work-life balance
May 15th, 2011glassdoor.com has announced the top twenty-five companies for work-life balance (2011). who they are won’t be of much good to you if you’re a video game developer, since none of them are video game developers. those of you looking to escape the verdant fields of youthful passion slash late nights and “crunch” weeks should definitely take note, though.
what did i notice as standout similarities?
- flexibility, usually of schedule. Chevron innovates here with a nine-day fortnight system.
- commitment to work-life balance, top down. in my experience, crunch is always—always—the result of a management failure: targets, estimates, strategy, tactics, etc., so interested game execs could start there.
- perks that make employees’ lives easier outside work, such as food (healthy is often mentioned, and not just lunch, but breakfast too), laundry, gym (memberships, on-site, or fitness sessions), car servicing, and so on.
- vacation days. since these are not work, seems like an easy way to increase the life end of the ratio. closely related, Autodesk offers sabbatical every four years.
