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So I've been reading the staff engineer's path, and it's mostly very good. But it keeps taking this approach that you shouldn't do *too much* work that's bad for you.
I don't like that. I think *any* work that's bad for you should be understood to be too much. Seriously, would your company reciprocate? Would they make any sacrifice at all for your benefit? If not, then what this is actually doing is setting an upper bound on your own exploitation. But the limit should be zero.
I dunno, maybe this is baby steps? A lot of people have a lot of internalized capitalism. Maybe if you're writing a book like this you have to assume that this is the first time your readers have ever been told by a respected source that they deserve to have their needs met and boundaries respected.
But still. I don't think "your job shouldn't hurt you" is really that radical of a position.
@jenniferplusplus Completely agree. I see that with myself and other senior colleagues: we _say_ it's not worth it but we still go beyond what is healthy.
I am certain it's part internalized capitalism, or maybe subservience?
In addition, i think there is the feeling that you "let the team down". That is noble, but the problem is that this feeling is weaponized by the company. The company will let _you_ down on a dime, making this impulse purely one way.
It's exploitation, all the way down.
@chrisg actually I think it's worse than that. I think people in this position owe it to their team to hold the line. Giving in to excessive demands just normalizes the excess, and that flows downhill.
@jenniferplusplus Absolutely. The problem is that holding the line takes more effort than just caving to peer pressure. You need to actively justify why you're not "doing your part", which is hard and creates adversity until everyone buys in.
The proper way to do it is to have enforcement from the top, demanding moderation so that the justification obstacle goes away (mostly, at least).
But that isn't happening, is it?
@chrisg @jenniferplusplus is there an option to do "no work" thats bad for you ?
First work we encounter is #CareWork and this is not all fun and game and still has to be done. So we learn that there is always a part of work that is just discipline.
I guess you meant in the way of not overworking, and I see all mothers are overworked. and I would really like to start there.
@thierna @chrisg
Work doesn't have to harm us. And the quantity of work is rarely the thing that's most harmful.
Our jobs routinely strip us of autonomy, surveil us, withhold tools and rest, hold us accountable for things we can't control, make us violate our values, promote caustic behavior, and directly abuse us. None of that ever needs to be true.