When Gabe Newell, Valve’s future boss, tycoon on the video game market was still employed at Microsoft, irritated him a small company in Texas. In some market segments winning the fight for the client computer giant, which employed thousands of professionals and managers of the highest class. When analyzed the behavior of competition, it turned out that the key to its success has been, among others, independence of staff in the performance of tasks. When, in 1996. Newell departed from MS and founded Valve, decided that his company will work without managers and without a top-down allocation of responsibilities.
introduced in Valve system operation operates on the principle of fair market – each employee reports an idea of the implementation of a specific project and trying to convince him to others. In this way, they form teams, which shapes the purpose and the division of labor. It sounds like utopia, but the market is not the cradle and the best symbol of the capitalist economy? It turned out that in the gaming industry system worked perfectly. “Forbes” estimates today goodwill Newell at nearly $ 2 billion. Last year, she won the competition for the best employer in the industry.
System of employment known Valve – though it seems incredible – slowly ceases to be so special. Granting more and more freedom to employees how to perform the duties and exercise the powers afforded employment is becoming more common. It’s part of the sign of the times. The development of technology makes it possible to perform remote work from home or another location away from the office (ie employment in the form of telework). On the other hand, in some other professions freedom in the organization of working time and tasks due to the realities of the modern economy. No one imagines that eg. Sales representative or salesman can acquire a customer, sitting behind his desk at headquarters, under the watchful eye of a boss who makes sure whether he will come home five minutes before time. Finally, there are entrepreneurs who have their employees leave decisions about where they want to start working and which finish it when you take a vacation, and for how long.
– Telecommuting, moving or individual working time is more or less successful, but definitely needed attempt to respond to the challenges of the modern labor market. In the digital world, time and place of work should not be the primary criterion for assessing results and conditions of work – indicates Radosław lotion, former Deputy Minister of Labour. It stresses that on the other hand, awareness of the dangers of possible abuses stops before more radical changes. – We also know how it looks worse face of the global work. Many people are working beyond all standards, while others can not find any job – he added.
Rule the the same
Increasingly, granting greater freedom in the organization of the work is to abandon the traditional model of subordination, which is modeled on the structure of the military. There are no managers are teams whose leaders define the objectives to be achieved. They help solve problems, but do not interfere with the daily operation. – Company deprived of many decision-making levels can more easily adapt to the rapidly changing economic situation – explains Dr. Anna Jawor-Joniewicz from the Department of Human Resources Management Institute of Labour and Social Affairs.
This model of organization of tasks employees (called bossless office or holokracją) 20 years include, among others in small manufacturing plants belonging to the American giant – General Eletric – or working with him. For the first time in a correctional facility in Durham, North Carolina, and there are already 83 entities, which employ 26 thousand. people. In this way the company has increased productivity in smaller factories, where workers have different skills and can perform various duties. Another key example of such a model management company is W.L. Gore, known primarily for its high-end textiles (including cloth goreteks). The current company called. flat management structure provides that the work is organized not by managers and issuing commands, but in teams of employees whose leader is a person who is familiar arouse respect others. This model works in the company since the beginning of its activity, which is almost 60 years (today it employs about 10 thousand. People).
But workers’ freedom is primarily the domain of small businesses and start- ups. Jeff Jia technology company Menlo describes the organization of work, which it applies: “After coming to the company check what you need to do, what obligations to customers realize. If you do not come, you miss you badly perform duties, the whole team will return your attention. ” Menlo has a board of directors and the President, but the entire crew makes decisions concerning the company, including those relating to employment. From this rule there are no exceptions, which argues that the decision of the crew lost time in the company, among others, niece of the president (despite his opposition in this case).
– participate in the process of fundamental changes in the work itself. There is a chance that the result of these modifications often than before substitute contemporary antagonism employer -pracownik team concept, design, common goal. Operating time replace its result. Teams of free collaborators or co-authors of the project may increasingly be an alternative to hiring dyscyplinowanych mercenaries forced repeatedly to combining how to cheat the company and manager – says Radosław lotion.
No administrators and strict allocation of work, however, not the only manifestation of the fact that employers are increasingly waive supervisory functions. Such trends are also visible, eg. In terms of working time and rest. Common to hire in flexible hours, including the use of flexible working hours, that is the system, which does not specify the exact time to start and finish work for the day, but only indicates the time interval in which to start it (eg. Between 7 and 11) and in proportion to end (eg. between 15 and 19). Thanks to this employee gains the ability to adjust working hours to other responsibilities, especially parenting.
Similar arrangements relate to the provision of rest from work. For example, in 2014. British billionaire Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, which brings together more than 400 companies, introduced in the parent companies concern unlimited leave. On the company’s blog that described his decision: “I do not have to ask permission. We leave the decision to the employee, if and when he feels the need to take a few hours, day, week or month free. And that’s assuming that the holiday will only when it is at 100 percent. confident that he and his team are up to date with all the projects and that his absence will affect the business or his career. ” Freedom of the worker in this field is limited, therefore, only care about the good of the company. It operates on similar principles so. sabbatical leave, or longer (even year), paid leave, which can benefit employees who feel burnout or want to raise at this time qualifications (improve his education). Such permission usually entitled to professionals with long years of service. The solution is applied, among others, Nike, McDonald’s, American Express. – Leisure time and work less and less will be separated by the demarcation line and the reconciliation of professional and personal can be much easier. The benefit of the latter. Time will tell to what extent and on what scale can these opportunities used – says Radosław lotion.
Another, probably the most common example of granting employees more freedom in the organization of responsibilities is telecommuting, which is the ability to remotely perform tasks offsite (eg. from the house) by electronic means. Such a solution from the point of view of the employer reduces labor costs (in particular lease of office space), and from the perspective of the employee – makes it easy to self-organization of work and combining it with family responsibilities. According to statistical data in 2010. In this formula was employed 9.4 million Americans (approx. 7 per cent. Of total employment, research suggests that it could thus work even 40 per cent. Of all local employees). On the other hand, in the UK in the years 2007-2012 the number of teleworkers has increased by more than half a million and already exceeds 4 million (approx. 13 per cent. Of the total).
Domestic Case
in Poland solutions that give employees more freedom in the organization of work, only germinate. We lack charismatic employer likes of Branson and Newell’s so hard to find so spectacular solutions, which have been applied in companies Virgin and Valve. But no problem, you can now cite examples of companies that offer greater flexibility in work organization employed parents. One of them is Wessling Poland. Its staff can come to the company between the hours of 7 and 12. Just report the supervisor that the eg. A week or a few days a person will be in the company, eg. 10 (national laws explicitly allow the use of such a solution since 2013). Employees can also work in two shifts (of hours. 7 to 15 or from 12 to 20), and go out in the work to get private affairs.
– In our case, checks the rule of reciprocity. The company offers a variety of convenient solutions for parents, and employees use them consciously and extremely reasonable. But keep in mind that we are a medium-sized company, in which the relationship between employees and the employer are close, so the employees feel responsible for their place of work – explains Ruslan Krzemińska, specialist. External communication, realizing the PR activities for the company WESSLING Poland.
However, the large companies, employing hundreds of people, not necessarily assume in advance that the allocation of a certain freedom of employed parents will lead to abuse. For example, the company operates Link4 principle that worker during pregnancy can only work 4 hours. day and still receive full pay. It turned out that the system worked – the power is not abused, and on the other hand, there is no pressure on it to pregnant workers do not use sick leave (if they can work part-time and get full pay).
What is important, greater flexibility in the organization of their duties may also be related to the nature of the tasks. On the Polish market arrives eg. Mobile workers, ie persons whose place of work is not the seat of the employing company, but a particular geographic area (in Poland, for example. District or province). A classic example of such a job is a job as a sales representative, solicitor or insurance agent. These employees have greater freedom in determining the hours and conditions of work (meetings with clients, organization, product presentations, etc.). Slowly developing a telework, although in this case it is difficult to talk about the details because of the lack of current statistical data. According to various studies, teleworking is used from 3 to 9 percent. Polish companies (more in the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises). Of those conducted by the Confederation Lewiatan it shows that more and more employers consider such employment by promoting the development of the company (such an opinion expressed 40 per cent. Of the surveyed companies). At the same time, it also has a growing interest of employees. In this way, 42 percent would like to work. subjects.
– remote work in Poland often use eg. the subsidiaries of multinational companies, because these companies have prior experience with this form of employment. Our research shows, however, that domestic employers also recognize the need to grant more freedom to organize work by subordinates. They realize that in this way they will be able to be interested in hiring young talent, which is a well-educated person. The next generation entering the labor market more rarely agree to work in a specific place and working hours, unless of course you have such skills that enable them to negotiate employment conditions – says Dr. Anna Jawor-Joniewicz.
at the same time one can not ignore even small improvements that contribute to the building of opinion among employees about the possibility of co-decision on its powers. An example might be planning vacations. The companies are already, eg. Electronic applications that streamline the process of managing this process. Employee indicates the exact dates of planned rest, and the leader has a current insight into such plans and the status of its implementation (this type of solution works for example. Orange Poland).
The introduction of flexible solutions that enable employees of co-decision on the organization of work, argue the benefits of this title reach the company. In the case of bossless office in addition to the savings, eg. On the high salaries of managers indicated also often on the development of innovation (the main argument cited for example. By WL Gore).
– In the structure of employees there are definitely more involved in the activities of the company and feel co-responsible for it. And that can translate into better efficiency – explains Dr. Anna Jawor-Joniewicz. This is confirmed by research conducted among by dr. Stephen Courtright from Texas A & amp; M University. They showed that the subordinates who are not constantly monitored by employing, work more efficiently. – At the same time the lack of motivation of managers is changing – do not feel pressured to climb to new levels of hierarchical structure of the company. They can focus on that to be the most creative and effective employee. For them, the reward is another major project for implementation “- emphasized Courtright told the website,” Huffington Post “.
Gains and losses
Reducing Staff subordination causes but also some risks. For example, an American company Zappos last year decided to enter the formula bossless office. Since then work it until it gave up 300 1.5 thousand. company employees. It turned out that no superiors, some employees were not able to organize your duties. Tony Hsieh, CEO, ensures that this is a temporary situation and the employment situation soon returned to normal. On this basis, however, conclude that holokratyczne experiments in enterprises do not always come true.
Same with teleworking. As its biggest advantages is indicated improvement in the competitiveness of enterprises, the savings from the lease of office space, reducing the number of sick leave, the possibility of employment for specialists living far away from the headquarters of the company. A survey conducted by research agency PBS, which covered 1 thousand. Polish companies shows that 32 percent. of respondents confirmed a decrease bureaucracy due to the use of teleworking, and 30 per cent. sees growth in labor productivity. At the same time, every fourth employer, however, has limited trust in people working remotely, and nearly half believe that for the effective and efficient management of the company are necessary forms of direct contact with the teleworkers. However, in the case of employment remote problem can also be a decline in creativity. Professor John Sullivan of San Francisco State University put it this way: “If you want to increase productivity, hire people in the house. If you want innovation, you have to provide interactivity. ” Perhaps just such reasons contribute to the fact that some companies give up telework. For example, three years ago, Yahoo decided that its employees have remote employees to return to work in offices. As the official reason is the need for better communication and collaboration of employees. In numerous comments after the presentation of such a decision prevailed however that the company is afraid of losing control of the employed.
Such concerns will probably appear in the future when technological developments and changing nature of the work (moving employees from increasingly automated production to specialist services) will cause the flexibility in the performance of professional duties will be even greater. It does not stop, however, likely changes in conditions of employment, because for centuries they are subject to constant modifications. It is therefore possible that in a few Gabe Newell will no longer be attentive for the wealthy eccentric, but as a great visionary who initiated the new formula work.
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