4 ms·

I have a very different idea: don't expect your employees to be at the office 18hrs/day so that they need catered meals, home cleaning, dog walking, and so on.

by RogerL 13y ago

I have a very different idea: don't expect your employees to be at the office 18hrs/day so that they need catered meals, home cleaning, dog walking, and so on. What a horrible, horrible life these "perks" imply. For example, walking my dogs is the best part of the day, not a chore to be pawned off to a service. Edit: to be clear, I'm referring to the perks in the article, not in the comments. Most of the comments are great.

AnimalMuppet 13y ago
I hear you. Be humane to your people. It goes a long way. But different people want different things. Maybe cleaning your house is not the high point of your day. Maybe one of your co-workers doesn't like having to walk their SO's dog every day. You can actually buy friends for very little money. It just takes a little thoughtfulness. (Of course, you can ruin all that in a hurry by expecting them to work 18 hour days...)
- RogerL 13y ago
  Sure, on the "different people want different things" comments. But I can hire a house cleaner if I want one. Everything in that list was, in one way or another, compensation for the fact that you are not home. I don't really buy that that is a coincidence. OTOH, I think the comments here are right on the money. Give me a great work environment (whether that is great desks, flexible time, or whatever), and I'll give you everything I have for 40 hours. Only a company can give me that - I can buy my own food, select my own cleaning service, and so on. I'm not quite as against the list as my kind of snarky comment implied. I'd kill for a driver, but that is because I live a long distance from the Mountain View office where I work, and I hate driving, and the 2hrs/day this eats. But instead, today I am working from home, and that works, too.
ericmsimons 13y ago
Author of the article here. I don't think many people enjoy doing their laundry or cleaning their apartment. I also think most people enjoy free food, as it saves them money. The dog walking perk I can understand, but beyond that, are you legitimately stating that you wouldn't want any of these perks free of charge?
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- jaggederest 13y ago
  > are you legitimately stating that you wouldn't want any of these perks free of charge? I'd much rather have the money in lieu. It's not 'free of charge' since it's still costing the company.
yummyfajitas 13y ago
I'd rather spend 9 hours/day coding and 0 hours/day on housework than spend 8 hours/day coding + 1 hour/day on housework. So for me it's a great tradeoff. I don't think I'm the only developer who enjoys coding more than cleaning his bathroom or doing laundry.

by RogerL 13y ago

AnimalMuppet 13y ago

I hear you. Be humane to your people. It goes a long way. But different people want different things. Maybe cleaning your house is not the high point of your day. Maybe one of your co-workers doesn't like having to walk their SO's dog every day. You can actually buy friends for very little money. It just takes a little thoughtfulness. (Of course, you can ruin all that in a hurry by expecting them to work 18 hour days...)

RogerL 13y ago
Sure, on the "different people want different things" comments. But I can hire a house cleaner if I want one. Everything in that list was, in one way or another, compensation for the fact that you are not home. I don't really buy that that is a coincidence. OTOH, I think the comments here are right on the money. Give me a great work environment (whether that is great desks, flexible time, or whatever), and I'll give you everything I have for 40 hours. Only a company can give me that - I can buy my own food, select my own cleaning service, and so on. I'm not quite as against the list as my kind of snarky comment implied. I'd kill for a driver, but that is because I live a long distance from the Mountain View office where I work, and I hate driving, and the 2hrs/day this eats. But instead, today I am working from home, and that works, too.

ericmsimons 13y ago

Author of the article here. I don't think many people enjoy doing their laundry or cleaning their apartment. I also think most people enjoy free food, as it saves them money. The dog walking perk I can understand, but beyond that, are you legitimately stating that you wouldn't want any of these perks free of charge?

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
jaggederest 13y ago
> are you legitimately stating that you wouldn't want any of these perks free of charge? I'd much rather have the money in lieu. It's not 'free of charge' since it's still costing the company.

yummyfajitas 13y ago

I'd rather spend 9 hours/day coding and 0 hours/day on housework than spend 8 hours/day coding + 1 hour/day on housework. So for me it's a great tradeoff. I don't think I'm the only developer who enjoys coding more than cleaning his bathroom or doing laundry.