I wouldn't mind doing this if I could include a detailed play-by-play.

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

I worked for a US government agency that wanted people to choose a code from a list of activities and keep a log.  One of those activities was "bathroom."

The idea, I was told, was to see what people were working on, followed by a bunch of explanation of "allocation of human resources" and other bullshit.

The best part came when I, the statistician, was asked if there was a statistical method for determining who was in the bathroom too much.

I knew then it was time to look for another job.

Gary
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

MD, why didn't you post your name on this message board? Why "Anonymous"?

Unless I'm missing something, the only unprofessional behaviour I see here is yours. Who complains about stock options AFTER they've been hired?

If they're treating you badly, quit. If they're treating you in an illegal manner, quit, or take them to court.

What did you possibly hope to gain?

NC
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

NC,

The whole point of the thing is to recommend (or warn away) companies to other job-seekers; and the most useful input is therefore from people who are currently working there (as was the case with me when I made my review as well as 1/2 to 2/3 of the other reviews; the remainder being from people who had quit or been fired).

Saying that one should put their name next to comments like this is to be the most idiotic sort of naive. Our marketplace does not function as the perfect economic utopia that some of the cyberlibertarians like to believe; in fact, almost all of the power in the employer-employee relationship rests with the former.

MD
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

NC,

Oh, forgot: the stock option thing - we were misled about the total number of options/shares which were out there; and then were promised(1) the situation would be remedied. And since at the time, everybody hired was coming off unemployment, there was also the "well, right now all you have to do is beat the check from the unemployment office" angle(2).

(1 - yes, I know, and no, I didn't trust that it would be done; just reporting the facts)

(2 - myself and other senior employees warned the executives of the folly of treating employees poorly just because they were able to at that time - hence the warm-seat attrition and rapid turnover recently).

MD
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Glad to see another Austin person on here MD. 

Congrats on the new job.

Joe Blandy
Wednesday, February 18, 2004

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