5 ms·

A part of me wants Bolt to be successful because they’re pushing new ideas like four day work weeks. While flexible schedules may not be for everyone, having it

by cebert 5y ago

A part of me wants Bolt to be successful because they’re pushing new ideas like four day work weeks. While flexible schedules may not be for everyone, having it as a option is nice.

northerdome 5y ago
This! I don't doubt that Bolt still requires a lot of work and honestly the 4 day work week is probably more marketing speak than anything real. But the world (at remote companies at least) has drastically changed and there is no reason to expect everyone to always have the same hours. Work when you need to to get your stuff done. Be around at pre-decided hours when you need to collaborate. But the rest is up to you.
- erikerikson 5y ago
  Is https://4dayweek.io/ https://4dayweek.io/ not real enough?
  - rsanek 5y ago
    How many of the companies listed there have a >$10b valuation?
- xmprt 5y ago
  I find that I often need to have quick conversations with coworkers while working. These can't be pre-planned meetings because if they were then I'd be blocked for up to a full day. Personally I'm much more in favor of 3 or 4 day work weeks where everyone is available and then having more days that are completely free to myself. Unfortunately, it seems like the world has converged on this hybrid schedule where you come into work for a few days (meaning you still have to live near work and commute) but also work remotely the rest of the time (meaning a lot of communication is async and inefficient if the company isn't built remote first).
  - josephd79 5y ago
    I think the bigger issue is people are still trying to work remotely like they’re in the office.
  - presentation 5y ago
    I run a global remote startup, by the nature of people having different time zones it’s impossible to ensure everyone is on at the same times - mostly just means a) employees need more than one thing going on at once in case one thing gets blocked a few hours for a stakeholder to wake up; and b) we have to communicate more than a colocated, same time zone team would. But I find the ups to outweigh the downs.
- eldavido 5y ago
  This is so unrealistic. Whenever I see people making the "get your stuff done", I think of sports teams. Owners don't tell players, "The goal is to win the super bowl. Go figure it out." They hire managers, exercise physicians, and dozens of other specialists that prescribe detailed programs of physical training, practice, and even what to eat, to maximize performance. The point is that management has value. Someone has to do the work, of course. But someone also has to figure out how to organize everyone, ensure things are done in the right order, the right people are meeting, and communicating, and such, and yes, tell people whether they're doing enough work, or need to be doing more, and maybe even when to show up for work, or how late to stay. Management's job is to connect the highest-level goals with the actions of the people lower down in the organization, and that very much includes things like controlling the quantity of work and how long people are in the chair/at the screen. I'm not saying management is always done well (it's not) or that you can never have too much (you can). Only that, most people don't want to be told "Go run a business. Figure it out." They need milestones and pacing and to have huge nebulous goals broken down into smaller chunks that can be measured and scheduled. People want to know how to do the job well, whether they're doing enough, and whether things are on schedule. That's management. If you don't like it, there are plenty of career paths like outside sales, consulting, or others where you get to more or less make your own hours.
  - riffraff 5y ago
    > controlling the quantity of work and how long people are in the chair/at the screen. I see where you're coming from, but I think there's a categorical difference between those two. The first you want to maximize, the second is a (blunt) tool to achieve the first. If people prefer to work 4 hours in the morning and 3 in the night, vs 8 hours in one go, vs 10 hours of low focus vs 5 hours of hyperfocus, it should be up to them, provided they deliver. As a manager, it's your job to suggest something, but also to understand not everyone works the same way.
    - JumpCrisscross 5y ago
      > it should be up to them, provided they deliver I think OP's point is delivery is a function of others' work habits. If everyone on your team works 8 hours straight, and you're doing 6 to 10AM and then 7 to 10PM, you're running uphill. Flip the defaults and those working 9 to 4 lose. Forcing this entanglement is management's job.
ckdarby 5y ago
It's a startup where you get hired by being ex-FAANG/pre-FAANG and therefore know someone already there. Source: I applied about a year ago with relevant experience, large consumer site & +$2B/yr payment gateway experience. No reply. Made a fake resume, cutting my experience in more than half, but included 1.5 years at Google and they wanted to start the process.
- nrmitchi 5y ago
  I’m not saying that this is “why that happened”, but if you were running a payments company that was maybe a little bit fishy, would you really want to hire someone with in depth payment gateway experience who would know what to call bullshit on?

