How to do the bare minimum when not valued at work?

No one is the villain in their own story - but if you want this bit "I am honest and passionate" to jive, then these bits "How to implement the do the bare minimum? Searching for another job is not an option at this point. I would rather wait for them to fire me." gotta go.

Either do a good job, or leave for somewhere else where you can. Anything else is not the activity of an honest and passionate person. You can rationalize all you want, some things are out of your control, but the one thing solely in your control is how you behave. Staying on a job doing the bare minimum until you get fired because you've decided that the effort involved in improving your situation is "not an option" is a choice, and not one that reflects well on you.

You strike me as a passionate employee that cares about the work. That is a great personality trait, wanted by many employers. Don't throw that out because of politics, make use of it somewhere where its valued instead! Doing bare minimum will probably not be enjoyable; it made me resentful and depressed.

This is a good time disconnecting from current work and explore new avenues. Start interviewing as a way to build up your confidence, visit other offices, talk to other passionate employees, understand what it could mean to be valued in a new company.

Contrary to popular HN belief, it is possible to land a new job, with better compensation and interesting work without participating in complicated interview processes.

At the very least, you have now opened doors to new work should you eventually be fired.

It sounds like you're not really over the job. If you were, you would be fixedly focused on getting a new one. So my guess is that anything you do about pulling back effort or leaving whilst working from this mindset is going to be half-hearted. I personally think advice on this matter will be wasted, because if it mattered to you, you would have figured out an answer to your question yourself. People naturally drag their feet on things they don't believe in and aren't excited for, it's not a learned skill.

Anyway, if I'm right, it follows that you're struggling to do the bare minimum because people who care don't do the bare minimum, they do their best, often at expense to themselves.

I would suggest maybe you try to come up with some rules (no emails before X AM or after Y PM, answer emails at least 1 day after receipt, work no overtime unless asked) and you could practice them until it becomes reflex. On top of this, I find it useful to look at what your 'worst' peers are doing and slowly adjust the pace of work to meet them if you're outperforming them.

Whatever you do, start the search for a new job now. It takes time and applying and interviewing is a skill that you should practice, something amazing may come up and you can go for it, but you won't know unless you look. If you're aiming at big companies, you don't want to have to wait to the last minute when they give you notice to start grinding leetcode questions, do you?

Some parameters missing in your description:

Are you expecting a large severance payment if you do work until they initiate termination, that you would not get if you quit?

Do you need any of these political bloodsuckers' reference and good word to land a new job?

If the product is making money but somehow the company that owns it does not see a future in more investment there, who are their competition and why not work for these guys instead? How valuable is your domain knowledge and how much is locked in non-competes? Same question for the customers of the product you are working on... Why is your goal to do the bare minimum? Why use the passive form in "being managed out"? Someone somehow has put themselves on top of your game what did they do to corner you, is this in the company's best interest, or is it in their own personal best interest?

The first thing you need to do is accept that you're getting managed out - it's nothing personal, hell, it's not even got to do with how good you were at your job. These things happen, usually to reduce headcount or, in the case of my ex working in Meta, because another manager took a jealous dislike to her.

Once you accept that you're more than likely going to have to leave, just start getting the gears turning to find a new job. Interviews, resume updates, learning new skills and getting certifications, basically anything that will help you land a role. Do some due dilligence on your potential new roles, the companies offering those roles, and the likely salary and benefits.

Treat this job search like proper work - so no slacking off, taking late lunches or anything of that kind. The absolute worst thing that can happen is that you come in one morning, and your office access won't work, and instead you have a action plan ready to go.

If you want to do the bare minimum, a good starting point would be removing any work accounts from your phone. Make an effort to close your work laptop at the end of the work day. Focus on your main goals during the day, perhaps some project you want to finish before it ends. All this will allow you to focus on either what's expected of you, or what's truly important to you.

That said, I do agree with the other comments here suggesting a talk with the manager or a new job. Why get yourself stuck in a situation where you can't take pride of your work?

Why isn't searching for a new job an option? That should be number one.

Number two is figuring out a new skill which will help you get that job, and using it at your current work somehow.

