first, I think this list is a great conception. But personally I've worked in companies and in situations where many on this list were already there. So here's my personal take on several on this list, these are all just my suggestions and thoughts feedback is welcomed, since I'm very interested in building up a good work atmosphere :)
1. "No defined vacation policy" - you do consider this, but I think it will still be a problem actually making people take time off especially if this is just left up in the air for the developers, as a dev you need time off but you're so consumed with your project and its such a part of you that I find myself never doing this unless I know that I have to take 4 weeks or whatever per year, then I can alot time for it. So I think the "loose" idea is good but there probably needs to be a basic timeslot for vacation, or suggestions or something so people don't get burned out.
2. "Company credit card access" - this is another really good idea, but I'm the type of person that feels uncomfortable with this sort of thing (don't know how others are?). Personally, I'd just like to know that hey, you have such and such amount of money for general courses/books per year, if you don't use it, well ok it doesn't get added to your salary but its always there. I don't know that's just my opinion of what I like. Then I feel comfortable, buying resources that aren't %100 percent work related (say a book on Functional Programming, when all I do is build rails apps).
3. "They pick their computer" - yes, dead on, this is a must in my opinion, though if someone picked windows I might actually be apt to deny them - jk. Also I might go so far as to say dual or tri wielding with the monitors is a company mandate.
4. "Let them pick their own email address" - I actually disagree on this one. I think there should be a well defined email schema from the onset such as firstname.lastname@company.com so that you end up with descriptive namespaces for individuals in the company that everyone can remember and looks professional on businesss cards and in to/from headers, not things like cooldever@company.com.
5. "Dedicate time and resources to learning." - I agree with just about everything here. I would actually even go further though (haven't tried this, its just a thought), and concretely set asside a time, say Friday afternoons, where no one is allowed to work, but its hacking time, where they can work on side-projects or experiment with new things, just so everyone can stay uptodate, work on their own stuff, and head into the weekends with a good relaxed feeling.
Thanks! Yea, the vacation policy is getting the most feedback on here. I like the spirit of it, but I think it's clear many people find it keeps them from actually taking vacation.
Just to provide a counter-point on the vacation policy, I worked at a start-up where this kind of policy worked just fine. Most people took a two-week vacation at some point in the summer, and nobody worked between Christmas and New Years. Other days off, usually in ones and twos, whenever needed were always allowed. It worked out great.
I'm curious, b/c conceptually I like the idea of no fixed vacation, just take it when you need it. How was this handled in the company or established in the culture? Did the bosses do the same thing? I could imagine if the heads set the example most might follow suite.
1. "No defined vacation policy" - you do consider this, but I think it will still be a problem actually making people take time off especially if this is just left up in the air for the developers, as a dev you need time off but you're so consumed with your project and its such a part of you that I find myself never doing this unless I know that I have to take 4 weeks or whatever per year, then I can alot time for it. So I think the "loose" idea is good but there probably needs to be a basic timeslot for vacation, or suggestions or something so people don't get burned out.
2. "Company credit card access" - this is another really good idea, but I'm the type of person that feels uncomfortable with this sort of thing (don't know how others are?). Personally, I'd just like to know that hey, you have such and such amount of money for general courses/books per year, if you don't use it, well ok it doesn't get added to your salary but its always there. I don't know that's just my opinion of what I like. Then I feel comfortable, buying resources that aren't %100 percent work related (say a book on Functional Programming, when all I do is build rails apps).
3. "They pick their computer" - yes, dead on, this is a must in my opinion, though if someone picked windows I might actually be apt to deny them - jk. Also I might go so far as to say dual or tri wielding with the monitors is a company mandate.
4. "Let them pick their own email address" - I actually disagree on this one. I think there should be a well defined email schema from the onset such as firstname.lastname@company.com so that you end up with descriptive namespaces for individuals in the company that everyone can remember and looks professional on businesss cards and in to/from headers, not things like cooldever@company.com.
5. "Dedicate time and resources to learning." - I agree with just about everything here. I would actually even go further though (haven't tried this, its just a thought), and concretely set asside a time, say Friday afternoons, where no one is allowed to work, but its hacking time, where they can work on side-projects or experiment with new things, just so everyone can stay uptodate, work on their own stuff, and head into the weekends with a good relaxed feeling.
again great list :)