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The Newest Perk: Less
Work
Clever businesses know that the best way
to retain employees is to not run them ragged.
Wanted: Web developer for cutting-edge
dot-com. Competitive pay, benefits, equity. Must know Java and C++ and be
willing to work no more than 40 hours a week.
Is that a typo? Silicon Valley is
supposed to be the land of milk, honey, and 100-hour workweeks, right? Not
anymore. As dot-com burnout becomes a serious reality, recruiters looking to
sign on weary Internet hotshots are turning to a new perk: a realistic
balance of work and life.
Kim Fisher, CEO of audio application
developer AudioBasket, competes for employees in staff-starved San Francisco
and touts her company's more manageable working style as a competitive
advantage. "Even though we have a wonderful, comfortable office," Fisher
says, "if people don't get out of the place, they don't keep the ability to
be creative."
But enforced sanity isn't just for the
staff, it's also easy on the bottom line. "It's more cost-effective for us
to retain employees than to replace them when they burn out," Fisher says.
"We're not raising money to get bought out. We're building a sustainable
business . . . and you have to have a certain environment to make people
want to stay for the long run."
How does a dot-com get the job done and
still send people home in time for supper? It starts with recruiting the
right people. "We hire people who know their jobs, which makes it easier for
people to get their work done in a reasonable time frame," Fisher says. "The
kinds of people we recruit know how to get their jobs done and have a life
as well."
By all accounts, AudioBasket's easygoing
ways have been a hit with the staff: The only time the company has lost any
of its 40-plus employees was when it moved offices, leading to the departure
of a couple of commuters.
by Christopher Null in the
September 2000 issue of ZDNet Smart Business |
