Need Productivity Recommendations for AWS Team

Amazon
L7-EM

Go to company page Amazon

L7-EM
Aug 21, 2021 95 Comments

Hello everyone, I’m currently a manager in an org at AWS. As of recent my team is not performing to the standard set by management and rather than go through a standard PIP process, leadership and I are looking at ways to improve productivity on the team. Please let me know your thoughts below

1) Implement a voting system of who was the least effective on the team during the current week. Person with the most votes get an extra week of on call along with double the sprint work for the following two weeks. Person with the least votes will be given a Starbucks gift card or some way to compensate

2) Increase workload on sprints for all developers by 1.5x. Any tickets that haven’t been finished will be counted, reported to upper management and workload will be increased beyond 1.5x the following sprint to encourage productivity

3) Implement on call for the entire team 24/7 instead of a standard rotation to improve productivity

We’ve agreed that these policies will benefit the developers on the team and put them in a position for strong growth in AWS. Please give your thoughts on which one of these would be best

#developers #tech

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
TOP 95 Comments
  • Okta
    home_purch

    Go to company page Okta

    home_purch
    All of the methods you stated will decrease productivity
    Aug 21, 2021 7
  • Capital One / Eng
    SPSA38

    Go to company page Capital One Eng

    SPSA38
    This has to be a troll, right?

    If not, you are a sick f*€k and shouldn’t manage people (or be allowed near people or animals for that matter). And *your* managers should all be fired.

    You can’t motivate a team with punishment. Also, if you need the team to identify who isn’t performing, you aren’t doing *your* job.

    Threatening people doesn’t work, especially when there is such demand for SWEs. I hope your team all quits. You don’t deserve them. I’d be happy to hire them and provide proper management so they can grow.

    If this is a troll, well done!
    Aug 21, 2021 4
  • What the fuck is wrong with amazon, I have a pending L6 offer. After reading this, no thank you
    Aug 21, 2021 4
    • Amazon
      Oikawa

      Go to company page Amazon

      Oikawa
      @Facebook don't believe this guy entire AWS is like this. And then managers wonder why does team have high attrition.

      Glad I am leaving this toxic culture soon.
      Aug 21, 2021
    • Amazon
      XLCet

      Go to company page Amazon

      XLCet
      @xjfY58: I think this post is a troll. But still, do yourself a favor and don’t take the Amazon offer.
      Aug 22, 2021
  • Adobe
    owPr22

    Go to company page Adobe

    owPr22
    This is wild, I’d pick number 1 but thank god I don’t work in AWS
    Aug 21, 2021 0
  • Amazon
    CrGH21

    Go to company page Amazon

    CrGH21
    I can't believe you actually manage people. You claim you want to avoid PIP and propose ways to throw your team members against each other huger games style.
    It's so far off from what you should to be doing that I don't even know where to start.
    So I'll just say this:
    1) You CANNOT motivate people long tern with fear, threats or sanctions.
    2) You CAN motivate people by speaking to them rationally, setting common goals for them to reach and rewarding them when they do.

    Assuming you are not a troll, you should seriously consider taking a managing for dummies class or better yet, step down from people management.
    Aug 21, 2021 2
    • Amazon
      L7-EM

      Go to company page Amazon

      L7-EM
      OP
      Hey, no this is not a troll, and yes I actually manage people. I came on here because these options were trial-tested but they seem to produce the same amount of eng velocity.

      We’ve tried your second approach but with the lack of resources and our ambitious roadmap for the OP1 and OP2, milestones will not be met. This means we have to drive velocity up from what we have. I wish it could have been another way.
      Aug 22, 2021
    • Google
      jhootharam

      Go to company page Google

      jhootharam
      Lol Amazon is rife with incompetent managers. My last manager at Amazon was one, with his Machiavellian ideas he skull fucked the entire team. Me and 2 other guys were the senior members of the team, all 3 of us left Amazon within 2 weeks of each other, and all because of him. The team was left with 1 new joinee sde 2 and 2 new grad sde1s. And now I hear that manager has fucked off to another team. This is his 3rd managerial gig in 2 years as a manager at Amazon.
      Aug 22, 2021