How can you escape the hustle culture at work? Why shouldn’t you set aggressive goals? How and why should you give your employees private time?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work<\/em>, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson teach you how to build an organization employees would be thrilled to work for. They detail the three qualifications to look for when scouting for any potential hire and why employees need private time to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read below for a brief overview of It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n In today\u2019s \u201chustle culture,\u201d we imagine the most successful worker as someone who lives at the office, works nights and weekends, and attacks their job with a frantic intensity. In their attempts to embody this ideal, employees, managers, and entrepreneurs end up ruining their lives, trying to get ahead in their careers by sacrificing the time and energy they should be spending on their lives outside of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson argue that this mindset is not only a recipe for an unsatisfying life<\/a>, but it\u2019s also ineffective<\/em>. Most people spending their entire lives in a frenzy at work aren\u2019t getting more work done\u2014they\u2019re burning themselves out with inefficient business practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In It Doesn\u2019t Have to Be Crazy at Work<\/em><\/a>, Fried and Hansson contend that companies should establish more reasonable, sustainable goals and business practices that put employees first. In doing so, companies can make their employees\u2019 work lives relaxing and satisfying\u2014while still consistently making money for the business.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Fried and Hansson, they know this is possible because they\u2019ve done it themselves. The authors are co-owners of 37signals<\/a>, the company that created Basecamp\u2014a software tool teams can use at work to organize and complete various projects. They\u2019ve been managing the company together since 2003 and have been publishing books since 2004, sharing management advice<\/a> they\u2019ve learned through trial and error over the years. Fried and Hansson\u2019s best-selling book is 2010\u2019s Rework<\/em><\/a>, in which they challenge aspects of conventional business wisdom and explore the ways that the internet has revolutionized business practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fried and Hansson contend that many organizations perpetuate the unhealthy ideals of \u201chustle culture\u201d through specific management strategies: Namely, they set aggressive quarterly growth targets<\/a> to push their employees to do their best work. However, such uncompromising, growth-oriented goals needlessly create an unhealthy work environment that degrades employees\u2019 quality of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To explain why, we\u2019ll outline some of the downsides of aggressive organizational growth. Then, we\u2019ll cover some of the benefits of the alternative strategy: aiming for stable, consistent success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, Fried and Hansson say that growth targets demoralize employees by constantly moving the goalposts of what constitutes well-done work.<\/strong> As soon as the company achieves one arbitrary goal, it starts working toward the next one. This means that no matter how hard they work, employees can never feel relaxed or satisfied because there are always new targets requiring them to do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, Fried and Hansson assert that aggressive growth targets put the whole company under financial stress, which puts every employee under emotional stress. Many startups spend far more money than they earn on expanding business as quickly as possible\u2014intending to sacrifice short-term profits for long-term revenue growth. However, this strategy pressures the team to execute perfect work<\/strong>; if the company doesn\u2019t hit its growth targets, it goes bankrupt. This pressure will cause your employees to quickly burn out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, when companies make it their primary goal to hit growth targets, everyone on the team is more likely to break their promises to the customer and compromise their moral integrity to succeed. For example, in 2016, employees of the bank Wells Fargo who were under pressure to hit certain sales goals opened millions of fraudulent accounts<\/a> under their customers\u2019 names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of constantly setting bigger and more ambitious goals<\/a> for your company, Fried and Hansson recommend defining success<\/a> for your organization as the ongoing completion of the same stable goals.<\/strong> For instance, you may aim to deliver a product you\u2019re proud of and provide great customer service<\/a>. Settle into a work routine that makes your team happy and be satisfied with that\u2014as long as the business is profitable, there\u2019s no need to expand it to a scale that\u2019s more stressful to manage. For example, if you run a landscaping business, make it your goal to serve a single city well season after season instead of expanding to manage teams across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn\u2019t mean your organization can\u2019t grow and progress\u2014Fried and Hansson advocate refining and improving your workplace over time.<\/strong> Constantly stay on the lookout for ways to better accomplish your stable goals, as well as ways to make life for you and your employees as enjoyable as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work<\/em> Key Points<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pursue Stable Success, Not Growth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Downside #1: Growth Targets Are Demoralizing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Downside #2: Growth Targets Create Financial Stress<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Downside #3: Growth Targets Encourage Unethical Behavior<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The Alternative: Stable Success<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Give Your Employees Private Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n