It doesn’t have to be crazy at work

Day 72 / 366

A few years back I read a book titled “It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work” which was written by two developers and founders who believed that a company could be successful while also being good to their employees. I loved the ideas from the book and wanted to apply them once I had my own company.

It’s a general conception, especially with companies and managers in India that to be profitable, you need to extract as much work from your employees as possible. This is why something like a 4-day work week will never be implemented by most. If they pay an employee for 5 days, why would they give them an extra day off??

There have been times when my managers and team leads have expected me to work on the weekends as well. Working long hours and putting your work above your personal life is seen as a badge of honor.

The book encourages people to relax about their work and their company. Think of your company as a product, and your employees as your end users. Wouldn’t you want to build a product that is fun to use?

When big startups fail, people are quick to blame them for spending too much on perks for their employees. Free lunches, unlimited paid leaves, and whatnot. I have worked at one such startup, and to this day it’s the best work experience I have ever had. Though we had unlimited leaves, and our leave requests were never rejected, people on average took fewer leaves than they do in most other companies. I don’t think profit is everything, you need also to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

The way I run my company, I want it to be a good experience for the people who work for me. And when I do set up an office, I want them to wake up each day and look forward to coming to it. I want people to stay late because they want to, not because they have to. And maybe someday, I want to try out a 4-day week as well.