別再想什么“每周四天工作制”了。關(guān)鍵在于“零會議工作日”。
至少Evernote的前首席執(zhí)行官菲爾·利賓這樣認(rèn)為。利賓現(xiàn)任軟件與視頻通訊公司mmhmm的首席執(zhí)行官以及開發(fā)人工智能產(chǎn)品的AllTurtles公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官。
利賓最近在推特(Twitter)上寫道:“提高工作效率和健康發(fā)展的真正秘訣并不是每周四天工作制,而是零會議工作日。”
到底什么是“零會議”?
這并非利賓首次表態(tài)反對開會。他于2004年創(chuàng)建的Evernote禁止召開視頻會議。他在2020年5月創(chuàng)建了mmhmm,并將對于開會的排斥帶到了這家公司,他在2021年夏季取消了大部分大型會議。利賓對會議的定義是同時與超過三個人進行討論。
他告訴《財富》雜志:“如果與會人數(shù)達(dá)到20人,通常只有1個人在講話,另外19個人在假裝專心。如果盡可能多地取消會議,你可以說:‘我們20個人沒有必要在同一時間上線。這有什么必要呢?我們?yōu)槭裁床焕每萍际侄?,盡量進行異步通信?’這樣一來,我們就能夠避免被同步文化左右?!?/p>
關(guān)于所謂的“異步通信”,利賓提到他喜歡預(yù)先錄制好視頻分享給員工的習(xí)慣,讓所有人可以隨時按照自己的速度聽視頻的內(nèi)容。例如,他表示,他曾經(jīng)參加過長達(dá)四個小時的“無聊的”董事會會議,但現(xiàn)在高管會將5至10分鐘預(yù)先錄制的視頻提前發(fā)送給董事會成員,董事會能夠在方便的時候觀看。mmhmm不鼓勵召開集體會議。利賓稱,自從他在該公司執(zhí)行新政策以來,會議數(shù)量從2021年至今減少了超過80%。
但利賓的“零會議”理念一個關(guān)鍵組成部分是將大型集體會議與一對一交流區(qū)分開來。他完全支持后者。
利賓說:“在所有人看過預(yù)先錄制的視頻之后,如果我們有必要進行簡單的交流,當(dāng)然可以?!?/p>
mmhmm并沒有徹底禁止集體會議。
利賓表示:“我們高度信任員工,如果有人認(rèn)為開會是解決問題的最佳途徑,他們可以自由安排召開會議?!?/p>
利賓指出,自從公司盡量減少開會以來,總體工作效率持續(xù)改善,員工工作節(jié)奏不斷加快。
他說:“在這方面,我們還在摸索階段,但到目前為止,與以前以會議為中心的文化相比,我們已經(jīng)有更多收獲,而且這種做法讓人感覺更健康?!?/p>
全力支持遠(yuǎn)程辦公
利賓指出,mmhmm從2020年5月開始全部改為遠(yuǎn)程辦公,而且公司并沒有實體辦公室。但他更喜歡用“完全分布式辦公”這種說法,因為這種說法更符合他的出發(fā)點。
他告訴《財富》雜志:“我們不喜歡‘遠(yuǎn)程’這種說法,因為它意味著我們遠(yuǎn)離了中心。而我們沒有中心,所以我們是‘完全分布式辦公’,我們的員工遍布美國的20多個州和10多個國家?!?/p>
所有人都居家辦公或在他們自己選擇的地方辦公,沒有任何員工需要前往辦公室。利賓表示他之所以決定不設(shè)立一處實體總部,并不是為了省錢,相反他每月給員工發(fā)放800美元津貼,用于創(chuàng)建理想的工作空間,而不是將這筆錢用來支付辦公室租金。
他認(rèn)為,面對勞動力市場的現(xiàn)狀,支持遠(yuǎn)程辦公是留住員工的關(guān)鍵。
對于過去六個月創(chuàng)記錄的離職人數(shù),他說:“這并不是大辭職潮(Great Resignation)。而是人們選擇離開糟糕的公司。為什么?因為他們沒有自主權(quán)。他們被迫重新回到辦公室。這破壞了他們的生活?!?/p>
《當(dāng)代心理學(xué)》(Current Psychology)雜志近期發(fā)表的一篇論文稱,新冠疫情期間,員工普遍出現(xiàn)了職業(yè)倦怠,他們渴望在工作中擁有更多的個人自主權(quán)。
支持“商旅休閑化”
除了遠(yuǎn)程辦公,利賓還是商旅休閑化的支持者。所謂商旅休閑化是指職場人士能夠在海灘等風(fēng)景秀麗的地方遠(yuǎn)程辦公,這種趨勢開始日益流行。
利賓表示,mmhmm的銷售副總裁決定在夏威夷遠(yuǎn)程辦公幾周,因為他的家人在夏威夷,利賓完全支持他的決定。
利賓說:“去夏威夷吧。去度假還是去工作?我不關(guān)心。歸根結(jié)底,評估員工只有一個標(biāo)準(zhǔn),那就是他們是否發(fā)揮了應(yīng)有的作用?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
別再想什么“每周四天工作制”了。關(guān)鍵在于“零會議工作日”。
至少Evernote的前首席執(zhí)行官菲爾·利賓這樣認(rèn)為。利賓現(xiàn)任軟件與視頻通訊公司mmhmm的首席執(zhí)行官以及開發(fā)人工智能產(chǎn)品的AllTurtles公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人及首席執(zhí)行官。
利賓最近在推特(Twitter)上寫道:“提高工作效率和健康發(fā)展的真正秘訣并不是每周四天工作制,而是零會議工作日?!?/p>
到底什么是“零會議”?
