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For policies like this, your company culture and the examples leadership sets are going to dictate exactly how something like this, or anything else not explici
by nhashem 15y ago
For policies like this, your company culture and the examples leadership sets are going to dictate exactly how something like this, or anything else not explicit, is followed.
If leadership often takes vacation and doesn't do more than basic email checking, if that, then employees will feel comfortable doing the same and enjoy this policy over your standard "you accumulate 5 hours of PTO per pay period."
If leadership rarely takes vacation and when they do they're basically working full-time anyway, then employees will be frustrated because they'll feel they have to emulate the same.
And as I said, this goes for everything. I was briefly at a startup where the CEO would be in the office from 11am to 8pm and it drove me crazy. Every time I left work I would wonder if he thought I was 'slacking off,' because he wasn't in early enough to see when I got in, just that I always left before him. Some engineers just emulated his hours, but given my various other life commitments, that was impossible. There's a reason why "go home on time" is in a lot of CEO advice books.
- balsamiq 15y agoNice one. FWIW, on most days I work from 9:15am to 6:15pm. I do check email before and after as well, and sometimes do actual work after dinner to sync up with our US peeps (I live in Italy). I took two weeks of almost zero-work in August, and take a few days off here and there for travelling/conferences as well.
- fmavituna 15y agoIt's about the size of the company and quality of the communication between the management and team. If your dialogue was better with the CEO then you wouldn't feel that way or just ask him/her easily.
- eavc 15y agoIf only people were rational enough in their behaviors and efficient enough in their communication for that to really be the silver bullet. In a small company, there are rarely such neatly demarcated lines. Regardless of how well you communicate with your boss about arranging to be done earlier, you will feel the eyes of your coworkers when you head out the door. edit: A notable exception being results-focused cultures that emphasize flexibility as a company value. If punching the clock is an expectation, it's hard to manage to be on a shifted schedule without there being at least a twinge of resentment when you head out earlier.
- funkah 15y agoI think that kind of culture is going to be a problem for any employee who wants to take time off, regardless of whether there is a limit. Also, when it comes to taking time off, you have to just suck it up and do it. Our work ethic makes us feel like slackers for it, and makes us project that others are judging us likewise, but the truth is that if you have been doing a good job, you deserve the time off and you are entitled to it. It's normal and it's a good thing, nobody wishes they had worked more on their death bed, et cetera.
- larsberg 15y ago> the CEO would be in the office from 11am to 8pm and it drove me crazy It's probably worse than you think. I would bet that the CEO works 8-8, but like many managers has trouble getting dedicated blocks of time while in the office and so does all of their focused work at another location before coming in to the office.