Startups need to realise employee retention is a thing

I am a 6 yrs experienced Software developer and part of a mid-stage startup. This is my third job; I have been working here for 3 years. I was involved here as one of the core engineers at the start in developing the overall platform, After that, my growth as an engineer stagnated for 2 years . Constant importance and priority are given to business requirements and hacky work getting pushed to production in the name of fast iterations and business impact every week. My engineering manager lacks proper engineering skills and doesn't respect engineers even after their impact on the company and constantly keeps saying the engineering team doesn't contribute to the revenue of the company despite us pushing work that improves business positively. Last year around November, around 80% of the engineering team was subtly suggested to start looking out for work (basically a soft layoff) because management was too scared of a social media backlash Due to all this,2 years' worth of technical debt has accumulated on the overall codebase and apart from giving justification for every code improvement that we try to make there, we still have to work on business/product requirements. My growth as an engineer has stopped and I am worried about missing out on the latest developments in the tech industry, especially with AI in the picture, and want to make my skillset somewhat AI-proof. I have come back to hands-on coding this year , so that's a positive start. I am considering taking a 3-4 month break after resigning from my company to study, develop side projects, develop a portfolio etc Has anyone else been in this boat ? How did you come out strong?

I've been observing a concerning trend lately on this platform, and I believe it's high time we rethink the way we treat startup founders. Take a moment to consider the dedication and courage it takes to leave a secure job and venture into the world of entrepreneurship. I feel Companies like Dukaan, AppX etc were unnecessarily mocked here based on one side of opinion, I've had the privilege of working closely with a startup's CTO for the past two years, and it's been an eye-opening experience. Startups are like fragile ecosystems where every member plays a crucial role. However, what I've noticed is that sometimes employees who find it challenging to keep up with the dynamic startup environment tend to cast blame on the founders and the company culture. Let's remember, every startup is a journey of learning, growth, and innovation. Founders make mistakes, learn from them, and strive to create something meaningful. They invest their time, energy, and resources into building something from scratch. Instead of mocking them, we should applaud their courage and determination. But, what's even more disheartening is the toxic behavior exhibited by some employees here on Grapevine. It's disheartening to see individuals intentionally targeting someone's reputation due to personal grudges. Instead of resorting to negativity, let's try to understand the challenges startup founders face. Put yourself in their shoes; empathize with the pressure, uncertainty, and sleepless nights they endure to bring their visions to life. We should strive to be a community that supports and uplifts one another, especially those who are trying to make a difference in the business world. Let's promote constructive criticism and empathy, recognizing that we all have our unique journeys, struggles, and successes. #SupportStartups #EmpathyMatters #GrapevineCommunity 🌟

The startup culture is so toxic these days, they literally treat people like slaves now. Hiring krte time team team krenge lekin fir attitude aisa ki jaise mazdoor ho jo dihadi lene aagye ho roz, idk if its the case everywhere but i experienced it in 2 startups in NCR.

After going through so many posts on grapevine..I feel like all the startups in India are toxic only 😕😕 Really want to know which are the startups worthy of joining? Preferably in product roles

It can be either a strange workplace policy, an altercation with a manager or absolutely anything else.

The current startup tech employees and founders are filled with so much junkies who do not care about the product at all. The culture is set when the startup is founded,when the first set of employees arrive. These folks are some of the most driven and talented and that's fine, it's how it should be. But the problem begins when these folks do not find their own hiring strategy and copy the hiring strategy of other companies. Instead of analysing what works best for them they justify their hiring means by saying this is what other have done. The result is you get a bunch of leetcode warriors who are always wanting to jump ships when given opportunity, never forming deep knowledge about their industry and their product. I work in one of the legacy tech companies, sure we do not hire the best people but we nurture them and that earns loyalty and long careers in our company. Even the employees have a very 360 degree view wrt product. We always deeply care about our product. Tbh I love seeing the stupidity of the market and it makes me happy that more confident that these people are wrong and always will be. Even the Indian startups are unoriginal and copied from the west then how do you expect the hiring to be unique. We are all living in the circus where jokers are supporting each other in making the circus bigger.

Can anyone share for the benefit of those who are keen to avoid making mistakes..

It's getting more and more salary obsessed and culture obsessed with young minds and mid level folks these days. While it's important that those two are important, sometimes I wonder how founding folks build a team that feels together, ships fast with great quality, don't give up on each other and stay longer in the company. If you have been a part of such teams or managing such, leave thoughts here on what helped to achieve that state - could be how framworks, culture, customer obsession, etc are used.