New employer has too many rules, not comfortable, need Advice

getmore4less

makeyourdaddyproud wrote: »

A dev will always want freedom - I recognise that, but faulty software is a major risk to business and all those involved.

The real problem is the developers of todays are still making the same basic mistakes that were being engineered out 30 years ago. every new generation takes development back a step. before moving forward.

When it comes to product development coding is the easy bit.

robatwork

f1621688 wrote: »

There seems to be a sense of hierarchy in the company.

This made me laugh, thanks.

You said it like a criticism....

vacationgirl

I have a relative who works in HR and they are currently trying to reinforce the dress code at work as many seem to think they can wear the first thing that comes to hand in the morning.
It is both male and females who breach the code; some women turn up in flip flops and maxi dresses whilst some blokes seem to think that sweat shirts and hoodies are acceptable. It also has to be said that IT staff seem to be the worst offenders as they seem to think that dressing smartly cramps their creativity.
A business has to be seen as professional particularly when visitors and potential clients are on site, otherwise how do you know the difference between the window cleaner and the MD?
Perhaps you should have checked out the style of management at the interview as some people find micro- management difficult to cope with, everything is monitored from clocking in to time spent on cigarette breaks. You are on a learning curve and just need some time to adjust so don’t rock the boat.

patman99

I spent 16 years working in a factory. The company issued trousers, polo shirt and sweat shirt. They did allow staff to wear their own clothes instead, but on the onus that the firm could not be held responsible for any damage to said clothing (the company made HVAC so there was plenty of sheet metal parts hanging around).

I chose to wear the supplied clothing as it saved ruining my own.

I then spent 5 years working in various temp roles before landing my latest permanet directly employed role. For this, I have to wear a yellow polo shirt, but that is because in the enviroment I work in, each type of staff is colour-coded for easy identification. I can, however, wear my own trousers.

Do I mind wandering around looking like a giant daffodil ?. No, not if it saves me ruining my own tops.

mgdavid

vacationgirl wrote: »

I have a relative who works in HR and they are currently trying to re inforce the dress code at work as many seem to think they can wear the first thing that comes to hand in the morning.
It is both male and females who breach the code; some women turn up in flip flops and maxi dresses whilst some blokes seem to think that sweat shirts and hoodies are acceptable. It also has to be said that IT staff seem to be the worst offenders as they seem to think that dressing smartly cramps their creativity.
A business has to be seen as professional particularly when visitors and potential clients are on site, otherwise how do you know the difference between the window cleaner and the MD?
Perhaps you should have checked out the style of management at the interview as some people find micro- management difficult to cope with, everything is monitored from clocking in to time spent on cigarette breaks. You are on a learning curve and just need some time to adjust so don’t rock the boat.

With shared beliefs it would be useful if you said who both you and your relative work for, so the OP, anyone in IT, and anyone else with a gram of independent thought can avoid them! You do realise that HR-baiting is sport to IT types?

makeyourdaddyproud

mgdavid wrote: »

With shared beliefs it would be useful if you said who both you and your relative work for, so the OP, anyone in IT, and anyone else with a gram of independent thought can avoid them! You do realise that HR-baiting is sport to IT types?

Why would they do that? It's a case example looking for advice. Knowing the name of the company only furthers your own interest, not the OP's.

Errata

robatwork wrote: »

This made me laugh, thanks.

You said it like a criticism....

It made me laugh too, nobody else seems to have copped on, least of all the OP

f1621688

Clearly I have started a very popular thread on MSE. Since I asked for opinions I am not surprised I have received so many varied ones.

Let me say that my past employment was not a small fish. It was a multinational firm which had many small/medium offices. The IT devs were free to wear their choice of clothes, adjust work times, take a jogging break during work hours. They were all smart people. It was also a flat hierarchy, not many layers of bosses, at least not visible to us and most relationships were informal. Devs were free to suggest improvements to code and if everyone else was happy we could do it. Didn't have wait for 'approval'. It all went through testing and reviews once finished ofcourse. People knew what they were doing and the company trusted them.

The new employer is a medium fish but growing. They have smart people too, but rules about how you dress at work, lengthy approvals for improving old areas of the software etc. There are some teams treated as being above other teams (hierarchical teams). Its a bit more defensive style and more micro-managed.

It is a culture shock for me, true. I preferred the old style. I will have to wait and see. I like the suggestion of giving it 2-3 months and see how I feel after. Maybe I will be given more freedom once they are more confident in me, maybe not. Meanwhile I won't rock the boat and as suggested leave if I cannot fit in.

Regarding asking questions during interview etc, I did ask. I was told briefly what tools were used. I was not informed of the management style. Next time I will ask more specific questions. You live and you learn.

Takeaway_Addict

f1621688 wrote: »

Clearly I have started a very popular thread on MSE. Since I asked for opinions I am not surprised I have received so many varied ones.

Let me say that my past employment was not a small fish. It was a multinational firm which had many small/medium offices. The IT devs were free to wear their choice of clothes, adjust work times, take a jogging break during work hours. They were all smart people. It was also a flat hierarchy, not many layers of bosses, at least not visible to us and most relationships were informal. Devs were free to suggest improvements to code and if everyone else was happy we could do it. Didn't have wait for 'approval'. It all went through testing and reviews once finished ofcourse. People knew what they were doing and the company trusted them.

The new employer is a medium fish but growing. They have smart people too, but rules about how you dress at work, lengthy approvals for improving old areas of the software etc. There are some teams treated as being above other teams (hierarchical teams). Its a bit more defensive style and more micro-managed.

It is a culture shock for me, true. I preferred the old style. I will have to wait and see. I like the suggestion of giving it 2-3 months and see how I feel after. Maybe I will be given more freedom once they are more confident in me, maybe not. Meanwhile I won't rock the boat and as suggested leave if I cannot fit in.

Regarding asking questions during interview etc, I did ask. I was told briefly what tools were used. I was not informed of the management style. Next time I will ask more specific questions. You live and you learn.

A nice balanced post.

notanewuser

why did you leave the other job?