by cebert 5y ago

A part of me wants Bolt to be successful because they’re pushing new ideas like four day work weeks. While flexible schedules may not be for everyone, having it as a option is nice.

northerdome 5y ago

This! I don't doubt that Bolt still requires a lot of work and honestly the 4 day work week is probably more marketing speak than anything real. But the world (at remote companies at least) has drastically changed and there is no reason to expect everyone to always have the same hours. Work when you need to to get your stuff done. Be around at pre-decided hours when you need to collaborate. But the rest is up to you.

erikerikson 5y ago
Is https://4dayweek.io/ https://4dayweek.io/ not real enough?
- rsanek 5y ago
  How many of the companies listed there have a >$10b valuation?
xmprt 5y ago
I find that I often need to have quick conversations with coworkers while working. These can't be pre-planned meetings because if they were then I'd be blocked for up to a full day. Personally I'm much more in favor of 3 or 4 day work weeks where everyone is available and then having more days that are completely free to myself. Unfortunately, it seems like the world has converged on this hybrid schedule where you come into work for a few days (meaning you still have to live near work and commute) but also work remotely the rest of the time (meaning a lot of communication is async and inefficient if the company isn't built remote first).
- josephd79 5y ago
  I think the bigger issue is people are still trying to work remotely like they’re in the office.
- presentation 5y ago
  I run a global remote startup, by the nature of people having different time zones it’s impossible to ensure everyone is on at the same times - mostly just means a) employees need more than one thing going on at once in case one thing gets blocked a few hours for a stakeholder to wake up; and b) we have to communicate more than a colocated, same time zone team would. But I find the ups to outweigh the downs.
eldavido 5y ago
This is so unrealistic. Whenever I see people making the "get your stuff done", I think of sports teams. Owners don't tell players, "The goal is to win the super bowl. Go figure it out." They hire managers, exercise physicians, and dozens of other specialists that prescribe detailed programs of physical training, practice, and even what to eat, to maximize performance. The point is that management has value. Someone has to do the work, of course. But someone also has to figure out how to organize everyone, ensure things are done in the right order, the right people are meeting, and communicating, and such, and yes, tell people whether they're doing enough work, or need to be doing more, and maybe even when to show up for work, or how late to stay. Management's job is to connect the highest-level goals with the actions of the people lower down in the organization, and that very much includes things like controlling the quantity of work and how long people are in the chair/at the screen. I'm not saying management is always done well (it's not) or that you can never have too much (you can). Only that, most people don't want to be told "Go run a business. Figure it out." They need milestones and pacing and to have huge nebulous goals broken down into smaller chunks that can be measured and scheduled. People want to know how to do the job well, whether they're doing enough, and whether things are on schedule. That's management. If you don't like it, there are plenty of career paths like outside sales, consulting, or others where you get to more or less make your own hours.
- riffraff 5y ago
  > controlling the quantity of work and how long people are in the chair/at the screen. I see where you're coming from, but I think there's a categorical difference between those two. The first you want to maximize, the second is a (blunt) tool to achieve the first. If people prefer to work 4 hours in the morning and 3 in the night, vs 8 hours in one go, vs 10 hours of low focus vs 5 hours of hyperfocus, it should be up to them, provided they deliver. As a manager, it's your job to suggest something, but also to understand not everyone works the same way.
  - JumpCrisscross 5y ago
    > it should be up to them, provided they deliver I think OP's point is delivery is a function of others' work habits. If everyone on your team works 8 hours straight, and you're doing 6 to 10AM and then 7 to 10PM, you're running uphill. Flip the defaults and those working 9 to 4 lose. Forcing this entanglement is management's job.

ckdarby 5y ago

It's a startup where you get hired by being ex-FAANG/pre-FAANG and therefore know someone already there. Source: I applied about a year ago with relevant experience, large consumer site & +$2B/yr payment gateway experience. No reply. Made a fake resume, cutting my experience in more than half, but included 1.5 years at Google and they wanted to start the process.

nrmitchi 5y ago
I’m not saying that this is “why that happened”, but if you were running a payments company that was maybe a little bit fishy, would you really want to hire someone with in depth payment gateway experience who would know what to call bullshit on?