open letter to joel spolsky

[rone]

I'm sure that you didn't mean to sound like this, but your recent entry about lunch at work comes across as if you're practically peer-pressuring coworkers to lunch together, which can't be a good thing.  How do you deal with introverts or people with Asperger syndrome?  It's good to welcome new people, and encourage social behavior (especially because lunch should be a real break and not simply the time of the day when you eat at your desk).  But if i worked with you, your use of the words "not negotiable" for the concept of eating with your coworkers doesn't make me want to have lunch with you.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

In this particular case, he is paying for the food (whether he's paying for the time is debatable when it comes to salaried employees). But i don't think that has anything to do with it.

[xythen.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a place I would be looking for an exit from as soon as I could.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Wait, he's buying the food? THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.


(You can take the student out of the grad school but you can't take grad school out of the student.)

[also-huey.livejournal.com]

There might be a good capitalist model there.

"I need you to come to the meeting tonight to discuss the new features. ...uh... ...beer at the Sweetwater?"
"Nope. The technology steering committee is offering the steak tips at Uno's."
"Pork chops and beer at the Sweetwater, then."
"And two scotches."
"One scotch."
"Deal."

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I think Microsoft has an employee training video specifically warning about that.