Man Claims Juniors 'Disrupt' Workflow, Internet Can't Relate To Him

When young professionals begin an entry-level job at a company, hundreds of thoughts race through their minds. Some bravely seek advice or assistance from their seniors, while others wait for them to explain. Additionally, senior members of any organisation have a responsibility to help new employees or juniors, make them feel valued for their contributions, and instill a sense of belonging in them. On the other hand, a software engineer started a discussion on X (Formerly Twitter) when he expressed his dissatisfaction with his juniors who frequently reach out to him about minor or insignificant concerns.

An Indian-origin software engineer recently ignited a discussion on X when he expressed dissatisfaction with his coworkers constantly approaching him with minor or inconsequential issues. He stated that such behaviour reflects “low growth potential and a lack of self-awareness”.

The man, who works for an internet company, stated that junior colleagues or mentees must realise how repeated interruptions can disrupt workflow and impair productivity.

“I’m disappointed when my mentees constantly message me with minor issues. It’s surprising that junior and even mid-level engineers expect me to drop everything to respond to their Slack messages, despite the brief time it takes to resolve their concerns. They need to understand that constant interruptions disrupt my workflow and reduce my productivity,” the software engineer wrote on X.

He stated that his role as a mentor is to teach his mentees as much as he can, rather than to “spoon-feed” them.

The software engineer said, “At the same time, the mentee needs to trust that me not being constantly responsive is beneficial for them”. He further explains that curiosity-driven questions are fun to answer; they are occasionally unusual and the mentor does not know the solution. However, questions seeking aid in simple troubleshooting and process knowledge are frustrating, he adds in another tweet.

The engineer’s tweet started a conversation on X, with other users reacting to his take on junior coworkers’ continuous texting. Others commented on their own experiences and how they dealt with similar circumstances.

A user wrote, “Document such small questions from your team members and share them as FAQs?.” Another said, “I guess you should get them all on a call and tell them what kind of queries deserve your attention.”