The first page of Life at Collegewise (our version of an employee handbook) says that we don’t have a lot of rules and
regulations. We hire smart people who want to work hard, and they don’t
need a manual to tell them how or how not to behave. With very few
exceptions over the last 13 years, that policy hasn't let us down.
In Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace,
Ricardo Semler describes his company, Semco, where employees hire and
evaluate their bosses, dress however they want, work whatever hours suit
them best, participate in major decisions, and share in 22 percent of
the profits. Here's Semler's take on why they don't have a lot of rules
and regulations, either.
We
simply do not believe our employees have an interest in coming in late,
leaving early, and doing as little as possible for as much money as
their union can wheedle out of us. After all, these are the same people
that raise children, join the PTA, elect mayors, governors, senators,
and presidents. They are adults. At Semco, we treat them like adults. We
trust them. We don’t make our employees ask permission to go to the
bathroom, nor have security guards search them as they leave for the
day. We get out of their way and let them do their jobs."