“I work more hours than I would in a 9 to 5 setup.
I won’t tell you if that’s true or not. But it is the most common interpretation of a workplace that has no working hours.
Whether it’s a hiring call at C4E or a conversation with a friend, I struggle to explain what no-working-hours means. We really don’t have any 💁♀️
Point is – some bad apples ruined it for the rest. As though NO working hours mean ALL working hours.
At C4E, that’s not the case.
We’re indexed on freedom. We didn’t know how on day 0, but we went out to try and create a setup that is not dictated by time sheets and reporting hours. But self-accountability instead.
Today, each person at C4E works on their schedule. They have the freedom of time (if not 100%, to a reasonable extent). And, as we continue to learn, we stumble upon new ideas.
This is a list we’ve recently implemented. Each one hints at how we look at time, respecting our own, each others’, and the freedom it creates for us.
The link to the detailed post is in the comments below. But if you want a glimpse –
1️⃣ Everyone signs up for Cal.com, Inc. and makes two links (internal and the world). On this, you put your time slots. No minimum hours. No maximum hours. But, with an overlap from 11 AM to 4 PM.
2️⃣ Wednesdays are strictly no-calls days. We needed a reminder to not fall off this one.
3️⃣ Sundays are strictly chutti. And Saturdays are your choice. Regardless of what you pick, you don’t pull someone else into work.
4️⃣ No more stand-ups before 11 AM.
5️⃣ Written reviews for stand-ups. We learned this from Matt Mochary. And after 2 months of moving to written reviews, I can confirm – it gives you clarity of thought + lot more meaningful conversations.
6️⃣ Each thing has to be responded to within 24 hours!
7️⃣ If you’ve said 11 AM, it will be 5 minutes before 11 AM. We learned this from one of our mentors, Rajesh Sir, and I’m glad to report that it’s second nature now.
Each of these is thought-through (the full post will tell you).
But none of it is set in stone.
Like most things, we will give these a couple of months. Do regular check-ins for whether it is working out and take a call then.
If you’ve got a suggestion that works for you, tell me? Share notes?”