If your employer is a for-profit company, why would you work above and beyond what they're paying you to do?

You might feel an obligation to your users, your manager or your teammates to go the extra mile. But recognise that what you're ultimately doing is enriching the owners of the company - people with capital who aren't working at all for the profit you generate. Which is absolutely fine while you're getting paid fairly for your time. Work is work, volunteering is volunteering. Keep them separate.

People are more likely to value and respect the things they pay for. People often forget to value things they get for free. That includes employers with your time. Unpaid overtime often goes unnoticed, or just becomes expected.

In my professional life I occasionally go above and beyond. Usually when I'm both enjoying the work and the thing I'm doing is highly visible. But those times are more than balanced out by the time I have slacked off in core hours. And I have still delivered value, been recognised for it and advanced.

I perhaps could have advanced quicker if I'd done unpaid overtime. But then I would have been more stressed, and have had less time to invest in other areas of my life. Some of these extra curricular things have been helpful to my career. Like learning promising technologies I am interested in, whether or not they have immediate relevance to my employer. Or doing job interviews.

>Searching for another job is not an option at this point

I wonder why this is not an option. If it is because you lack the time or confidence to do so, then cutting back on working for free should help with that.

1. Never check your office mails all the time. Making yourself constantly available and never pushing back on anything is a sure fire way of being undervalued. Do your job, do it well. Set some boundaries and expect to be respected.

You shouldn’t end up in a situation where you think you are managed out. It means your manager and your company are not transparent with you about what’s happening. The minimum you should expect from a company is to be honest with you regarding your performance and your future - I know it’s becoming more and more rare sadly.

2. There is little point in sticking in doing the minimum passively waiting to be fired. It’s miserable. Change job or straight ask management what’s happening and if they are planning to fire you. Worst scenario they will fire you now. You will get your severance and have time to move on.

You are in a pathological work environment. Good for you for not participating.

Ensure you routinely copy/backup/export all communications, and record any meetings. This will be essential for if you are unfairly laid off.

Similarly, whenever discussion around project outcomes or work items comes up, only do exactly what was discussed. If they told you to do something, do it, but not any implied or assumed extras.

Wherever possible, you need to extend your time and delivery estimates where possible. If you are the subject matter expert then that is easy. Do not let the pathological political environment bully you into burning yourself out to imaginary bullshit timeframes that someone else made up on the spot then reduced by 20%.

Keep doing your best but stop fighting whatever change is happening. You might think you are on the way out and years later you'll still waiting. Now is probably a good time at least leetcode practice in your free time.

I got this advice from a guy who worked many decades at a single company and was about to retire in 2009 - "never burn the bridges" ., keep up the enthusiasm. You never know, they might hire you back down the road...

There is that cliche - "under promise, over deliver" , not sure if that applies to your situation...

Always do your best work, even if you are upset with the company. Keep in mind your work reflects you to your professional network. And your professional network include your current coworkers. So it’s in your best interest to always be you, and not to just ship it in. If people notice, they will remember.

If you think your position is not salvageable your best bet now is to find a new job ASAP.

Here is a how to guide of bare minimum:

If you watch women/men in your work place who act like victims and watch how they work and how they are treated in response by their managers. You can learn a whole lot about putting in the bare minimum and where the line is to not get fired right away. Remember they are very good at manipulation intented/unintended and you can learn a lot from them.

1. You have some drama in your life that is over arching and is impacting your work but you are working through it. Whether it's real or not doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the perception that you are a victim of some sort. You decide on what the story is. You can always bring this up as a reason for not having time or resources to finish something on time.

2. When asked why it's taking too long, there is always an obstacle that you are overcoming and working through. Emphasize your perseverance to get it working.

3. Every chance you get align yourself with someone who is right publicly so you can also look good in front the manager.

These are the behaviours I have witnessed in my career that have worked.

Because of our society it also helps if you have a oily hole between your legs as well. Wish it didn't but it does. Especially with the alpha managers female/male.

As far as ethics, your managers and their managers have none because they can't afford them since they want to go up the ladder as you do. At this point in your story, they are wolves and are eating you, regardless if it's intended or unintended, you are affected. Eating them in your own way is not only your choice but it's the only one beneficial to you if you don't want to find another job.

