12 ms·

This is so 100% on point. I think the Netflix NYT article from yesterday had a more realistic tone regarding the "family" aspect: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06

by jc4p 10y ago

This is so 100% on point. I think the Netflix NYT article from yesterday had a more realistic tone regarding the "family" aspect: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/magazine/can-netflix-survive-in-the-new-world-it-created.html http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/19/magazine/can-netflix-survi... > The key concept is summed up in the 23rd slide. “We’re a team, not a family,” it reads. “Netflix leaders hire, develop and cut smartly, so we have stars in every position.” Your last sentence here is really important. If that's the mindset a person is in, when a business-centric action happens they won't feel as betrayed. Trust me, feeling betrayed while also fully logically knowing you shouldn't feel betrayed because it's a corporation in a capitalist ecoystem is such a bad feeling.

whatever_dude 10y ago
> cut smartly I actually think this is important. Working with an asshole is a big problem, and I fully admire leaders who know when it's time to let someone go because the situation cannot improve. It certainly beats working in a caustic environment because people are afraid to fire someone.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- bduerst 10y ago
  Wasn't Netflix referring to cutting people when they became idle? Their whole motto is "we're a professional sports team" so if you can't play ball (or there's no longer a ball for you to play with) then you're cut from the team. This was different from the family viewpoint where a company takes an employee and tries to grow them or find new work for them. They're not really referring to "culture" fit, team compatibility, or even cutting assholes, just whether or not you can provide value to Netflix at that moment.
  - ErikAugust 10y ago
    The problem I have with pro sports analogies is that productivity is much easier to quantify and track in sports than most businesses. One usually must spend a decent amount of time/energy tracking and making the case for their own productivity, which of course, lowers their actual productivity.
- jimjimjim 10y ago
  alas, usually in cutting environments like this the caustic assholes are the ones who stay and the ones who haven't presented their output in the best way are the ones who will be cut.
  - roel_v 10y ago
    You're assuming that you have to be an asshole to get/make your results noticed. And yes, those who sit in a corner doing stuff nobody cares about will be fired, and rightfully so.
    - zentiggr 10y ago
      I think the implication was that those who sit in a corner doing stuff fundamental to the company's success, who don't present themselves well to the decision makers, will still get cut.
  - whatever_dude 10y ago
    Of course people have to be smart about cutting, and things are not going to go right if the leaders are themselves unable to identify actual negative net influencers. But in my own experience, I've worked at one specific place that was very very good about identifying people who plainly didn't help and letting them go. It helped immensely over time: the culture was really good (people were really invested in their job, and loved working as a team) and the retention rate was about 6x higher than most places in the same field. They didn't use bogus metrics or anything, it was always a "feeling" kind of thing. If several people said someone was not helping, they were most likely right. It was arbitrary I admit, but rarely wrong. There's books about it (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surviving/dp/0446698202 https://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surv...) but personally haven't read them yet.
- nandemo 10y ago
  They don't fire "assholes" though, they fire people with "adequate performance" (you need to be a "star").
cyberpanther 10y ago
I agree the whole family thing is ridiculous. However, the performance focus of Netflix is probably too far on the other end and ridiculous too. People are not machines and performance will not always remain high. And also measurements of performance of people are often silly and useless. Performance will fluctuate and change with time. So a level a loyalty in the face of bad performance is still very advantageous even for businesses. Some happy medium between family and performance oriented needs to be found.
- arcticfox 10y ago
  The voting on your post implies people disagree, but the method you mention is the way the vast majority of companies try to operate because it intuitively makes sense. Even in a cut-throat industry like sports, athletes aren't cut or traded the instant they enter a slump (if they still have future potential).
  - cyberpanther 10y ago
    As mentioned below, Netflix has the philosophy "we're a professional sports team". Yet they don't pay people millions of dollars like an athlete. If you really want to be cut throat, great, pay people like an athlete then. Otherwise quit the BS.
    - fossuser 10y ago
      They may not pay millions (as far as I know), but I've heard a senior engineer at Netflix can make upwards of $400k/year which is a lot relative to a similar position in other companies.
      - phamilton 10y ago
        It's actually comparable to league minimum in Major League baseball, roughly $500k. And I can guarantee that the average minor league player out there makes far less than your average software engineer.
drdeadringer 10y ago
I just listened to recent old NPR clip on Netflix and the HR employee who created this slideshow. I'm planning on exploring this slideshow soon.
- matt_wulfeck 10y ago
  Keep in mind the employee who created the famous culture deck was herself let go.
Bombthecat 10y ago
We say co workers. Not family.

