P.S. I don't know if you're celebrating Christmas, but I'd like to use this opportunity to wish you & your loved ones all the best!  A small surprise from me - another chapter to read, enjoy!🌸

“What are you guys talking about?” Natalia’s voice made them both turn their heads.

Mika hesitated for a second before deciding to give her an overview of the situation with Francesco. After all, she was a manager and always emphasized the importance of staying updated with the rest of the team, as well as bringing up any blockers or situations that required action.

Don’t be afraid to share your ideas or concerns, no matter how small or trivial they might seem to you, Natalia’s words echoed in Mika’s mind, giving him a bit of encouragement.
 
“I’m trying to get him on the call. I even suggested meeting in person since we’re both working in the same building, but he hasn’t replied to that either. I’m kind of stuck and not sure if he’s behaving like this because of me or if there’s another reason,” Mika finished explaining, hoping that as his manager and a more experienced person, she would be able to help him.

“Let’s discuss this during our one-on-one. Shall we go now?” Natalia asked, pointing towards one of the empty meeting rooms.

“Sure, let me just grab some water,” he answered, then turned his head to Aleksandr, who had already returned to his tasks. “Should I bring you anything to drink?” Mika asked him, but he shook his head.

***
 

“Mika, before we start talking about the situation with Francesco, I want you to know that I’m really happy to have you as part of our team, and I think you’re doing great,” Natalia said, adjusting her chair and leaning her arms on the table.

Mika blushed, surprised by her unexpected and honest words. This was the first time in his coding career that a manager had praised him.

As a career changer, he was used to hearing all kinds of comments, usually related to the fact that he didn’t have a technical degree from a prestigious university. Even though he had spent 3 years at his previous company, some people looked down on him until the very end, almost questioning his entire existence as a developer.

They used every opportunity to prove to him that his presence was not welcome: whenever the problem occurred, Mika was asked to solve it. When things were going badly, someone from the team would not hesitate to make jokes and casually throw out, „That’s probably Mika’s fault.”

No matter how much he worked, stayed overtime, and tried to prove his worth, it was always not enough. Just like in his relationships, he was the one to take the blame for all the misfortune and problems.  

Not sure what to reply to Natalia’s kind words, he just nodded.

“Now, moving to the main subject…there’s something I wanted to share with you about Francesco,” she continued.

Mika felt like she was about to drop a bomb… 

“Before you joined, Francesco reached out to me expressing his interest in our team. At the beginning, he seemed like a good fit, and we were considering his candidacy. But there was something about him that bothered me and the rest of the team, so I reached out to his manager. It turned out his yearly review was bad, plus he caused some problems within his team. I don’t know many details, but it looks like he was sure no one would find out about this. Of course, after that, I let him know that we had decided to choose another person.”

…and he was right.

Crossing his arms, Mika felt a rush of nervous energy as he absorbed Natalia’s words. He glanced at her; the serious expression on her face emphasized the weight of her words.

At that moment, Mika felt both relief and concern—relief because he now understood why Francesco behaved this way, and concern because, from the moment Mika was selected during the interviews and joined this team, he had become Francesco’s enemy.

It seemed like Francesco’s goal was to sabotage Mika’s work. “If that’s the case, then why is he still working here?” Mika wondered.

Natalia sighed, “It’s not that easy to fire someone. He has been warned by his manager, and they have prepared a special plan for him. He has six months to improve.”

Hearing Natalia’s explanation, Mika recalled what Aleksandr had told him earlier today about how things work at big tech. Still, he couldn’t understand why they would keep someone who was acting this way for another half of the year and why managers had such limited power.

This is strange – not only is it bad for the company, but also for the team’s morale, Mika mused, lowering his head.

He didn’t have any friends working for the biggest IT companies and didn’t have access to first-hand information. All his knowledge about the working conditions and environment came from what he was able to find on the Internet.

Even though some people were criticizing Mnx and other big tech companies for a lack of diversity representation or bias toward women and underrepresented groups, the majority of articles were focused on 3 main aspects: brand name, money, and technology.

Working for a big brand meant prestige and, at least in theory, stability. You didn’t have to worry about not getting paid on time. Having one of those big brand names on your CV automatically increased your chances of getting more messages from recruiters trying to hire you. You became more visible, and your value increased. You could easily switch jobs and spend your entire career moving from one big tech company to another.

Money was always a hot topic within the software engineering community. Comments like, “Company XYZ is paying this much, while others can’t even share their salary ranges. That’s pathetic. I’m not gonna waste my time interviewing with them,” “A recruiter asked me about my salary expectations and then stopped replying once they found out how much I’m making,” or “What? You want to join big tech and asked for that much money? You’re stupid! Go ask for more!” were common. The money and all the benefits that came with it were definitely worth the time people spent on interview preparations.

Working at big tech meant working in a product company where possibilities were unlimited, and the products evolved faster than in other places. The same went for technology—you could be sure that if you joined, your work would be exciting, and you wouldn’t find yourself stuck with outdated technology.

All of this was important for Mika, but more than anything, he wanted to work with smart and talented people who would be open to sharing their knowledge.

This is why hearing what Aleksandr had told him and what Natalia had shared brought a sad sensation to his heart.

Absorbed in his dreams of working at a big tech company, Mika took a sip of water. He had imagined it as a place of innovation and collaboration, but the reality of bias, lack of diversity, and a cutthroat environment was disheartening.

Am I disappointed? Didn’t I expect something like this might happen? After all, I wasn’t born yesterday. Nothing comes for free; there is always a price to pay.

Yet, amidst the sadness, he found calm knowing that he was part of a great and supportive team. He also knew that he could rely on Aleksandr and seek his help if anything happened.

“So, what do you suggest I should do?” he asked Natalia, raising his head.