The Corporate Rebels Handbook Series: Work When (and Where) You Want
This post is part of an ongoing series that gives you an insider’s look at the Corporate Rebels company handbook. If you’re new to this series, we suggest that reading the quick intro post explains why we’re doing this—and what to expect. In today’s post: our policies on when and where we work.
Work when you want
We value freedom. A lot. It’s up to everyone to decide for themselves when and where they work. We don’t track hours, nor do we keep track of vacation days.
Here comes the tough part: we do track performance. We try to make it as transparent as possible to see who’s working on what and how each of us is progressing toward our goals.
We do that because we believe it’s a much more fun way to look at work. It brings excitement to know that your work constantly contributes to our success as a company.
But while having lots of freedom and high levels of responsibility is fun, it’s not easy. Everyone must find their own ideal balance. And that can be a struggle—especially when you’re not used to working like that.
In fact, many companies experience that people tend to take fewer days off when there’s no fixed amount of vacation days. And people also tend to work harder when there’s no mandatory 9-to-5. Please keep that pitfall in mind!
And while we could simply change it and tell everyone how many days they need to take off, or when they must work, we don’t want to do that. We prefer that everyone goes through the struggle on their own and learns how to deal with such challenges themselves.
Because, well, that’s life. You’ll love it when you learn how to deal with it. And if you’re going to be the one to decide when you work, you need to figure out what works for you.
Just keep in mind that life’s not all about work. Take 30, 40, or even more days off if you want to enjoy all the other fun parts of life. Go outside when the sun shines, go to that new movie on a Thursday morning, visit your favorite museum when there’s barely anybody else there.
Life is worth it.
Work where you want
Yes, work wherever you want. Some of us love to work from home, others from our vacation home, or maybe in between winds at an exotic kitesurfing spot.
You know how things are these days—the pandemic really changed people’s perspectives on where they can work. Remote work is more popular than it’s ever been (despite some companies now cutting back on it). But we’ve always been for it. After all, why does it matter where you work from as long as you get it done?
That being said, we also love to be together as a team. That’s why we see the office as a place to spend quality time together. A place where we connect, meet, have lunch, or have a beer together. It’s not mandatory, but it is something we strongly value.
Accountability and trust go a long way
So, there you have it; those are our “policies” about when and where we work. We provide this freedom because we value accountability and trust. Without it, none of this would work.
Can this approach work in every organization? No, probably not… but it can work in more organizations than you may think—perhaps yours included. We hope this inside look at least prompts you to consider it.
In the next few posts in this series, you'll continue to learn in more detail about how we put our values into practice.
For now, this is it! Next time I'll take on 'Roles and Responsibilities'.