by jc4p 10y ago

whatever_dude 10y ago

> cut smartly I actually think this is important. Working with an asshole is a big problem, and I fully admire leaders who know when it's time to let someone go because the situation cannot improve. It certainly beats working in a caustic environment because people are afraid to fire someone.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
bduerst 10y ago
Wasn't Netflix referring to cutting people when they became idle? Their whole motto is "we're a professional sports team" so if you can't play ball (or there's no longer a ball for you to play with) then you're cut from the team. This was different from the family viewpoint where a company takes an employee and tries to grow them or find new work for them. They're not really referring to "culture" fit, team compatibility, or even cutting assholes, just whether or not you can provide value to Netflix at that moment.
- ErikAugust 10y ago
  The problem I have with pro sports analogies is that productivity is much easier to quantify and track in sports than most businesses. One usually must spend a decent amount of time/energy tracking and making the case for their own productivity, which of course, lowers their actual productivity.
jimjimjim 10y ago
alas, usually in cutting environments like this the caustic assholes are the ones who stay and the ones who haven't presented their output in the best way are the ones who will be cut.
- roel_v 10y ago
  You're assuming that you have to be an asshole to get/make your results noticed. And yes, those who sit in a corner doing stuff nobody cares about will be fired, and rightfully so.
  - zentiggr 10y ago
    I think the implication was that those who sit in a corner doing stuff fundamental to the company's success, who don't present themselves well to the decision makers, will still get cut.
- whatever_dude 10y ago
  Of course people have to be smart about cutting, and things are not going to go right if the leaders are themselves unable to identify actual negative net influencers. But in my own experience, I've worked at one specific place that was very very good about identifying people who plainly didn't help and letting them go. It helped immensely over time: the culture was really good (people were really invested in their job, and loved working as a team) and the retention rate was about 6x higher than most places in the same field. They didn't use bogus metrics or anything, it was always a "feeling" kind of thing. If several people said someone was not helping, they were most likely right. It was arbitrary I admit, but rarely wrong. There's books about it (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surviving/dp/0446698202 https://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surv...) but personally haven't read them yet.
nandemo 10y ago
They don't fire "assholes" though, they fire people with "adequate performance" (you need to be a "star").

cyberpanther 10y ago

I agree the whole family thing is ridiculous. However, the performance focus of Netflix is probably too far on the other end and ridiculous too. People are not machines and performance will not always remain high. And also measurements of performance of people are often silly and useless. Performance will fluctuate and change with time. So a level a loyalty in the face of bad performance is still very advantageous even for businesses. Some happy medium between family and performance oriented needs to be found.

arcticfox 10y ago
The voting on your post implies people disagree, but the method you mention is the way the vast majority of companies try to operate because it intuitively makes sense. Even in a cut-throat industry like sports, athletes aren't cut or traded the instant they enter a slump (if they still have future potential).
- cyberpanther 10y ago
  As mentioned below, Netflix has the philosophy "we're a professional sports team". Yet they don't pay people millions of dollars like an athlete. If you really want to be cut throat, great, pay people like an athlete then. Otherwise quit the BS.
  - fossuser 10y ago
    They may not pay millions (as far as I know), but I've heard a senior engineer at Netflix can make upwards of $400k/year which is a lot relative to a similar position in other companies.
    - phamilton 10y ago
      It's actually comparable to league minimum in Major League baseball, roughly $500k. And I can guarantee that the average minor league player out there makes far less than your average software engineer.

drdeadringer 10y ago

I just listened to recent old NPR clip on Netflix and the HR employee who created this slideshow. I'm planning on exploring this slideshow soon.

matt_wulfeck 10y ago
Keep in mind the employee who created the famous culture deck was herself let go.

Bombthecat 10y ago

We say co workers. Not family.