The guys over at 37signals posted today about experiments in the work place. They have implemented the 4-day work week (something that Ryan Carson has also implemented at Carsonified). They’re also “funding people’s passions” and giving their employees “discretionary spending accounts”. All of these are really good ways to keep really good employees excited about working at your company, but what they do even more than that is to show that you respect your people and their time. If your team knows that you respect them and want them to be successful in their lives, they will work harder for you and not spend any time looking for a new job.
Along with posting about the experiments that they’re undertaking as a company, the comments for that post are a really interesting discussion about the decisions 37signals is making with these experiments. There are some really thoughtful responses and always some really dopey ones. But it’s a cool conversation to see.