這并非利賓首次表態(tài)反對開會。他于2004年創(chuàng)建的Evernote禁止召開視頻會議。他在2020年5月創(chuàng)建了mmhmm,并將對于開會的排斥帶到了這家公司,他在2021年夏季取消了大部分大型會議。利賓對會議的定義是同時與超過三個人進行討論。
他告訴《財富》雜志:“如果與會人數(shù)達(dá)到20人,通常只有1個人在講話,另外19個人在假裝專心。如果盡可能多地取消會議,你可以說:‘我們20個人沒有必要在同一時間上線。這有什么必要呢?我們?yōu)槭裁床焕每萍际侄?,盡量進行異步通信?’這樣一來,我們就能夠避免被同步文化左右。”
關(guān)于所謂的“異步通信”,利賓提到他喜歡預(yù)先錄制好視頻分享給員工的習(xí)慣,讓所有人可以隨時按照自己的速度聽視頻的內(nèi)容。例如,他表示,他曾經(jīng)參加過長達(dá)四個小時的“無聊的”董事會會議,但現(xiàn)在高管會將5至10分鐘預(yù)先錄制的視頻提前發(fā)送給董事會成員,董事會能夠在方便的時候觀看。mmhmm不鼓勵召開集體會議。利賓稱,自從他在該公司執(zhí)行新政策以來,會議數(shù)量從2021年至今減少了超過80%。
但利賓的“零會議”理念一個關(guān)鍵組成部分是將大型集體會議與一對一交流區(qū)分開來。他完全支持后者。
利賓說:“在所有人看過預(yù)先錄制的視頻之后,如果我們有必要進行簡單的交流,當(dāng)然可以?!?/p>
mmhmm并沒有徹底禁止集體會議。
利賓表示:“我們高度信任員工,如果有人認(rèn)為開會是解決問題的最佳途徑,他們可以自由安排召開會議?!?/p>
利賓指出,自從公司盡量減少開會以來,總體工作效率持續(xù)改善,員工工作節(jié)奏不斷加快。
他說:“在這方面,我們還在摸索階段,但到目前為止,與以前以會議為中心的文化相比,我們已經(jīng)有更多收獲,而且這種做法讓人感覺更健康?!?/p>
全力支持遠(yuǎn)程辦公
利賓指出,mmhmm從2020年5月開始全部改為遠(yuǎn)程辦公,而且公司并沒有實體辦公室。但他更喜歡用“完全分布式辦公”這種說法,因為這種說法更符合他的出發(fā)點。
他告訴《財富》雜志:“我們不喜歡‘遠(yuǎn)程’這種說法,因為它意味著我們遠(yuǎn)離了中心。而我們沒有中心,所以我們是‘完全分布式辦公’,我們的員工遍布美國的20多個州和10多個國家?!?/p>
所有人都居家辦公或在他們自己選擇的地方辦公,沒有任何員工需要前往辦公室。利賓表示他之所以決定不設(shè)立一處實體總部,并不是為了省錢,相反他每月給員工發(fā)放800美元津貼,用于創(chuàng)建理想的工作空間,而不是將這筆錢用來支付辦公室租金。
他認(rèn)為,面對勞動力市場的現(xiàn)狀,支持遠(yuǎn)程辦公是留住員工的關(guān)鍵。
對于過去六個月創(chuàng)記錄的離職人數(shù),他說:“這并不是大辭職潮(Great Resignation)。而是人們選擇離開糟糕的公司。為什么?因為他們沒有自主權(quán)。他們被迫重新回到辦公室。這破壞了他們的生活?!?/p>
《當(dāng)代心理學(xué)》(Current Psychology)雜志近期發(fā)表的一篇論文稱,新冠疫情期間,員工普遍出現(xiàn)了職業(yè)倦怠,他們渴望在工作中擁有更多的個人自主權(quán)。
支持“商旅休閑化”
除了遠(yuǎn)程辦公,利賓還是商旅休閑化的支持者。所謂商旅休閑化是指職場人士能夠在海灘等風(fēng)景秀麗的地方遠(yuǎn)程辦公,這種趨勢開始日益流行。
利賓表示,mmhmm的銷售副總裁決定在夏威夷遠(yuǎn)程辦公幾周,因為他的家人在夏威夷,利賓完全支持他的決定。
利賓說:“去夏威夷吧。去度假還是去工作?我不關(guān)心。歸根結(jié)底,評估員工只有一個標(biāo)準(zhǔn),那就是他們是否發(fā)揮了應(yīng)有的作用?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
Forget about four-day workweeks. It’s all about “zero meeting days.”
