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This article got me thinking about the frying pan (investment banks) and the frier (startups.) I just pulled an all-nighter in my company (note: I'm our CTO).

This article got me thinking about the frying pan (investment banks) and the frier (startups.) I just pulled an all-nighter in my company (note: I'm our CTO). We needed to put a new capability in for our team as part of a rollout of a big new feature that integrates with other customers. I was glad to do the work and put in the time. I just so happened to interview a candidate the following day (I think it was hour 34). He's very eager -- wants the "fast-pace of a startup", "meaningful work", "make an impact and see the results". He currently works at TechBigCo in Seattle -- take your pick, I hear the same words over and over from candidates who work at these places. We talked about what it's like at our company, and I explained what we just went through with ALL the caveats -- atypical, I made the decision on timing, it's a startup, etc. The candidate was completely turned off and said he could not work for a place that would ever condone that amount of time or that decision. I explained that my team didn't pull an all-nighter -- I was the one who did, because I made a decision (business ultra-critical level), and that decision would affect only me in terms of time. I explained that it's because I have a vested interest in seeing the company succeed. He didn't accept it and has dropped out of consideration for our role. The candidate's response surprised me -- he viewed my action, even as a one-time event, as something that could happen again in the future. He's right -- it very well could, although we're managing our growth (much of the cause of this situation) to balance against our resources. We also have a business to grow, and sometimes success can be dictated by timeframes. That was the case here.

talmand 12y ago
Was it mentioned what was going to happen after the time spent on the project? If I were that candidate and it was mentioned that once the emergency was past you were going to take two or three days off (not counting against days off) to unwind, then I would take that as a fair trade of time. If it was expected for you to show up the next day and continue on as if nothing happened then I would pass too. That's a sign your company doesn't respect people's time. Which as CTO reflects on you. The rules may be different for you being CTO and you have a vested interest in the company succeeding, but it's hard to communicate that to someone that you also don't have vested interest enough to get someone else to spend the extra time with no real recognition or compensation.
- tomp 12y ago
  Same here. I'm not a C*O, but if something needs to be done, it needs to be done, and sometimes I'm the only one that can do it. Even if it's late evening, or during the weekend (e.g. because some employees are in a different timezone with different holidays). In exchange, I expect the management to understand that sometimes, I need to leave early/take more days off. That's I believe a completely fair tradeoff.
- jroseattle 12y ago
  Yeah, all things mentioned that you would expect as reasonable -- this was strictly my decision, I didn't ask this of anyone else, and indeed I'll take some time because I could use the rest. The candidate still wasn't accepting of any decision. Frankly, I don't think it was the timecrunch that really bothered him -- it was the effort associated with it. Purely a hunch on my part, but I think there is a question of adaptability, task-switching and dealing with re-prioritization. As for expectations I set with my employees, I insist on work/life balance. Several on my staff have kids (I do as well). A few are in soccer leagues. Others do only knows what in the off-hours. My expectation is that time away from work greatly enhances productivity when at work, so it's a payoff for us. We have long-term goals, and I want to keep the crew we have around us happy and hungry (for success.)

talmand 12y ago

Was it mentioned what was going to happen after the time spent on the project? If I were that candidate and it was mentioned that once the emergency was past you were going to take two or three days off (not counting against days off) to unwind, then I would take that as a fair trade of time. If it was expected for you to show up the next day and continue on as if nothing happened then I would pass too. That's a sign your company doesn't respect people's time. Which as CTO reflects on you. The rules may be different for you being CTO and you have a vested interest in the company succeeding, but it's hard to communicate that to someone that you also don't have vested interest enough to get someone else to spend the extra time with no real recognition or compensation.

tomp 12y ago
Same here. I'm not a C*O, but if something needs to be done, it needs to be done, and sometimes I'm the only one that can do it. Even if it's late evening, or during the weekend (e.g. because some employees are in a different timezone with different holidays). In exchange, I expect the management to understand that sometimes, I need to leave early/take more days off. That's I believe a completely fair tradeoff.
jroseattle 12y ago
Yeah, all things mentioned that you would expect as reasonable -- this was strictly my decision, I didn't ask this of anyone else, and indeed I'll take some time because I could use the rest. The candidate still wasn't accepting of any decision. Frankly, I don't think it was the timecrunch that really bothered him -- it was the effort associated with it. Purely a hunch on my part, but I think there is a question of adaptability, task-switching and dealing with re-prioritization. As for expectations I set with my employees, I insist on work/life balance. Several on my staff have kids (I do as well). A few are in soccer leagues. Others do only knows what in the off-hours. My expectation is that time away from work greatly enhances productivity when at work, so it's a payoff for us. We have long-term goals, and I want to keep the crew we have around us happy and hungry (for success.)