Recently I introduced Freedom as SmallBox’s 8th core value. Here’s an excerpt from my recent 2011 wrap up speech:
Starting February 1st, 2012 we now declare all SmallBox employees to be free.
Free to come to work when they want for however long they want. Free to take as much vacation time as they need for whatever reason. Free to work and live the way they want to.
With freedom comes responsibility. The responsibility to do our best work. To hit billable goals. To go above and beyond when needed. To thoughtfully communicate. To plan ahead. To think of others. To hold each other accountable when we stop growing or lose focus.
If you need help knowing where the lines are, ask. If you want personal structure, create it.
Unlimited vacation days? Am I losing my mind? No more tracking PTO/vacation/sick days, etc? Am I actively trying to push SmallBox out of business? No, I think I’m just acknowledging that we are adults and can be trusted. To me this is the next logical step in handing over control of SmallBox to the team. They have earned it and I’m happy to cede more control and freedom to them as a result. I also trust that they will hold each other, and myself, accountable.
Considering I’m currently on “vacation” in Colorado, but also working on an RFP, the entire concept of PTO makes zero sense to me. It’s an old school mentality. If I understand it correctly, I work, on average, 10-12 hours per day, as well as 6-8 hours over the weekend. I’m then “awarded” PTO at the rate of a “business day”. But what about all the “extra hours” I’ve put in. Oh, and when I’m ON PTO… does that mean you’re not going to call, email, or expect work out of me?
Bravo, Jeb! Love seeing the approach for the year 2012.
Jim, thanks for the response. I think you hit the nail on the head. It’s currently a double standard- the modern worker is on call 24/7 even during vacation. I firmly believe in down time and encourage my team to take “real” vacations where they are able to unplug and recharge. As long as they plan ahead it’s usually the case. I still struggle with totally unplugging myself but I am getting better. Having a great team makes it easier.
So I hope you can relax and unwind in Colorado. You deserve the break.
Jeb
I think this is a great idea, however, I have a dilemma I’d like to pose to see what your thoughts are about it. I used to work at a company that had a similar policy. As someone who loves to travel as a way to unwind and recharge, I did take vacations (making sure to never exceed 10 days over the course of a year since that was the previous policy). However, the majority of my fellow co-workers did not share my love of travel and never took more than a few “vacation” days each year. Eventually, I began to feel badly about my time off and reduced my time away of the office as well. Looking back on the situation today, I am still not sure how I should have handled it any differently.
Rhaya, great question! I think it goes back to the cultural maturity of the organization. That’s why I didn’t do this before, I didn’t think we were ready for it. Just like giving a toddler the keys to your car, you know they will just wreck it! So I think a company has to reach cultural maturity levels that create the foundation for these kinds of liberties. Chances are the organization you were at wasn’t actually ready for that kind of work freedom even though you personally were.
So you agree?
I do agree. Ultimately, as you say, it depends on your team. I think that some people need a structured policy for them to feel comfortable making decisions regarding time off. However, if you know your team will see the freedom you offer and neither take unfair advantage of it NOR feel pressure to never take time off because there is no specified allotted number of days, then you have a perfect scenario for what you are doing.
Love this! You might have to implement a mandatory PTO for the people that never take time!
Take their keys and their computers away. LOL! What was their reaction when you told them about the new policy?
They weren’t too surprised since I’d been hinting at it for a while. I think they saw it coming but they were happy!
That’s fantastic, Jeb. We’ve been doing unlimited vacation at xiik for four years and have never looked back! I think you’ll love it. To Rhaya’s point, unfortunately, we found that many people take fewer vacation days than they would in a fixed environment. However, those are the same people that, given four weeks of vacation, would try to take three them in December to burn them before they disappear. To Jackie’s point, we have actually implemented mandatory PTO for people who did not seem to take enough time off. You just have to have the right culture and tell when your team needs some time off. That’s important whether you have a vacation policy or not. Kudos to your progressive culture, Jeb.
-Your friends at xiik