At least according to Phil Libin, the former CEO of Evernote, current chief of mmhmm, a software and video communications company, and the cofounder and CEO of AllTurtles, a company that builds A.I. products.
“The real win for productivity and health isn’t the four-day workweek, it’s the zero-meeting workday,” Libin recently wrote on Twitter.
So what exactly is “zero meetings”?
This isn’t the first time that Libin has come out swinging against meetings. At Evernote, which Libin founded in 2004, video meetings were banned. And he has taken his overall distaste with him to mmhmm, which he founded in May 2020, by canceling most large meetings in the summer of 2021. Libin defines meetings as synchronous discussions with more than three people.
“If you have a meeting of 20 people, it's usually one person talking and 19 people pretending to pay attention,” Libin tells Fortune. “But if you get rid of as many meetings as possible, you say, ‘Well, the 20 of us don't have to be online at the exact same time talking. Why would we need to? Why don't we use technology to communicate as much as possible asynchronously?’ That way you free yourself from the tyranny of having a synchronous culture.”
By “asynchronously,” Libin is referring to his habit of sharing prerecorded videos with his staff that everyone can listen to at their own time and at their own speed. For example, Libin says, he used to have four-hour “boring” board meetings, but now executives send five- to 10-minute prerecorded videos to board members in advance that the board can watch when they’re ready. Group meetings are discouraged at mmhmm, and Libin says own meetings have dropped by over 80% since 2021, when he instituted the new policy.
But a key component of Libin’s “no meetings” philosophy is that he differentiates large group meetings from one-on-one conversations, which he fully endorses.
“If we need to have a brief conversation after everyone has already watched the recording, we can do that,” Libin told Fortune.
And group meetings at mmhmm aren’t banned outright.
“We obviously trust our employees, so if someone decides that a meeting is the best way to solve a problem, they’re free to schedule it,” Libin tells Fortune.
Since making the change to minimal meetings companywide, Libin reports that overall productivity has improved and that his employees are working faster.
“We’re still new to this but, so far we’ve accomplished a lot more than we would have with the previous meeting-centric culture, and it feels healthier,” Libin told Fortune.
All-in on remote work
Libin says that his workforce at mmhmm went fully remote in May 2020, and the company does not have a physical office. However, he prefers to use the term “fully distributed,” because it is more intentional.
“We don’t like the word ‘remote’ because it implies that we’re remote from something central. Since we have no center, we’re ‘fully distributed’ and have staff in over 20 states and a dozen countries,” Libin told Fortune.
Everyone works from home, or a place of their choosing, and no employee ever has to commute into the office. Libin says his decision not to have a physical headquarters was not the result of a desire to save money, and he gives his employees an $800 monthly stipend to create their own ideal work space instead of paying for a company office.
He believes that the ability to work remotely is key to employee retention with the current labor realities.
“This is not a Great Resignation,” Libin told Fortune, referring to the record number of people who have left their jobs over the past six months. “It’s just that people are leaving shitty places. And why are people leaving? Because they don't have autonomy. They're being forced to go back to the office. It's disrupting their lives.”
The pandemic has seen workers experience widespread burnout and the desire to have more personal autonomy in job roles, according to a recent study from Current Psychology.
Pro “bleisure”
Apart from remote work, Libin is also a fan of bleisure, a rising trend in which professionals work remotely from scenic destinations, like the beach.
Libin says that his VP of sales at mmhmm decided to work from Hawaii for a few weeks because he has family there, and that he fully supported that decision.
“Go be in Hawaii,” Libin said. “Are you on vacation? Are you working? I don't care. Ultimately, the only thing that you should evaluate employees on is whether or not they have the impact that they're supposed to have.”