A Dream Like an Echoಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸಿದ ಖಾತೆ

Hush clauses preserve the status quo of toxic tech company cultures. We need to end them. Now.

What kind of support would you get? How would you pay your bills while you looked for a new job without that severance pay?

Imagine being a young developer who happens to be a woman and/or person of color. What chance would you have to call out toxicity?

Again, I am in position of extreme privilege, but without my benefactors my story would never have seen the light of day.

They get put through sheer living hell. So yeah, retweet them, but also consider how you can directly help them. They need support.

This is why it’s so important to support whistle-blowers. Not just with words. With money and job opportunities.

Blowing the whistle on toxic companies is absolutely critical but yields no positive results for the people affected.

When you speak out you not only forfeit severance, you also face abuse and harassment. And you impact your future employment opportunities.

The press is catching on to serious problems at companies throughout the tech space. But this isn’t a new problem at all.

The most vulnerable among us, who suffer the most from oppressive systemic bias, do not have access to resources like this.

I was incredibly fortunate to have benefactors that supported my decision to speak out and gave me the opportunity to turn down severance.

Only one of the jobs I’ve had in the past 5 years was with a company that I would even think about recommending to someone else.

…in the tech industry is to MOVE COMPANIES. And I’m very particular about company culture. I’ve been searching for the right place for YEARS

Hell, I’ve been criticized for changing companies as often as I do. Despite studies that prove that the only way to get a decent raise...

They are building their resumes. They can’t afford to switch companies for fear of how it would look to potential employers.

And these same people don’t have the privilege of mobility that more experienced devs have.

But these networks aren’t always accessible to the most vulnerable among us, early-career developers.

Women and PoC have developed extensive whisper networks to communicate about problematic companies.

Companies that try to silence you by making severance dependent on you not ever talking about them are EVIL, plain and simple.

You don’t just have the RIGHT to call out toxic culture when you leave a company, you have a MORAL OBLIGATION.