Slackers need not apply

[Fraidycat]

Saw this on a job posting today for an (inside) contract role:

Job Requirements (partial list):

• Pull requests will be expected multiple times weekly
• Expected to be vocal in scrum calls and give updates daily
• Expected to be self-starting but willing to ask for help - sitting on an issue for days will not be acceptable

Is this company being reasonable? Or does that sound like a red flag/toxic place to work?

I have worked with several contractors who made a habit of 'sitting on an issue' for weeks on end. Averaging less than one commit a week, even when given relatively simple tickets to complete.

Should of been none of my business, but i often got dumped with the work these slackers did not complete on time.

[dsc]

This is an actual job requirement? who the f*** writes this tulipe? They should've put "Expected to do some work".

Surely if you've ever done a scrum then this is something you do daily, why the hell would you even go and list it in a job spec?

[JustKeepSwimming]

Saw this on a job posting for an (inside) contract role:

Job Requirements (partial list):

• Pull requests will be expected multiple times weekly
• Expected to be vocal in scrum calls and give updates daily
• Expected to be self-starting but willing to ask for help - sitting on an issue for days will not be acceptable

Is this company being reasonable? Or does that sound like a red flag/toxic place to work?

I have worked with several contractors who made a habit of 'sitting on an issue' for weeks on end. Averaging less than one commit a week, even when given relatively simple tickets to complete.

Should of been none of my business, but i often got dumped with the work these slackers did not complete on time.

Either horrendous boss or a reasonable boss who has just been burnt numerous times before and fed up. I've had both, the latter tends to be chill after a few weeks once you start pulling your weight.

Could also be the recruiter being a moron and not being able to understand the HM comments at briefing doesn't have to be C + P into the advert.

[Fraidycat]

Either horrendous boss or a reasonable boss who has just been burnt numerous times before and fed up. I've had both, the latter tends to be chill after a few weeks once you start pulling your weight.

Could also be the recruiter being a moron and not being able to understand the HM comments at briefing doesn't have to be C + P into the advert.

Was a direct client ad. Not an agency.

From the sounds of it they sound fed up dealing with coasting contractors who have no sense of urgency.

[northernladuk]

• Pull requests will be expected multiple times weekly
• Expected to be vocal in scrum calls and give updates daily
• Expected to be self-starting but willing to ask for help - sitting on an issue for days will not be acceptable

Dunno what pull requests are but to be fair I've seen plenty of people that can't do the bottom two. Developers or whatever sitting on the outskirts not saying a word on meetings. I put it down to most developers being socially awkward or something. The offshore guys are often particularly bad at this as well.
I've also suffered working with people who are too arrogant for their own good and when you finally dig in to the problem it's ballooned beyond help. And the crap contractor that just floats it and wasn't dynamic enough to be able call for help.

I'm half and half on this one. It would be great to get on a gig without peope that fail at least those bottom two as I've seen enough but is it OK to call it out on a job spec? Does anyone actually recognise that they can't do the bottom two bullets either, and if they did would they not apply? So can't help think it's a pointless exercise listing those.

From the sounds of it they sound fed up dealing with coasting contractors who have no sense of urgency.

That would be my take as well. Once bitten and all that.

[JustKeepSwimming]

Does anyone actually recognise that they can't do the bottom two bullets either, and if they did would they not apply? So can't help think it's a pointless exercise listing those.

Absolutely. I think those who are looking for a chill 9-5 will be put off applying. I can think of many people I know who would swerve this role like the plague, and they aren't bad/lazy workers.

[vetran]

Dunno what pull requests are but to be fair I've seen plenty of people that can't do the bottom two. Developers or whatever sitting on the outskirts not saying a word on meetings. I put it down to most developers being socially awkward or something. The offshore guys are often particularly bad at this as well.
I've also suffered working with people who are too arrogant for their own good and when you finally dig in to the problem it's ballooned beyond help. And the crap contractor that just floats it and wasn't dynamic enough to be able call for help.

I'm half and half on this one. It would be great to get on a gig without peope that fail at least those bottom two as I've seen enough but is it OK to call it out on a job spec? Does anyone actually recognise that they can't do the bottom two bullets either, and if they did would they not apply? So can't help think it's a pointless exercise listing those.



That would be my take as well. Once bitten and all that.

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutori...ncing/git-pull

Basically its setting out your workbench to start coding.

You Pull (get central code store from repository)
you code locally.
then you push & commit (to repository).
If you are lucky and the pile of fetid spaghetti compiles then hurrah!

One would hope you do the above for each major JIRA request.

Sack the scrum manager if the devs aren't keeping up or speaking up. If the SM is doing it right and you are coasting then it is obvious to the whole team pretty quickly.

The dev should have estimated the time and had it approved in planning, once it takes longer than that the SM & PM should be all over you and offering you help i.e. assigning another dev who has little patience and whines constantly. Oh look you are a day behind, fix it by tomorrow otherwise you are going to be paired up with WTFH.
(done all 3 jobs in the past plus my best WTFH impersonation ).

Sounds like they were burnt multiple times. Don't blame the monkeys look for a new ring leader!

[TheDude]

Saw this on a job posting today for an (inside) contract role:

Job Requirements (partial list):

• Pull requests will be expected multiple times weekly
• Expected to be vocal in scrum calls and give updates daily
• Expected to be self-starting but willing to ask for help - sitting on an issue for days will not be acceptable

Is this company being reasonable? Or does that sound like a red flag/toxic place to work?

I have worked with several contractors who made a habit of 'sitting on an issue' for weeks on end. Averaging less than one commit a week, even when given relatively simple tickets to complete.

Should of been none of my business, but i often got dumped with the work these slackers did not complete on time.

Sounds like my current gig.

That said it is really easy to look good.

[Fraidycat]

Sack the scrum manager if the devs aren't keeping up or speaking up.

I'm not sure if it is the scrum managers fault.

One of advantages of hiring contractors over perms, is easy to hire but also easy to fire. The client is supposed to return an underperforming contractor back to the bench.

But I find many clients don't ever fire underperforming contractors mid contract. Especially if other team members are taking up the slack.

I guess the company posting this advert is giving due warning, expect to be fired mid contract if you don't pull your weight.

[woohoo]

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutori...ncing/git-pull

Oh look you are a day behind, fix it by tomorrow otherwise you are going to be paired up with WTFH.
(done all 3 jobs in the past plus my best WTFH impersonation ).

I'm going to offer another opinion. Estimates are crap, they are guesses at best, based on experience of something similar you may have done.

The idea of penalising a dev because they are a day behind annoys the hell out of me. I've often got into something and felt that I could make it better for the customer if I spent a bit more time on it. Or I'm delayed because something I assumed was simple turns out to be hard. When you are on top of a dev for being a day late all you will get is people rushing the work. I get tired of refactoring other developers' work because they clearly rushed it and in turn made my day a little more difficult.

I feel sorry for you though if that's the environment you are in.