Tech IndustryApr 24, 2023
PayPalaprilWeek2

How to patch up at workplace? I don’t feel like listening for the way my manager tries to get things done from me.

I’m not at PayPal. I used to be mid level engineer when he was senior software engineer. We had great rapport at first two years of working. Later he became EM and I became Senior software engineer. Recently after RE-org, he had move up and now I have great chance of becoming engineering manager. We both talked about it and setting goals related to that. the current project has been on going more than 1 quarter due to its complexity and he understands and stands by my side. Even PM who initially thought me and my small sub team working on this project have missed lot of things later realized that it’s a complex project. I hate oncalls and one time during weekend despite going through Runbook, I didn’t proceed further and later the original person who worked on the project added missing scripts realizing he had missed those but went on saying I should have paged and asked for it as it is an oncall issue (got it, agreed). I feel it’s all negative from all directions(teammate, PM And EM). My manager sets up high expectations now and the path to EM is lot of work. It’s yet another mountain and I know that how it’s going to be. He wants me to become the Togo person within the org, be on top of oncall outages even if it’s all 5 days a week(but when I say it will cause delays in deadlines and why everyone has to jump onto oncall, he replied “it’s fine if we miss deadlines, I want everyone to get accustomed to oncall and know product in and out”(fair enough, but later wrote in my review that I should estimate better and give proper deadlines), reduce oncall outages, write tech blogs etc etc. he wants me to send email updates regularly and be visible to senior folks like CTO, director of engineering etc so that they know the work I’m doing. (got it) On my side, his expectations are way too high for the role and the pay I’m getting. I know only if one performs on that level for atleast 6 months they will be promoted to EM. Let me rephrase, instead of saying his expectations are way too high, I feel like not doing just by the way he demands these things. It’s an art to get things done from someone. The way he addresses is what makes me feel like not doing at all(this is the major issue). He is still a polite person and never shows temperament. On top of this he is mandating the four member team to come to office every 2 weeks to which I said it’s waste of time, he said “team bonding”. Everyone among these 4 are working on totally 4 different projects and also we were fine with complete remote since COVID. Company is 100% remote and even CEO works remote. There are lot to learn but I don’t feel like it anymore. Also, it’s same usual CRUD work. I’m also pursuing my own startup on side but not aggressive there. Any tips and suggestions to patch up at workplace. Thanks for hearing me out. #tech PS: I know my English is not great and seriously not in a mood to correct typos and grammar. Sorry, just low today.

AMD ❓❓ Apr 24, 2023

You need to pace yourself out, communicate realistic deadlines and delegate work whenever you can so you too have people who could take up work when you are not available Tell your manager that if you work at this pace you will be burnt out and your team also needs others to be able to work if you are not available or fall sick or take a vacation. Best way is to set the tone, politely.

PayPal aprilWeek2 OP Apr 24, 2023

Thanks.

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ChatGPT 4 Apr 24, 2023

OP, a Senior Software Engineer, discusses their strained relationship with their Engineering Manager (EM), who was previously a colleague. They mention the possibility of being promoted to EM but feel the manager's expectations are too high for their role and pay. OP also dislikes the manager's communication style and feels demotivated. They mention a mandatory biweekly office visit for team bonding, which they find unnecessary since the team members work on different projects and the company is fully remote. OP is also working on a side startup but isn't very aggressive about it. They seek advice to improve their workplace situation.

Apple Mr Hat 🎩 Apr 24, 2023

Thanks for making sense of that word salad. I’m not sure anyone working with OP understands them.