Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Third of US software firm's employees resign over politics ban
AFP ^

Posted on 05/01/2021 9:23:40 AM PDT by ameribbean expat

web search

Microsoft News Stay informed with trusted, personalized news Open the app AFP Third of US software firm's employees resign over politics ban AFP 9 hrs ago Polarized debates have animated the United States for months © MARIO TAMA Polarized debates have animated the United States for months About a third of the employees at US productivity software firm Basecamp have announced their resignations after the company banned political conversations in the workplace.

The mass walkout came after Basecamp chief executive and co-founder Jason Fried published a blog post on Monday explaining new rules adopted by the company, including a ban on "societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp account."

He also announced the end of some "paternalistic" employee benefits, such as fitness and continuing education allowances, and said there would be "no more lingering or dwelling on past decisions."

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-63 next last
To: Terry L Smith

I almost never discussed politics at work. I had an in you face dem coworker always batching about pdjt from his election, I always said his is still president. Then I got layed off last July.


21 posted on 05/01/2021 9:52:42 AM PDT by markman46 (engage brain before using keyboard!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

Got rid of the losers and troublemakers so easily.


22 posted on 05/01/2021 9:54:07 AM PDT by SaxxonWoods (Any comment might be sarcasm, or not. It depends. Often I'm not sure either.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brian Griffin

When I was growing up and started working in the 70s and 80s it was a generally accepted rule that you don’t talk about politics or religion in the workplace.

Maybe not a rule exactly but considered poor manners.

I used to wonder back then why Japanese people were considered so ‘inscrutable’. It was easing a running joke in comic books. Even today it’s hard to get traditional Japanese people to express their opinion. It’s very hard to get them to say “no”. Instead they will say “That is something to consider” or a similar polite response when they cannot say yes.

I’ve grown to see why they are like that.


23 posted on 05/01/2021 9:57:56 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing obamacare is worse than obamacare itself)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: perfect_rovian_storm

I read it. Smoke an mirrors. For one thing I know how those benefits work and the “cash value” they’ll pay the employees is usually way less than what the company is actually paying. Also you hide it all behind a bunch of paperwork so most employees won’t bother.

Also looked them up. They’ve got 4 products, none of which I’ve heard of, all of which compete in crowded spaces, they’re regularly losing fights with other companies, and 6 years ago they focused on their “core” product dumping the rest. And they only had 34 employees to start with.

It’s a failing company. They lose people.


24 posted on 05/01/2021 10:04:29 AM PDT by discostu (Like a dog being shown a card trick )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Terry L Smith

The problem is that to prevent “crybaby generation” suits an employer now has to fit employment policy around the employee’s lifestyle rather than the employee fitting their lifestyle around their employment policies. So they have them over the barrel and can do just about what they want.

This is right now a huge issue in the medical industry that raises costs. Companies have to employ more employees than they really need because the employees are allowed to set their own schedules and show up to work only when they want to.

Let alone practice political ideology at work that harms the company because they are representatives of that company. They are cry babies who scream discrimination at the drop of a hat. Just even look at one funny and you might have to go to court for it. Employers need to get a handle on this and squash it before it gets worse.

But notice that liberal companies promoted this... And now they are complaining about what they have created?


25 posted on 05/01/2021 10:17:26 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: rbg81

That’s how you get rid of Pencil Pushing Go To Meeting Project management assholes.


26 posted on 05/01/2021 10:24:01 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (All I know is The I read in the papers.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Alas Babylon!

“Microsoft has 175,000 (I used to be one).”

Finally! Someone to blame! lol :)


27 posted on 05/01/2021 10:24:05 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat
These morons who quit just stamped themselves as "The new hire most likely to roil your company with worthless marxist strife and then quit you after burning your company down"

SCHADENFREUDE!

28 posted on 05/01/2021 10:52:46 AM PDT by StAnDeliver (Eric Coomer of Dominion Voting Systems Is The Blue Dress)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fido969

That’s kinda the point of the prohibition on political chatter: get the work done; if you’re not going to work, leave.

When I joined a department working near 100% remote, I noticed idle chatter was near zero. And $#!^ gets done.


