How do you approach former Russian colleagues? | Hacker News Reader

How do you approach former Russian colleagues?

5 pointsgwbas1c9 comments

I worked for nearly a decade with a remote team that was mostly Russian.

We never discussed politics. They were all very smart, so I suspect that at the moment they are in shock.

How are people approaching their Russian colleagues at this point? I want to message them on LinkedIn, but I don't know what to say.

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Unless you really want to hear their perspective or they themselves bring it up, I wouldn't say anything. You are there to work with them and that professional relationship needs to stay intact. The moment you bring up politics and hear views that are against your own values, your views of them will change. This can have or perceive to have an impact on the work, which will open a new set of problems that you didn't want to get involved in.

Your former colleagues are most likely shocked and very, very worried about their livelihood and gloom future prospects. Be considerate, approach them in the same manner as other people in a serious crisis. Personally, I'd be delighted if a former foreign coworker asked me how I'm doing and small talked a bit. Conversing with other people in a similar situation gets old day by day.

And even if they disagree, they probably don't want to sound unpatriotic, in a written communication, in a foreign owned platform. You never know when an idiot is going to star a witch hunt of unpatriotic people, and this apply to any country of the world during a war.

It's interesting to read again http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html and try to remember how it was in 2004 when it was published.

In our production the official language of our late shift is basically Russian (working in Germany). Nobody of them has any influence on the politics of Russia so I don't know what I would even ask. They don't have to justify themselves of course.

There may be some Ukrainians too, but until now there were no fight breaking out or anything unusual going on. I don't know the original nationality of each colleague. Formerly I would have said that everything east of Berlin is Russia anyway. Not the best time for that joke these days...

'Discussed politics.' What does that even mean? Do they have to answer for the actions of their government? Do you answer for the actions of yours?

> Do you answer for the actions of yours?

I live in a liberal democracy and vote; so indirectly, yes.

Maybe don't, like what do you want them to say?

“Former Russian colleagues” Once a Russian, always a Russian. :)

You don’t have to approach them.

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