Ask HN: What to do if you disapprove of a company practice?
I disagree with a all company wide policy as it seems to put me in discomfort. How can I subtly hint this to management to change or disinclude me and my team from it?
22 comments
Do you need to be comfortable with everything your company does? Without elaboration, it's hard to answer. Is it an ethical thing, is it some kind of irritant, is it a political thing you don't agree with?
I'd start by asking if it's really your hill to die on. You never like everything about an employer (same as a friend, spouse, whatever), so the question is, can you live with it, or not. And if not, do you think it is possible, or worth the energy to change, or should you just move on.
I'd start by asking if it's really your hill to die on. You never like everything about an employer (same as a friend, spouse, whatever), so the question is, can you live with it, or not. And if not, do you think it is possible, or worth the energy to change, or should you just move on.
If you reflect on it and decide that you can't let it go, try to arrange your possible actions in terms of escalating intensity. Many of the first steps have already been suggested and the exact order of gravity will depend on your organization (e.g. going to manager may be more intense than mentioning in slack, depending on org culture), but roughly:
1) Raise privately in your direct line of authority ("I am uncomfortable with...");
2) Build any possible consensus and raise publicly as a common issue ("We have noticed...");
3) Skip a level of management and raise privately ("A few of us on different teams have noticed x and I thought you would be the person to bring it to");
4) Don't comply.
Then think about which is the least intense intervention which is likely to be effective.
Try to reflect at every phase. Perhaps you decide that it's worth raising with your direct supervisor, but then not worth going any further. Also consider that order of operations matters and some actions will block you from using others later. A classic example is if you start with talking to supervisor (1), you will probably not ever be able to ignore the rule (4). Another is that starting with (3) could prevent (1), (2), and (4).
Finally, try to determine and neutralize the underlying perceived need. I used to work at a place that had a 5pm all-staff every month. At some point I decided that management would be unlikely to move the meeting to within work hours, so I tried providing a written work progress update to my supervisor and skipping the meeting (4). I didn't call out sick or make an excuse, I just said "I can't make 5pm this month, here is a progress report." It worked perfectly, so I started doing it every month. This strategy would probably have failed if I hadn't predicted the objection and solved the management concern.
1) Raise privately in your direct line of authority ("I am uncomfortable with...");
2) Build any possible consensus and raise publicly as a common issue ("We have noticed...");
3) Skip a level of management and raise privately ("A few of us on different teams have noticed x and I thought you would be the person to bring it to");
4) Don't comply.
Then think about which is the least intense intervention which is likely to be effective.
Try to reflect at every phase. Perhaps you decide that it's worth raising with your direct supervisor, but then not worth going any further. Also consider that order of operations matters and some actions will block you from using others later. A classic example is if you start with talking to supervisor (1), you will probably not ever be able to ignore the rule (4). Another is that starting with (3) could prevent (1), (2), and (4).
Finally, try to determine and neutralize the underlying perceived need. I used to work at a place that had a 5pm all-staff every month. At some point I decided that management would be unlikely to move the meeting to within work hours, so I tried providing a written work progress update to my supervisor and skipping the meeting (4). I didn't call out sick or make an excuse, I just said "I can't make 5pm this month, here is a progress report." It worked perfectly, so I started doing it every month. This strategy would probably have failed if I hadn't predicted the objection and solved the management concern.
This list of suggestions matches my experience of what works too.
Management doesn't really start to care about things until there is a large percentage of underlings who care. Raising the issue privately with calm but direct language is the best way to add yourself to the list of those concerned.
At the end of the list is indirect non-compliance, which can be way more effective than expected. Suppose you are asked to add a bad feature to the Facebook news feed sorting algorithm by your manager. There are tons of ways of writing the feature "wrong" by "misunderstanding" what they are asking for. Tons of ways to slow down the progress of releasing the features. Tons of ways of prioritizing other projects over work on the feature for months. Sure, eventually a desire to make bad product decisions can overpower everything at a company, but it's worth throwing a bit of gravel into the gears to slow down the progression towards mediocrity and unethical behavior.
Management doesn't really start to care about things until there is a large percentage of underlings who care. Raising the issue privately with calm but direct language is the best way to add yourself to the list of those concerned.
At the end of the list is indirect non-compliance, which can be way more effective than expected. Suppose you are asked to add a bad feature to the Facebook news feed sorting algorithm by your manager. There are tons of ways of writing the feature "wrong" by "misunderstanding" what they are asking for. Tons of ways to slow down the progress of releasing the features. Tons of ways of prioritizing other projects over work on the feature for months. Sure, eventually a desire to make bad product decisions can overpower everything at a company, but it's worth throwing a bit of gravel into the gears to slow down the progression towards mediocrity and unethical behavior.
