Ask HN: What companies have a good work life balance?

Controversial stance, but... almost any big company, as long as you don't care too much about promotions or the social hierarchy of your coworkers.

Get a $150k job as a senior software engineer, show up to meetings, do good-enough work and be polite and friendly to your coworkers and you'll basically be fine.

At performance review time you'll get the low-performer raise of 3% instead of the high-performer raise of 4%, but your hourly wage comes out ahead. Maybe you'll be a little more likely to get laid off in lean times, but those are sufficiently arbitrary that you could work nights and weekends and still get laid off.

Plenty of people have lived happy, well-rounded lives putting their energy into their families, hobbies and self-fulfillment while coasting through their career as a lower-than-average-performer in a series of 1-4 year stints at different companies.

cableshaft · 9 months ago

> show up to meetings, do good-enough work and be polite and friendly to your coworkers...as a lower-than-average-performer

I'd argue that this shouldn't be considered 'lower than average' performance. It should be considered average. And based on some companies I've been at, that should probably be considered above-average.

I know that's often not the case by managers and executives (hell I just saw an article about a CEO that is running an AI startup and tells people in interviews that they're expected to work 84 hour weeks[1]), but employees should really push back and insist that this should not be considered 'below average' performance.

[1]: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/greptile-daksh-gupta-8...

2rsf · 9 months ago

You are right, but Microsoft (a small local site of a few years ago) disagreed- "meet expectations", which in my eyes is close enough to average if the expectations were set correctly, was consistently treated as bad or lower than average.

farseer · 9 months ago

It also depends on your education, IQ and productivity. If your job is slightly out of your league, you will struggle to have a work life balance.

For comparison:

- 5 weeks paid vacation, you can decide per day basis whenever you want (really)

- plus all annual holidays

- 320 paid days (70% salary) of parental leave per kid, divided between as you wish

- 40h work week

- regulatory maximum of 60h voluntary overtime per year

- free nice healthcare

Plus: - free sick child care service (at your home)

- massage benefit, travel benefit, culture benefit, electric bike benefit, car benefit, lunch benefit etc.

Everything except ”plus” is for all Finnish companies with atleast 20 people. Smaller compnies don’t have to provide the healthcare part (then it’s just free public one).

Plus benefits are common for most tech companies and best ones include the child care as well.

doublerabbit · 9 months ago

Can't find youtube link, and it was either tiktok or twitter.

So this video is pretty accurate then?

https://x.com/dhtoomey/status/1479214458987855880

humptybumpty · 9 months ago

It’s 15:43 now, so I’m already in bed

bruce511 · 9 months ago

What a terrible place to work!

>> - regulatory maximum of 60h voluntary overtime per year

WOT??? 60h of overtime??? What a dump!!! Our company maxes out at 55 hours...

</sarcasm - but I bet there's someone out there who thinks like this... :) >

bodiekane · 9 months ago

gregjor · 9 months ago

Work-life balance describes personal and situational priorities, a property of your needs and circumstances. It does not describe a property of a company.

Figure out what you need, specifically, to get to the work-life balance you want. With a child that may mean work from home, flexible schedule, good insurance, day care subsidies.

From my own experience as a parent working in the software field, I found that companies that employed many other parents in my age range helped. If no one else on your team has a family they may not sympathize with the demands on your time you face.

smaug7 · 9 months ago

That's a fair point. I have coworkers with kids but I've noticed the lead is a workaholic (with a child) and that reflects on the rest of the team.

markus_zhang · 9 months ago

This is really a good point. Gonna ask about it in my next interview next Tuesday.

alsetmusic · 9 months ago

I escaped a FAANG to a small company of about 22 people and that was awesome. I’ve been working for a state org that’s considerably larger for over a year with great results. Forget about working someplace that brings you glory or prestige. It makes life a lot better when your life matters more than your career.

Love this. Can you clarify what a state org is? Do you mean like a tech department within your state government?

Yes, exactly. Government orgs also need IT, developers, etc. I get to end my day at the same time every day and while major changes make for a week or so of a ton more work responding, there aren’t sprints to deliver important PR-sensitive releases. My off time is my own.

aynyc · 9 months ago

I have never worked in start ups, but I've many friends in various mid-size companies. You know that `Best Mid Size Companies To Work For` survey they put out? Use that, while individual teams/business unit might be different, that list is fairly accurate from feed backs of my circle. Pick a few companies that are in your industry and see if you can apply for jobs there.

cypherg · 9 months ago

+1 for Atlassian. One of my close mates is a US FTE for 10 years and he's always trying to recruit me, specifically on the merits of work-life balance. Surely varies from team to team but their Team Anywhere (fully remote, all positions) is very appealing.

coldtrait · 9 months ago

Atlassian's hiring is strange, at least in my country (India) where it's either competitive or they just don't seem to hire unless you have a referral. I think I applied via a referral but still didn't get through.

worksonmymach · 9 months ago

I'd say Atlassian is good at least in AU not sure about US. You have to work the 40 but thats it. I do more than 40 because I enjoy but no pressure. Also Team Anywhere and as long as you are there for some meetings it can be flexible around kids etc.

Ansubiu · 9 months ago

Cisco hands down, but there is a catch.

You will have a good life balance. The pay is usually above average (speaking about the UK, not sure about the US). The benefits are also top notch. The colleagues you work with are really top notch too.

So what's the catch? well, if you want to get promoted, you probably will not. The reason is simple: Cisco has a really bad habitude of promoting people from within who have spent decades there. There are exceptions here and there, but if someone spent twenty something years at Cisco and they apply for a job, they have a better chance to get it than anyone else. Also, almost 90% I met there where already >10 years at the company. People leave Cisco and come back to it again.

PS: There have been layoffs recently, so thing may have changed.