this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023
296 points (95.4% liked)

Technology

58157 readers
3744 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Meta is bolstering perks like happy hours and company swag as it pushes staff to return to office, despite its 'year of efficiency'::The company has revived a number of employee perks, according to Bloomberg, including branded t-shirts, laundry services, and free haircuts.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Lemmylaugh@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Alright lemmings reality check time. Would you take a job offer from meta if it was in your field and the pay was good?

[–] EnglishMobster@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Benefits matter, too.

I'm in the AAA gaming industry. EA laid me off earlier this year, and so I wound up looking for work elsewhere.

I've learned that really - the pay doesn't matter if you hate your life every day. If I wanted good pay, I would learn COBOL and write software at a bank. What matters the most is the quality of the team you're working with (primary), and what benefits your employer has (secondary).

If Meta were to call me up and say "Hey, we want you to be on a team with the greatest coworkers you've ever had," then I'd at least hear them out. What is their culture? Do they believe in crunch? How do they handle sick days? Vacations?

And yes, WFH is part of that, too. But if they were willing to pay to relocate me, buy me a house near a metro station... yeah, I'd take it.

But if they were to offer me that exact same deal - except there's no guarantees about production schedules/timelines, there's the "bus problem" (where the project couldn't survive someone important being hit by a bus), there's a lot of crunch (or just bad experiences from friends who've worked there... Blizzard offered me a sweetheart deal and I said no because of that history)... I'm less likely to want to bite.

And everyone has different preferences. I've known some people who love the office. I don't mind it myself, with the right group. But everyone has to make their own call.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Metro station... oh you sweet summer child. You know what public transit is available near the Meta campus? Maybe, and I mean maybe, a bus stop to get on the homeless express across the bay.

[–] EnglishMobster@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I'm a little sad. My last studio was literally next to a Gold Line station here in Los Angeles. I could bike to the Gold Line and make it to work, and the Gold Line ran frequently and late.

My current job is a mile away from a Metrolink station. On the one hand - at least there's a nearby station! On the other hand - the Metrolink trains are running the wrong direction for me, I'd need to make a connection at LA Union Station, and the latest one that goes the direction I need it to go (while still allowing me to make my connection) leaves at 5 (which is still considered core working hours for me).

The schedule is like... impressively bad. I'd use it if they ran it later, but they don't seem to think anyone could possibly be headed in any other direction other than "towards LA" in the morning and "away from LA" at night.

[–] June@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That’s a pretty privileged position to be in. Not everyone can say no to a job because the quality of the team isn’t to par because they are more interested in keeping food on the table than being happy at work.

[–] Shush@reddthat.com 5 points 1 year ago

I don't think the discussion is choosing between not working AT ALL and working there.

It is more about would you work at a good place that has good people and decent pay, or Meta.

[–] gian@lemmy.grys.it 10 points 1 year ago

Nope. Professionals have standards 😂

Seriously, Meta is for me in a very short list of companies where I would not work under any circustances, so the pay could be as good as you want but is a no.

[–] archomrade@midwest.social 9 points 1 year ago

I've built my life around working from home now, if that's not a part of the offer then it's a non-starter

[–] llama@midwest.social 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Maybe but they'd probably just sunset the project anyway and in ten years it will look more like a stain on my resume than a badge. Plus traffic on Willow Road is a no for me dawg.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Fr. It was so nice during the pandemic when I could actually get onto that stretch of 101/84 with no traffic.

[–] guacupado@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I did and still am.

Happy hours never went away. Swag also never went away. I don't know if the writer here actually knows anyone or just overheard someone talking about that stuff and assumed it was new.

Covid did reduce the amount of stuff being bought. Freezer went away so ice cream went away. Less alcohol in the game rooms (though no shortage during happy hours), custodial stopped working on weekends (not too many people here anyway, just don't leave food in your trash bin anymore). They cut a "health" allowance from 3k to 2k =(

Anyway, it's easily the best decision I've ever made. I make twice my city's median household income. The push for RTO blows (I'm convinced Lori/HR need to justify their existence). At first it was 3 days, now we just got told two specific days (happy hour days are going to rotate, RIP). There's even a whole HRIS system in place for compliance tracking and all kinds of other wasted money/man hours that went into this. Makes no sense. They keep reference "the data" and "studies" but aren't showing us what they're saying. Nevermind that the C suite all got Exceeds Expectations after having to fire dozens of thousands of people (we still believe executive performance = company performance).

Things are coming back since our stock is back to starting with a 3. The only thing that pissed me off was how many laid off people's positions were re-filled like 6 months later. It's like the layoffs were just to get dilute the blood in the water that investors were looking for and hearing about a bunch of layoffs make rich people happy. Other than that, my team is amazing, my manager is awesome, work schedule is extremely flexible (single with 2 kids, I don't know how I'd manage at any of my previous places I've worked). There's the usual "cost saving" bullshit (although, there are honestly a LOT of areas that have been streamlined without any real detrimental effect, so kudos to that) but honestly that's not Meta-specific. Meta just makes the news because it serves 1/3 of the planet.

Also, we make fun of Reality Labs for not being profitable and we don't give a shit about Threads because it was made in a few months by a few people. Twitter isn't really that hard to emulate.

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Reality Labs

I don't even know what that is.

Threads

I forgot that existed until you reminded me.

Facebook is Facebook. All these social media companies will be passe in 10 years and gone in 20 anyway.

[–] regbin_@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

If it's fully remote, yes.

[–] Powerpoint@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

No. Remote is better for the company and for me. There's tons of better opportunities.

[–] Someonelol@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Recruiters keep asking me to apply and I must've told them to pound sand about 3 times in the past 2 years.

[–] nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago

Negatory. There's more to life than money and I have too many ethical conflicts with how they've operated. They do have some fun tech though.

[–] gareins@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

In my country... yes. If I get over the 3month (max allowed) testing period, then they almost cant fire me, so i'll happy take those monies just for showing up. Of course, they dont have offices here :)

[–] cjsolx@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

It's just a job, of course I would. I feel like I dislike most companies anyways, including the one I work for so it wouldn't change much.

[–] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I'd apply the same standards as any other offer