6 ms·

One of my fantasy ideas was a pop-up company that did destination projects. Like, have the project in Hawaii or Aspen or some other destination. Provide travel

One of my fantasy ideas was a pop-up company that did destination projects. Like, have the project in Hawaii or Aspen or some other destination. Provide travel, accommodation, event planning, meals, etc. Imagine renting a huge mansion somewhere, or an entire compound of cabins by a lake. Go out on group activities, have "expert presentations". Put together like a "mission impossible" group of exceptional experts and build something. People commit for 1-3 months, all inclusive food, salary, etc.

pm90 9y ago
This would really only work for people without commitments i.e. mostly single and young. The idea sounds great though. Come to think of it, sounds like college ;).
- reggieband 9y ago
  I agree there are drawbacks. I could imagine a certain allowance for spouses, children, etc. I got the idea from couchsurfing.com development. I heard anecdotes that they were trading couch time at their offices for dev time. I thought you can do much better than that. It also fit into an article I read on millenials being more motivated by "experiences" than salary. If you want to attract the best talent you should promise them some incredible experience - and destination employment seems to me to beat the Google campus type experience. To be honest, given my current circumstances I would jump at the opportunity for the right experience. I mostly choose where to work/live based on experience.
- gorkonsine 9y ago
  >This would really only work for people without commitments i.e. mostly single and young. Or older and divorced with no kids (or no custody). That situation isn't too unusual these days. >The idea sounds great though. Yeah, sounds great to me. When you're newly divorced, something like this to give you a complete change of scenery would be very welcome.
matthewleehess 9y ago
In the oilfield, workers generally have rotational schedules. Something like 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. The 2 weeks on is intense. 84+ hour work weeks, and still hitting the bar and partying every night. When you're on site, all laundry/meals/etc. are taken care of for you. Toolpushers (project managers) have budgets to cover booze (off-site), entertainment, and so on. The 2 weeks off is to go back home, spend time with family, go fishing, and whatever else you to have to do to relax and be refreshed for your next 2 weeks on. The workers usually get double occupancy rooms. One person works the day shift, the other works the night shift, both working on the same thing. During transition periods, they update each other with statuses of what's going on. As far as I can tell, this is the most ideal way of pushing limits on how to maximize output without burning everyone out completely. If someone had that kind of business model setup, I'd sign on in a heartbeat.
- voltagex_ 9y ago
  Sounds like something you can only sustain when you're young and healthy. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-18/fifo-work-can-lead-to-heightened-risk-of-mental-health-issues/6556138 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-18/fifo-work-can-lead-to-... https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/fifo-lifestyle-points-to-poor-health/ https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/fifo-lifestyle-poin...
- reggieband 9y ago
  Tree planting was another inspiration for the idea and it has similar 6 week on, 2week off schedules based around camps. I have friends who talk about it like it was the most gruelling difficult work of their lives. Yet they look back on it and talk with a nostalgia like it was some of the best times of the life. There are lots of examples of these types of work environments but none with the "coddled tech worker" sort of vibe.

pm90 9y ago

This would really only work for people without commitments i.e. mostly single and young. The idea sounds great though. Come to think of it, sounds like college ;).

reggieband 9y ago
I agree there are drawbacks. I could imagine a certain allowance for spouses, children, etc. I got the idea from couchsurfing.com development. I heard anecdotes that they were trading couch time at their offices for dev time. I thought you can do much better than that. It also fit into an article I read on millenials being more motivated by "experiences" than salary. If you want to attract the best talent you should promise them some incredible experience - and destination employment seems to me to beat the Google campus type experience. To be honest, given my current circumstances I would jump at the opportunity for the right experience. I mostly choose where to work/live based on experience.
gorkonsine 9y ago
>This would really only work for people without commitments i.e. mostly single and young. Or older and divorced with no kids (or no custody). That situation isn't too unusual these days. >The idea sounds great though. Yeah, sounds great to me. When you're newly divorced, something like this to give you a complete change of scenery would be very welcome.

matthewleehess 9y ago

In the oilfield, workers generally have rotational schedules. Something like 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. The 2 weeks on is intense. 84+ hour work weeks, and still hitting the bar and partying every night. When you're on site, all laundry/meals/etc. are taken care of for you. Toolpushers (project managers) have budgets to cover booze (off-site), entertainment, and so on. The 2 weeks off is to go back home, spend time with family, go fishing, and whatever else you to have to do to relax and be refreshed for your next 2 weeks on. The workers usually get double occupancy rooms. One person works the day shift, the other works the night shift, both working on the same thing. During transition periods, they update each other with statuses of what's going on. As far as I can tell, this is the most ideal way of pushing limits on how to maximize output without burning everyone out completely. If someone had that kind of business model setup, I'd sign on in a heartbeat.

voltagex_ 9y ago
Sounds like something you can only sustain when you're young and healthy. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-18/fifo-work-can-lead-to-heightened-risk-of-mental-health-issues/6556138 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-18/fifo-work-can-lead-to-... https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/fifo-lifestyle-points-to-poor-health/ https://www.australianmining.com.au/news/fifo-lifestyle-poin...
reggieband 9y ago
Tree planting was another inspiration for the idea and it has similar 6 week on, 2week off schedules based around camps. I have friends who talk about it like it was the most gruelling difficult work of their lives. Yet they look back on it and talk with a nostalgia like it was some of the best times of the life. There are lots of examples of these types of work environments but none with the "coddled tech worker" sort of vibe.