I'm actually glad to see these responses here, because I have the exact opposite feelings, and I think it highlights a huge generational disconnect.
I agree with the author. It is somewhat shocking to me that so many employees in tech feel, or at least project, that being available during normal working hours is "kinda optional". And to be clear, I'm not talking about someone that has a real emergency. But to have the expectation that one should be available between 9-5ish is somehow considered "toxic" is just baffling to me. I'd also highlight that many professions, e.g. those that have shift work, are nowhere near as lax.
He's not arguing for a regular 9-5 Mon-Fri, he's arguing against weekends and personal days. He expected "personal sacrifice" on the part of employees and was frustrated that Google didn't. That's not a generational mindset, it's a modern startup mindset that was out of place in an established company like Google.
Here's the full quote:
> Having trouble scheduling meetings because “it's the new Yoga instructor lesson I cannot miss” or “I’m taking a personal day” drove me crazy. The worst thing is that this was inline with the policies and norms - I was the weirdo who wanted to push things fast and expected some level of personal sacrifice when needed. I don't believe long hours are a badge of honor but I also believe that we have to do whatever it takes to win, even if its on a weekend.
> I'd also highlight that many professions, e.g. those that have shift work, are nowhere near as lax.
We have two groups of people - tech workers who have a generally great working environment, and shift workers who do not. The idea that in our advanced society we should base our expectations on those who are currently doing worse is frankly absurd. Our aim should be for _everyone_ to have the work-life balance that tech workers have now.
> Our aim should be for _everyone_ to have the work-life balance that tech workers have now.
With what, a magic wand? There is the fundamental difference that, for shift work, every employee who is out needs to be replaced by someone else. And it's not just a low-skilled workers issue, for example the same dynamic exists in say doctor groups or pilots. With tech/project-based work, if someone is out it's not like someone else needs to cover for that timeslot.
But just, at a more fundamental level, basically saying "you are expected to be available for your job at particular times" is an expectation for which there is considerable disagreement between generations.
> But to have the expectation that one should be available between 9-5ish is somehow considered "toxic" is just baffling to me. I'd also highlight that many professions, e.g. those that have shift work, are nowhere near as lax.
Right, because everyone should be stuck in traffic to work at 9AM, marvellous idea.
It baffles me that it appears to be so hard for managers to just schedule meeting at 11 instead of 9
I didn't imply that it had to be in-office, so not sure where you got "everyone should be stuck in traffic".
As to "It baffles me that it appears to be so hard for managers to just schedule meeting at 11 instead of 9", this is the exact point I'm getting at. Why is it somehow hard for people to be available at 9? Having been a manager, it's much more difficult to juggle 15 different individualized schedules when you need to have a meeting with a couple people.
I agree with the author. It is somewhat shocking to me that so many employees in tech feel, or at least project, that being available during normal working hours is "kinda optional". And to be clear, I'm not talking about someone that has a real emergency. But to have the expectation that one should be available between 9-5ish is somehow considered "toxic" is just baffling to me. I'd also highlight that many professions, e.g. those that have shift work, are nowhere near as lax.