They are called managers but nobody says you can't manage them in your own way.

Random advice from the internet.

Not doing your best says more about you than about your employer.

Leave and get on with your life.

Good luck.

Take advantage of anything they have to offer that can make you more valuable to someone else in the near future.

While you are still there.

> Searching for another job is not an option at this point. I would rather wait for them to fire me.

Is starting your own product also not an option? How long of a runway do you have if you were to quit immediately? Three months? Six months?

My experience is that most engineers with non-insignificant experience[1] can create an MVP in about three months.

[1] More specifically, have enough experience to estimate what can be done in two months (leaving a one month margin), and the pragmatism to ruthlessly cut scope until it fits into two months.

I have experience at this. Don’t do any work. Research your own hobbies on work time. Look for new jobs. Browse Hacker News articles. Use work time to organise all your normal affairs such as tax, paying bills, being on-hold to companies sorting out things. All the time consuming activities that normally consume your life hours. Transfer these to work hours. Plan your dinner meals. Build new skills and learn a new tech stack. Don’t answer emails. People will call you if important. Don’t answer calls outside of work time. Especially unknown numbers. Arrive late, go do some exercise, show your face, have a long lunch, more afternoon fitness. Leave early.

I did this for 3 months whilst transitioning to a new job; my old boss was the biggest psychopath in the world. In three months I did absolutely nothing. They would send me to meetings and I’d just sit there! It can be done :)

How about talking it out with one of the managers. Someone you think you can talk to. Talking can immediately relieve the situation, at least make you feel better that you got it shared.

If you think you might be facing layoffs, Talks might even have a goal for you like spending some of the worktime on relevant technologies in other teams.

I do not believe in 'how to do the bare minimum', it's often big part of mental health to be able to contribute.

I am sorry for your situation.

Premise: They want to squeeze all the value out of your knowledge of the legacy system and then let you go.

Assuming that's true, there is nothing in principle wrong with this. Just make sure you get compensated well enough to make it a win win. You deserve a premium for not getting to learn newer systems through your work.

"Only consolation is that, a lot of colleagues are also being managed out."

Maybe it's a cultural thing, but this piece of schadenfreude you openly write, strikes me as really alarming. I wouldn't want to work or hire someone that says something like that.

> 2. How to implement the do the bare minimum?. I am finding it difficult. In fact, I keep checking office mails all the time.

... stop doing that? If you're a perfectionist/workoholic and can't/won't do anything about it, you can just channel that drive into looking for a new job instead. Your current job is already over and it doesn't make sense to score points with them any more.

Can you talk with a manager?

My professional advice is to work the job that you have or take a leave of absence.

Personally, a therapist is always a great resource and ally in life.

> What should your strategy be?

It’s easier to find a job with a pay rise when you already have a job, compared to if you’re unemployed.

What signals have you received that you are being “managed out”? What have you been told about your performance?

Managing out is an interesting concept. Sometimes, management wants to reduce headcount but they can't afford the layoffs. It may very well be that the "managing out" part stops after a while when enough people have left. If this is the case, only your management knows if anyone.

Why is searching for another job not an option? Won't you need to do that anyway when they push you out?

If it's as bad as you say. Get out and get out now. This is nothing but negatives. Why stay and burn your reputation? Why stay and burn your will to work?

You are no longer in a mutually beneficial work environment. You have to find a way to change that so both parties are getting value.

I’ve never liked the take that you should do the bare minimum if you’re not happy or valued. If you don’t like it there, quit and go somewhere else but while you’re there you should do your best because it’s a reflection of you and your ethics.

look for a new job at your work time, resign, only do your explicit contractual obligation

Is this a “quiet quitting” post?

Don't spend your precious energy worrying too much about the details. Focus on the big picture: your job isn't working out and you need to find a new one. Put your energy into doing that.

Start taking a lot of sick days and don't do anything you aren't explicitly required to do.

Start making mistakes.

This sounds dumb. Start a startup.

You do your job until you are fired. Just because you know you might get fired is not a reason to not do your job any more.