steve kwan user experience designer

Software slave labour

(December 19th, 2004 - 12:04PM)

I think that anybody working in the software field is familiar with the suspicious practices of some IT companies.

In the past I've been overworked and underpaid, and I plan not to get stuck in that position again. A lot of employers have taken advantage of the dot com crash by using it as an excuse to pay below-standard salaries and force unpaid overtime.

Employers provide all sorts of reasons for this, such as, "We need to operate this way to stay competitive," or, "That's just the way we do business." The fact of the matter is that if you are underpaid or overworked, that is usually a sign of bad management.

I encourage any software engineers, network administrators, or other IT workers out there to stand up for themselves when put in this situation. Find another job, because a better job probably exists.

Further reading: if you haven't already checked it out, you should take a look at the E.A. Spouse blog posting that's caused a lot of headaches for Electronic Arts.