EA: White collar slavery

Just read it: http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/
 
If you're in the software industry and you recognize this story, remember this: your employer doesn't own you nor is it your fault some project is late on schedule (there are people responsible for that, you just write software).

You work to live, you don't live to work.

[Via Frans Bouma]

It's sad to see how companies have been treating their workforce lately. Be labeled "resource" and treated like a machine, with no time to lunch, no time to dinner; with time to be at work and no time be back at home. They act in this unfair way and the government pretend they don't see it. That's why I sometimes raise my hands, praise God and cry out "Come Lord. Let us see your rightous and merciful throne of glory, Jesus! Come and take us out of Egypt, out of this slavery way of live, where the evil eats the flesh of the humble."

3 Comments

  • Hmm...yes, not quite slavery (come to that the Pyramids weren't built by slaves either but that's a different story :-)). Look, the guy had a tough break - so do lots of professions (my last girlfriend was a junior doctor - and typically worked 80 hours+ in an NHS hospital with far greater resonsibility and far less wages than any developer). WHat I don't get is this drive towards the 'industrialisation' of software development being seen as positive and separate from the devaluing of the developers - if developers are seen as easily interchangable components then of course they will be valued less. ASP.NET 2.0 is great and all but once the office junior can code a reasonable DB app do you really think employers will value developers? Sorry to rant a bit but it's a slipery slope...

  • Luciano...put this way, I'm an over-stretched developer, she was a junior doctor - time together was an issue :-) I totally agree that the main point is the lack of respect for your employees - but it is worth remembering that we have otherwise pretty simple jobs, we're generally not cold or scared and our mistakes won't kill anyone. Also worth remembering that in the long term, companies with these sort of practices will not survive because they will no longer attract talented individuals (indeed that may have been the reason for crunch in the first place, maybe their previous shoddy treatment led to a talent loss). My point was that as development becomes less and less skilled as a profession the the commoditisation of developers will increase, eventually these companies will survive as the resource they use (developers) becomes cheaper and cheaper to employ...and therefore less important to retain for the long term.

  • Scott,



    Just one more question: In your opinion, do you think this trend (commoditisation) is for good? If you think so, can you post your arguments for our appreciation?

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