29 posted on 05/01/2021 10:54:28 AM PDT by ctdonath2 (The claim of consensus is the first refuge of scoundrels.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: discostu
"They’ve got 4 products, none of which I’ve heard of, all of which compete in crowded spaces, they’re regularly losing fights with other companies, and 6 years ago they focused on their “core” product dumping the rest."

Actually not a terrible product, listcicle-type stuff, but they are obviously positioning themselves to merge or be bought by someone who would then enable their somewhat lacking enterprise services. Maybe Ceridian (Dayforce) or Salesforce (Slack).

30 posted on 05/01/2021 11:01:17 AM PDT by StAnDeliver (Eric Coomer of Dominion Voting Systems Is The Blue Dress)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: discostu

I can’t speak to the longterm viability of Basecamp as a company. Frankly, I have no idea whether they’re failing or not. I do know there are plenty of companies their size that do just fine. I’m not privy to their books nor have I had any dealings with the company whatsoever. I have, however heard of them and am aware of some teams that use their core product.

I do, however, note that they offered a 6 month severance package to any employee who had a problem with the policy and the ones who left took them up on it.

You seem to be emotionally invested in designating this company as a failure, which is fine with me. I don’t really have an interest either way except to say that I very much appreciated the tone and tenor of their announcement. I thought it was a breath of fresh air and something that needs to be done by more businesses, both inside the tech industry and out.

I don’t find it outside the realm of believability that 1/3 of the people working there decided to virtue signal by leaving. Hell, I even read a blog post by one of the ‘aggrieved’ and she was precisely the kind of toxic person that needs to be cut from any professional environment like the cancer that she is. Therefore, I find it difficult to slap a label of ‘failure’ on this company or even one that says ‘success’ for that matter. I just chalk it up to being merely an indication of the times in which we live.

Failure or no, moving forward without the employees concentrating on critical race theory instead of their work can only be an improvement from the status quo.


31 posted on 05/01/2021 11:21:07 AM PDT by perfect_rovian_storm
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Mr. K
For several centuries in Japan, addressing a superior rudely might result in the sudden separation of your head from your shoulders.

One of the intricacies of the Japanese language is that the grammar changes depending upon whether a social inferior addresses a superior or vice versa. And these differences depend upon the how many levels of separation there are.

Definitely reminds me of Heinlein's quip that an armed society is a polite society.

32 posted on 05/01/2021 11:25:17 AM PDT by pierrem15 ("Massacrez-les, car le seigneur connait les siens" )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: StAnDeliver

Agreed. It’s the new version of being stupid enough to hire someone who has previously filed an EEOC complaint.


33 posted on 05/01/2021 11:25:26 AM PDT by ameribbean expat (Attention! All persons having the corona virus...please report to the nearest IRS office. Thank you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Fido969

> What a great way to get rid of the deadwood.

Precisely. These people are deadwood in the form of a beaver dam backing things up.


34 posted on 05/01/2021 11:45:33 AM PDT by glorgau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ameribbean expat

Good riddance!


35 posted on 05/01/2021 11:47:56 AM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (I'd rather be anecdotally alive than scientifically dead...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Fido969

Coinbase cut 10%+ with a similar announcement.


36 posted on 05/01/2021 11:54:10 AM PDT by tbw2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: discostu

> It’s a failing company. They lose people.

Not necessarily. I know a number of software companies that are privately held and don’t feel a need to “scale” because they want to live their lives like they want to live their lives. Sometimes that means saying “not interested”, and once you’re at a certain income level, why go through the hassle of trying to get mega rich?


37 posted on 05/01/2021 11:56:24 AM PDT by glorgau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

So the CEO said if you wanna be woke do it on your own time...

**************

Its odd that the wokesters are not woke at all when it comes to figuring out that they will be the inheritors of a crushing federal debt and massive unfunded entitlement liabilities. They are the clueless chumps who spend so much time obsessing over ideological issues that they can’t see the forest for the tress. They are going to be left holding the bag. They are the stuckees.


38 posted on 05/01/2021 12:03:20 PM PDT by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: AppyPappy

Translation: We were using these discussions to out non-liberals so we could get them fired.

**************

Spot on.


39 posted on 05/01/2021 12:05:09 PM PDT by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: pierrem15
For several centuries in Japan, addressing a superior rudely might result in the sudden separation of your head from your shoulders.


40 posted on 05/01/2021 12:09:15 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-63 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson