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Web application design firm 37signals is spending 2008 running workplace experiments in an attempt to make their office “one of the best places in the world to work, learn, and generally be happy.” Their first experiment:
Shorter work weeks
Last summer we experimented with 4-day work weeks. People should enjoy the weather in the summer. We found that just about the same amount of work gets done in four days vs. five days.
So if that’s the case we could either push everyone to work harder during those five days or we could just skip one of those days. We decided to skip one of those days.
So recently we’ve instituted a four-day work week as standard. We take Fridays off. We’re around for emergencies, and we still do customer service/support on Fridays, but other than that work is not required on Fridays.
Three-day weekends mean people come back extra refreshed on Monday. Three-day weekends mean people come back happier on Monday. Three-day weekends mean people actually work harder and more efficiently during the four-day work week.
In addition, they’ve tried “funding people’s passions” by playing for employees’ personal hobbies (the example they give is funding flying lessons), as well as “discretionary spending accounts” — credit cards that are at the employees’ discretion to use for books, software, conferences, or whatever they think is important. As they say, “We’d rather trust people to make reasonable spending decisions than assume people will abuse the privilege by default.” What an enlightened idea.
So here’s the question: what’s the best thing about your workplace? Have you tried shorter work-weeks, or other experiments in your workplace? And if you can’t think of anything good, check out our previous coverage of Crappy work incentives, Stealing from your office, and Your worst jobs.
(Via Kottke.org.)
Not a four-day week, but in the summer we have half days on Fridays. We stay a little late the other four days to make up the time, but it is great to get off at 12:30 on Friday.
posted by Sara on 3-10-2008 at 7:44 pm
When I owned my screenprinting company, we had 4 day work weeks year round. It was great. Any time that schedule is practical, I think it should be implemented.
posted by Karen on 3-10-2008 at 7:55 pm
Telecommuting!!! About a 1/3 of our office works from home two or more days a week on a regular basis. (I’m home M Th & F) We have a VPN network that when I connect I’m looking at the same desktop as the one in the office. The number of “sick” and “vacation” days taken by employees has dropped tremendously as people tend to still work productively when they are home with the sniffles. Some bosses allow time off when needed, as long as the employee puts in 7 hours for the day.
Fortunately, my office is paperless so there are no files to lug back and forth.
We also have summer hours (1/2 the office leaves at 1 on Fridays) and company get togethers 4 times a year.
December used to be a very hectic period in our part of the industry (insurance). One year they had masseuses come in from 3 - 5pm a couple of times a week.
I’ve got no complaints - been there almost 10 years!
posted by Sue on 3-10-2008 at 8:19 pm
Oh, how I wish i had a job where individula could be individual instead of corporate drones. Unfortunately, I am stuck in the retail hell caled “banking”.
We get enough grief being open 6 days a week with a bazillion ATMs, online banking, and an (admittedly horrendous)automated phone service. I’d love to see the faces of customers if they were told we’re doing half-day Fridays. Now I am speaking from pure, unadulterated jealousy…
They’d never allow our “stores” to close early and lose “sales” Did I say banking is totally a retail business? With cash bonuses for making quotas.
posted by Rinna on 3-10-2008 at 9:12 pm
We are able to award a paid hour off work to co-workers to recognize them for whatever reason we see fit. I give mine to the IT guy for his unfailing good humour in the face of all my whining.
posted by Wanda on 3-10-2008 at 9:19 pm
*scans last three links*
I work in an unusual branch of a large telecom that I will not disclose here. Relaxed working environment aside, it’s still essentially the same big, corporate hell that anybody else deals with, just on a smaller, more casual scale. That almost makes it worse.
That said… I have to say the best thing about my workplace is the excessive amount of paid time off we get - I’ve been working there three + years now and I’m getting 4.5 weeks of vacation time, not including the 12 or something holidays we get each year. It’s not too shabby. Plus, I get a free cell phone with unlimited minutes. And benefits. And they match my 401k at 100% and it vests immediately.
… I still feel like I’m dying a little inside every time I show up for work.
That’s probably a sign I need to start looking for a new job, hm? ;p
posted by Stephanie on 3-10-2008 at 10:05 pm
The 4-day work week sounds like a blast. However that beautiful idea wont work around here. Right now I am working 84hr weeks. And no I am not a layer/paralegal. I work for the good ol’ US of A. What ever it takes is the name of this game and they do all the taking!
posted by nathan on 3-11-2008 at 12:43 am
I work in law enforcement (police/fire dispatcher and 911 operator - a 12 hr. midnight shift from 7pm-7am. I work the following schedule: work Mon. & Tues. - off Wed./Th. - work Fr/Sat/Sun. Then the week flip-flops and I am off Mon/Tues - work only Wed/Th and off Fri/Sat/Sun. Out of a 28-day cycle I only work 14 days. We have paid holidays, sick time and vacation. We are offered health, vision and dental insurance - affordable compared to a lot of other private industries. I perform work that has immediate feedback, is immensely fulfilling and get to save lives - without physically putting my own life at risk (been there, done that in the military). With the economy like it is, etc., etc… I’m grateful for my career and it’s security in society.
posted by Karin on 3-11-2008 at 4:59 am
Well I guess where I work now is one of the best…when we had our holiday party the whole office closed down (actually 4 of our offices) at 11:30 and we had a very nice party at a “mid way” point from all 4 locations. Awards were given and so were awesome prizes (how awesome? Well, the “worst” prize was a $75 gift certificate to Starbucks).
We don’t have any special hours here, but my boss has been very cool about letting me work through lunch and leave early when I have a sick kid (which I do appreciate). Also my boss works with everyone to make sure they get the most out of our paid time off. When I was going to take a 1/2 day off last year (or lose it), she worked the numbers and let me get a full day. She didn’t have to do that…
posted by beth on 3-11-2008 at 8:59 am
In the book-publishing biz in NYC, it’s common for companies to have “summer fridays.” This usual takes the form of a half-day on Fri. for all or half the staff getting the whole day off every other week.
But some people would still happily come in on Fri. or stay after lunch anyway. Why? Because it was a time to get actual productive work done in a less stressful atmosphere–no being dragged into useless meetings, wading through emails and voicemail, being distracted by co-worker drama, etc. One could actually concentrate on the task at hand.
A friend of mine once proposed that we scrap the 7-day week in favor an 8-day week, with a 2-day weekend and 1 day off during the 5-day work week. That way, everyone would have a full 2 days to relax and regenerate and 1 day to do personal errands and chores–which a lot of people, of course, do on the company’s time under the current system–thus cutting down on overall productivity.
posted by LIFSOS on 3-11-2008 at 9:49 am
I work for a municipal government, so there’s no chance for any kind of experimental workplace here.
I’ve always wanted to work for a place that had these sorts of experimental/flexible work schedules because I honestly feel like I’m someone who would benefit from them. But I instead wind up at jobs where the attitude has been “8:00-5:00, 1-hour lunch break, 2 weeks vacation, 2 weeks sick time, and be happy you even get that.”
posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 3-11-2008 at 10:00 am
Here in the engineering department we can come in whenever we want, as long as you get 40 hrs for the week and complete your projects on time no one bothers you.
posted by Kevin on 3-11-2008 at 11:06 am
I teach art in a public school. I see upwards of 160 kids a day, but I am getting paid to-make-art-all-day-long!! (I had my own studio for many years and it was a feast or famine existence.) I have unlimited access to all the materials I could ever need and my day ends at 2:30 p.m. Paid summers and extended holiday vacations, along with three weeks of sick/personal leave which amount to a 180 work-day year. I am 40 years old and still get excited about spring break.
Sure I have to occasionally deal with projectile vomit, blubbering, woeful tales of not getting to be line-leader and lost lunchboxes, and some just plain *craziness* (who doesn’t?) but the overall scene is great. I will continue this gig as long as I am able!
posted by Rosy Blooms on 3-11-2008 at 11:48 am
I think the best thing about my job is that we have a daycare/preschool. I don’t have kids, but its reassuring to know that if I do one day, they’ll be close by for their first couple of years. And, my cube is close to the daycare annex, so I get to hear them singing and laughing occasionally throughout the day. It most always makes me smile.
posted by HL on 3-11-2008 at 12:14 pm
I’ve been slowly easing my company into the idea of a Results-Only Work Environment, as championed by Best Buy headquarters.
posted by Jason on 3-11-2008 at 2:22 pm
My company flies us to Hawaii for an X-mas present every year and puts us up at the 5 star resort in Oahu. And yet, Im contemplating leaving…
posted by Amy on 3-11-2008 at 3:24 pm
If I had a regular 4-day workweek, I’d prefer Mondays off to Fridays off. Much more decadent. But I have a wonderful part-time job with full-time benefits. I have plenty of time to pursue freelance projects, one of which will make me rich and happy someday.
posted by Leisa on 3-11-2008 at 4:30 pm
Like Rosy, I am a teacher (special ed) in the inner city. It is the best job that I ever had! I used to work in the legal aid field and got paid way less, no time off (if you took time off, you were seen as easily dispensable) and crappy hours.
I also look forward to winter, spring and summer breaks (we don’t get paid for them though…I only get paid for 44 weeks). I do get (accidentally) stepped on (kids are visually impaired), tripped over and peed on once in a great while, and yeah, one of the kids jerks off from time to time, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love those kids and I wouldn’t leave even if I won the lottery (maybe :))
posted by TeacherPatti on 3-11-2008 at 4:45 pm
Transcriptionist.
No dress code whatsoever. I have piercings and a bright red mohawk and show up in the same clothes I’d go moshing in or hanging out with friends in.
We have wildly flexible hours. We basically show up to get work done, and when it’s done, we go home, even if that means we’ve worked as little as 3 hours for that day.
We have parties with booze and great food nearly every month.
Soon I’ll be working directly from home with even less hours, possibly as few as six hours a night, four nights a week.
The only downside is that we work night shift, but that’s minor compared to all the perks. My job rocks.
posted by Marcus on 3-11-2008 at 6:26 pm
we get to play outside, laugh at our boss for talking to babies (we basically call her crazy), and during the summer she pays us to go to pick up food or go to the zoo!
posted by Rachel* on 3-11-2008 at 10:05 pm