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Basecamp Employee Handbook

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Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#161
post #119

What is ShipShape @ Basecamp that is mentioned in the getting started guide regarding security protocol monitoring?

Shipshape is just a security and config audit tool that ensures that you have proper MacOS security settings (FileVault, proper password requirements, Gatekeeper, SIP, etc.) and a few other things installed (1Password, etc.).

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#162
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a father of 11 month old, I can't imagine how people can live with just 6 or even 16 weeks of maternity leave. Even after almost one year it feels like care is (at least) full time job, which would be quite hard to outsource. In my EU country you will get up to three years of paid maternity leave per child, so I guess I am just spoiled.

3 years sounds extreme. How is a person supposed to run a business with that kind of law? More than 6 months paid leave is too long from a business perspective. The government can tax and guarantee income, but I am not for paid parental leave > 6 months paid by businesses.

In Germany, you can take several years parental leave in which you are protected against being fired. But you only get paid up to 14 months and only up to 60% or ~2000$/month after tax. This gets completely paid by your health insurance (which you have to have) and your enployer doesn't have to pay anything.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#163
post #160

I find this discussion of "benefits" fascinating. In Europe, standard in IT companies (Central Europe, mind you), is: * 25 fullt paid days (or more) of vacation every year (no need to call it a sabatical and limit it to once a three years), not including national holidays etc. * one year of (or more) paid maternity leave (or more), while second parent gets few weeks (two at my country) * free gym membership (so I can…

The health coverage is a lot cheaper for the company. In the USA it starts at $500/month for a single dude.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#164
post #160

I find this discussion of "benefits" fascinating. In Europe, standard in IT companies (Central Europe, mind you), is: * 25 fullt paid days (or more) of vacation every year (no need to call it a sabatical and limit it to once a three years), not including national holidays etc. * one year of (or more) paid maternity leave (or more), while second parent gets few weeks (two at my country) * free gym membership (so I can…

The health coverage is a lot cheaper for the company. In the USA it starts at $500/month for a single dude.

It is, but not that much as you think. Adjusted for PPP it's only 30% cheaper here.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm OK with these kinds of quirky add-on allowances so long as the category for the add-on is positive, either for you as a person (e.g.: fitness, learning) or the local community (e.g.: paid time off volunteering, charity matching). We'd all be better off if we were a little more involved with our community, a little more active, and eating a little bit healthier, and the most common excuse for not doing these is "I…

I dunno, that seems a little parental. To quote the article: "at the end of the day it's a job." I'm not wild about the company trying to influence aspects of my personal life that don't directly affect the company.

At least in the US, as the company is footing the bill for employee health insurance, the company has incentive to fund assorted employee wellness programs.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm OK with these kinds of quirky add-on allowances so long as the category for the add-on is positive, either for you as a person (e.g.: fitness, learning) or the local community (e.g.: paid time off volunteering, charity matching). We'd all be better off if we were a little more involved with our community, a little more active, and eating a little bit healthier, and the most common excuse for not doing these is "I…

I exercise daily at home. Probably more than most of the people who get the gym paid for. It's not a big deal but I wouldn't mind some extra cash.

One company I worked for had a benefit of paying up to $1000/yr for a gym membership OR up to $1000 of gym equipment for your home per year.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#167
post #26

37receipts@gmail.com - is there any risk to putting information like this "out there"? Sounds like an invitation for a phishing attempt.

I dont understand why they wouldn't do "receipts@37signals.com" and have it be an email address that only accepts internal mail.

Because then every vendor looking at its CRM knows it just landed a whale of a customer.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#168
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a father of 11 month old, I can't imagine how people can live with just 6 or even 16 weeks of maternity leave. Even after almost one year it feels like care is (at least) full time job, which would be quite hard to outsource. In my EU country you will get up to three years of paid maternity leave per child, so I guess I am just spoiled.

My sister is a public interest lawyer in Chicago who will get a few short weeks of leave --- not 6 --- and then be expected back in court advocating for her clients. It is really difficult for me to connect with fathers who claim that 6 weeks of paternal leave is too onerous. As a parent to two teenagers, both of whom were born in the early years of startups, I feel your pain --- having children is hard . But if we'r…

By that train of logic we should be fighting for at least equal paternity leave for the average dad before there can be any discussion about more maternity leave..

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think employees at Taco Bell are payed the same, though?

You literally couldn't pay me enough to work a job where I had to be on call an entire week every month. I mean it. You could offer me nine figures, and I'd still turn it down.

Good for you.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#170
I'm pretty immersed in the field of parental leave benefits in the US and UK, having setup Pledge Parental Leave www.pledgepl.org. Important to get the full perspective on the market in the US. You're taking a crap on a company with extremely progressive benefits across the board, furthermore so, one offering them at a 'meager' size of 50, where the relative cost is much greater than compared to a 'large' company.

It is very easy to make simple comparisons between UK and European standards vs US standards. The fact is that there is almost zero government funding/support for parental leave in the US. The US is the only developed country in the world without any government mandated parental leave standards.

What Basecamp offer in terms of paid leave to either parent is top tier in the US. If you take a look at Facebook, Google and others they offer close to similar benefits - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ibj79Eh8Cvk4Wy_dPZNc...

In the US, any company stepping up in this area is doing so of its own volition and cost - again the government gives a company zero funding. In the UK, German, Sweden etc they pick up most of the tab of extended leave. In the US, the only form of support is for mothers through expensive health insurance for the 'disability' of having a child. So before you engage in moral relativism, it's healthy to get the context and the facts. Check out http://www.pledgepl.org if you want to clue up or help fix this situation.

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