Principles of my company

One day, I will have my own company. But my company will be different.


How?


1) All People will have their own private offices to work in peace, quiet, and privacy.


2) There will be no motivational posters with nonsensical quotes, etc. floating around anywhere. These are demeaning to employees. They imply that it takes a poster to constantly remind people to do a good job.


3) There will be no performance-related pay. Instead people will be paid fair salaries and everything will be done to take money off their mind. Performance-related pay is nothing but a bribe for employees to do their jobs, and it turns things into a “doing the job just to get the incentive” situation. You can compare it to a dog shaking your hand in exchange for the biscuit you’ll give it as a reward, not because it particularly likes you.


4) There will be no performance reviews to induce fear, distress, and rivalry in the employees. Continuous feedback on the job will eliminate the need for it.


5) People will be rated not on just what their job involves, but on other roles that they may play in the company that contributes to the growth of the company. A Web author who comes up with a money-saving idea will not be rated on just HTML skills alone.


6) People who speak up against company practices will not be labelled “disrupters” and “non-team players”. If their criticism makes sense, it will be seriously considered.


7) No one will have to work overtime for more than two days in a month. If they work more than this, they will get compensatory leave. All people have personal lives that need attention. People with personal problems make inefficient employees.


8) People who are more inclined towards purely technical or functional roles will not be forced to manage people or projects as the only possible career growth option. If someone wants to remain a superior programmer/ designer/ writer, he/she will simply move into a role that requires advanced skills e.g., technology research, advanced UI design, etc.


9) A percentage of company profits will be set aside for distribution in equal percentage amounts to all employees. This is far more effective than incentive pay and since it depends on company growth, it will encourage a holistic view of things rather than individual performance.


10) Lastly, there will never be corporate bullshit like mission statements that say something inane like “We create high-quality products for our customers”, or “Our employees are our greatest asset.” The work environment should say this, rather than trumpeting it in some ego-centric corporate material.

5 thoughts to “Principles of my company”

  1. It sounds very familiar to be being a JoS fan.
    Anyway, I would have joined your company if only you had opened something related to IT! 🙂
    JD

  2. Considering that this post is more than 3 years old and that now, you have your own restaurant, I am assuming you dont have any openings for software people in your company ..
    But if you do open one, I would like to join this company!

  3. Hi Madman,
    i have spent a good part of my day reading through your blogs. Truly interesting and entertaining. But as i read through your blogs i couldnt help wonder where in your mind is the line between way things should be and way things can practically be. I feel a current of idealism and devil-may-care in your blogs. But imagine a world where everybody is like you and have as radical thoughts as you. I’ve met people like you and i count myself as belonging to the class that sucks it up and keeps things going, not necessarily change things drastically. When i was younger my immediate feeling for people with such opinions was of anger and dude’s-on-a-cloud… but with age i have learnt to listen to the opinions.
    Just curious what a comment like this triggers in your mind. You seem like a guy who has the right attitude to take comments (you wouldnt have had such a fantastic blog site if not :)). Write a blog on this, I’am sure it will create more interesting conversations.
    Anyway i think you have a fantastic blog. Your blog sort of sounds like a desi version of http://www.joelonsoftware.com/.
    Keep up the good work
    Raj

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