> How can I subtly hint
Don't hint. State your problem directly. I'd do it in an email to your direct manager, and follow-up to make sure they are raising it up the chain. Start with stating facts. Then state how those facts impact your work and your well-being, or other concerns. Explain why you have a problem with it. If you have a desire to be excluded, state that request simply and directly after explaining your problem with it.
Doing this does not mean you will get your desire - but this order of explaining a concern is an effective way to communicate without it being perceived as anything other than a start of a dialogue.
Don't hint. State your problem directly. I'd do it in an email to your direct manager, and follow-up to make sure they are raising it up the chain. Start with stating facts. Then state how those facts impact your work and your well-being, or other concerns. Explain why you have a problem with it. If you have a desire to be excluded, state that request simply and directly after explaining your problem with it.
Doing this does not mean you will get your desire - but this order of explaining a concern is an effective way to communicate without it being perceived as anything other than a start of a dialogue.
Speak up, directly, but in a professional, empathetic, and understanding manner. It sounds scary, but good leaders appreciate this kind of feedback. If you do it somewhere with visibility, like a chat channel, others will likely pile on and back you up as well.
If a vast majority of employees are feeling the same, I would write it down and talk to the manager.
If it's mostly just me, I would leave. I don't expect a company with many employees to take my moral standards into consideration.
If it's mostly just me, I would leave. I don't expect a company with many employees to take my moral standards into consideration.
Just move on; decisions are made without your best interest at heart and nothing you do will change that fact.
It's hard to give advice when your situation is vague to us, but if I were to place myself into an imaginary situation where my company was doing something unethical or enforcing disagreeable policies, I would:
- Not comply
- Start looking for jobs at other companies
- Get my concerns down in writing and email it to my direct manager
- Identify coworkers who are on my side or are likely to be
- Start a conversation with coworkers, encourage them to email their manager as well
- Elevate the issue to the next level of leadership if direct management fails to address the situation
- Repeat these steps until something changes or the CEO is fully aware of the magnitude of concern
- Quit without notice, tell coworkers exactly why I quit, and move on to my brand spankin' new job with better pay
By the way, you may be surprised at how many others will side with you when you speak up. Most people are afraid to rock the boat, so it can seem like you're an army of one, but when one person says something then it can give others confidence. It doesn't always work out that way, but it can. There have been times where I stated explicitly (and politely) why I disagreed with a proposed company policy, and then after the meeting (or Slack thread) I had coworkers sending DMs thanking me.
In any case, you're the most important factor in this. If you're unhappy and disillusioned enough, the simplest solution is to just quit.
- Not comply
- Start looking for jobs at other companies
- Get my concerns down in writing and email it to my direct manager
- Identify coworkers who are on my side or are likely to be
- Start a conversation with coworkers, encourage them to email their manager as well
- Elevate the issue to the next level of leadership if direct management fails to address the situation
- Repeat these steps until something changes or the CEO is fully aware of the magnitude of concern
- Quit without notice, tell coworkers exactly why I quit, and move on to my brand spankin' new job with better pay
By the way, you may be surprised at how many others will side with you when you speak up. Most people are afraid to rock the boat, so it can seem like you're an army of one, but when one person says something then it can give others confidence. It doesn't always work out that way, but it can. There have been times where I stated explicitly (and politely) why I disagreed with a proposed company policy, and then after the meeting (or Slack thread) I had coworkers sending DMs thanking me.
In any case, you're the most important factor in this. If you're unhappy and disillusioned enough, the simplest solution is to just quit.
Contact your union representative.
Sound advice in general
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If you care so much, just leave. You can't change anything unless you're top management. You can salt and sabotage at most but if you don't pass your malice for incompetence you're out.
It depends on what it is. If someone is being physically harmed I would go to law enforcement immediately. For "lesser" legal issues, like harassment or fraud, or anything that could blow back on me, I would get an attorney and document everything, then go to HR or law enforcement.
If you're just uncomfortable then talk to your boss about it and ask nicely. That usually works, but if it doesn't there's always a two week notice (assuming this situation is too bad to ignore).
Best of luck. I hope things work out well for you.
If you're just uncomfortable then talk to your boss about it and ask nicely. That usually works, but if it doesn't there's always a two week notice (assuming this situation is too bad to ignore).
Best of luck. I hope things work out well for you.
Write it down. Why You disapprove & how it will impact your work. Talk later. Btw. I just have read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Project... - great book with all sort of stories of bad company practice & policy.
You don't want to work at a company with "Company wide except for Pat" policies.
you cannot really do anything other than leave. If anything you will be marked as 'trouble maker' if you do any of the things suggested here.
Why can't you state your opposition clearly?