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Ask HN: What is your biggest complaint about your job?
2 points by tomrod on May 17, 2022 | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments



Too much busywork and too many bullshit meetings.

Listen: I'm getting paid a salary, right? My understanding is that getting a salary means I'm paid to do the job whether it takes me 4 hours a week, 40, or 80. At the same time, the company has me on a "billable hours" model with utilization metrics. If I can do my work properly (with tests, documentation, etc.) in 16 hours a week I still have to find busywork or meetings related to my project to fill out the other 24 hours in the workweek -- or pick up the slack for slower workers.

The way I see it, I'm being penalized for being competent and efficient. I'm not going say "it's not fair", but the metrics and incentives are fucked. If I'm a consultant with billable hours, I should get paid for every hour I work. My hourly rate should not go down if I work more than 40 hours a week.

Hell, if I'm working more than 40 hours a week and don't get to set my own hours, then I damn well deserve time and a half for overtime.


Unfortunate timings of projects dramatically slowed down my career growth due to a lack of opportunities for me to take lead on. Every one of my peers recognizes that I'm performing at the next level, but I can't actually get promoted until I take lead on a big project.




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