I don’t know if things are different at Microsoft or across the pond in general, but from people I’ve spoken to who’ve been given similar “mandates”, they’re not as compulsory as they first sound. If you’re reasonably good at your job and your manager is keen to keep you then you can get away with just ignoring these rules. More what you’d call “guidelines” and all that.
Capriciously applied rules is a terrible system. We hold up ideals like “rule of law” and “democracy” but as soon as capital is involved it’s right back to “I am the law” and tyranny.
Well, yes. Businesses are run as dictatorships, not democracies. This is one of the reasons why no one who would “run a country like it’s a business” should be elected to public office.
Which makes it work really well for stealth layoffs. If you don’t have a manager willing to bend the rules for you, you either have to show up or the company has a reason for firing you.
And if you do have a manager willing to bend the rules for you, they now have the ability to recind that offer if performance drops.
I don’t know if things are different at Microsoft or across the pond in general, but from people I’ve spoken to who’ve been given similar “mandates”, they’re not as compulsory as they first sound. If you’re reasonably good at your job and your manager is keen to keep you then you can get away with just ignoring these rules. More what you’d call “guidelines” and all that.
Capriciously applied rules is a terrible system. We hold up ideals like “rule of law” and “democracy” but as soon as capital is involved it’s right back to “I am the law” and tyranny.
Well, yes. Businesses are run as dictatorships, not democracies. This is one of the reasons why no one who would “run a country like it’s a business” should be elected to public office.
Which makes it work really well for stealth layoffs. If you don’t have a manager willing to bend the rules for you, you either have to show up or the company has a reason for firing you.
And if you do have a manager willing to bend the rules for you, they now have the ability to recind that offer if performance drops.