I think I'm falling for Google's 20% time concept - not because I love all the wacky weird projects they've been throwing out lately, but because our own staff in house is so much more creative and powerful and dedicated when they have time to work or play on their own stuff. From Google:
Google engineers all have “20 percent time” in which they’re free to pursue projects they’re passionate about. This freedom has already produced Google News, Google Suggest, AdSense for Content, and Orkut – products which might otherwise have taken an entire start-up to launch.
I've been considering instituting it permanently as part of the job, and I think some work that Kat has been doing (and the rest of us have been contributing to) has pushed me over the edge.
There are lots of benefits to having employees take off on their own:
- Greater passion for their job as a whole
- Less burnout
- More creativity and fun in the workplace
- Finding out your people are far more talented and smart than you ever thought possible
- Some of the projects might actually be revenue generators
Anyone else have employees playing the 20% game?
Hey all! If you haven't read this yet, it is a cool article that I have been passing on to my friends and colleagues:
Be smarter at work, slack off
Yep - posted about that a couple days ago - https://www.seomoz.org/blogdetail.php?ID=929
LOL, sorry Rand... I should've known that you'd be on the ball. What about this clip? It made me laugh out loud at work. :P
Dont work so hard
I believe that people do what they do for their own reasons, and are happiest when they know they're supported in doing their best. The best managers are able to help employees find that 20% while meeting the needs of the company.
20% all the way. I'm lucky enough, though, that sometimes I feel like I get about 80% time. There's always something new and exciting to get my hands dirty with.
It's easy to control. Just let em work on what they want to on friday.
I'm in the 100% club but I work for myself so I can do what I want :P
G-Man
Geoff - that sounds like the best way to do it. Then we just have to budget project time to make sure that a four day work week is what's expected.
They are working toward instituting something like this where I work. I'm not sure it is a good idea unless it becomes company policy and is put into writing somewhere. We already have trouble with employees slacking off and missing deadlines from time to time. How do you police what everybody works on? I'm not totally against the idea. I think creativity is good. But how do you deal with people that already slack off? On the other hand, this can influence them to become more productive.
I agree that having 20% time to do what you feel passionate about helps a great deal in speeding up the 'actual' work. I love that my current employer allows me to spent about that amount of time like that.
It just gives me those little breaks I need every now and then.
Sure, I like the idea. I just find it sad that only engineers at Google deserve to have off time to be creative. What, all the other Googlers are chopped liver :)
I think it would be AMAZING to get employees to WORK 20% of the time.
come come, some of us work as much as 25% of the time :p