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RSSHere is the Netflix vacation policy:
Netflix Vacation Policy and Tracking: "there is no policy or tracking"
How is this possible? How can a serious company let people take as many vacation days as they want? How? Apparently, Netflix trusts its people to do the right thing. Netflix has decided to focus on what people get done, not how many hours or days they work.
My company has been adding a number of folks lately, so the issue of vacation policy has been top of mind and has been the subject of a number of conversations. The more we talk about it internally, the more I like the Netflix approach. Here 's why:
Reflects reality. In most of today's more nimble and fast-moving companies, people take vacation when they can and when they need it. In the end, it doesn't really matter much how many days were allotted. In the vast majority of my experience over the past 15 years running digital start-ups, our people took too little vacation, not too much.
Reinforces focus on performance and results. We tell people that performance and results matter most, not process. This reinforces it.
Further empowers employees. This policy puts your money where your mouth is for empowering employees. If employees are truly in charge and at the center of the enterprise, giving them control over their vacation days truly gives them more meaningful control over their working conditions.
Differentiated tone and culture of company. We are all trying to recruit and retain the best and brightest. Adopting policies like these can be critical in differentiating a company. Further, it encourages folks to question other outdated and potentially irrelevant policies -- also a healthy exercise.
What do you think? Has Netflix gone off the deep end by eliminating vacation policies or tracking? Would it be suicide for other companies to follow? What should we do at Simulmedia?
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Seriously, I absolutely love the feeling of being on vacation and checking my email. It has the effect of making one realize that one could MOVE to the spot where one is vacationing and work full time from there. This feeling enhances the freedom aspect of the vacation and, thus, makes the vacation more enjoyable.
The opposite - *not* working on vacation enhances the feeling that "I am only able to be here for a short time no matter how much I may want to stay". When you don't check your email, your brain feels tied to the computer back in the far away office that you have to return to.
I am now at a resort working full-time via the Internet. I didn't bother to go anywhere for vacation because there is no place on Earth I would rather be than where I am.
Over the course of 30 years, one thing I learned about myself is that I'm most productive in sustained bursts of high intensity, followed by a day or two of recovery during which my mind often turned numb. In the 80s and 90s it wasn't impossible to find a friend and enjoy a "play day." Try that now!
Agreed.
So perhaps there's a place in-between: No limits on vacation time, but require employees to take a minimum amount.
Our concept of "vacation" is so backward these days anyway. As folks rush to "use" the last of the days before the year ends, I can't help but think how arbitrary these rules can be.
Bravo Netflix for having faith in its workforce!
NEAT