Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Basecamp Employee Handbook

github.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 238 posts

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#201

Post by no_wizard »

tptacek wrote: post #179
no_wizard wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if some form of push back on this would be timed release malware? its just crazy talk and all, I'd NEVER do this, but as a hypothetical since they are plugging your device(s) in to a machine, it would be possible to infect said machine, yes? Now that’s resistance. Also: I've heard of people who just wipe their devices and then just download really really grotesque photos to their devices to gross out the emp…

If you want to go to prison, this is definitely a way to see the inside of a federal prison cell.

I imagine as such. Though, if its timed....could they even trace it if done right? you'd be long gone by then.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#202

Post by duncan_bayne »

ezyjules wrote: post #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…

Language matters in this case, especially when you're in an advocacy role.

"The government... pick[s] up most of the tab of extended leave" is simply not true. Other taxpayers - including other parents - pick up the tab.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#203

Post by sotojuan »

jlark777 wrote: post #146
sotojuan wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whenever I am ready to have children, I'm going remote. It's far from a perfect solution, but at least I'm close to my children.

Long story short, I first worked flex part-time (handing off time with my then spouse) when my kid was very young, then switched to being in an office when my kid started school and I was a single parent. I went remote when my kid was in middle/high school because my kid needed me and it was good for me to be around. You can tell a 14 year old to shut up if you're on a conference call...most of the time. Also, I coul…

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm about ten years away from having kids (if I had full control over my future!), so I have a lot to learn. I'd just rather be close to my children than a long subway/car ride away.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#204

Post by sotojuan »

dejv wrote: post #158
tptacek wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I guess my wording was wrong, there was no worrying about fathers at all. I just can't wrap my head about how all the people are doing it. You can't just leave that small kid somewhere, is there some way of taking unpaid leave or are people just quit the job? I don't know.

In low income households, particularly immigrant ones, the grandma or aunt becomes a fulltime nanny when the grandchildren are born. I don't know what people who don't have this kind of help do.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#205

Post by dginsburg »

epsilongreedy wrote: post #127

Is it just me or are their "real" benefits pretty poor? Health Care: no vision, I assume no dental. 25% copay on the PPO is on the higher end too, no? 401K: Not matching up to max. Certainly not all companies do, but still. I guess it's rare for startups. Equity pool: (1) What happens on year 6? You don't vest any more equity? (2) This feels to me like it would not reward tenured employees as much. If you joined the…

Matching 401K up to 6% with no vesting period is exceptional.

Yes, paying 25% of the cost of an individual health plan is on the high end for a tech company. However, Basecamp continues to pay 75% of the premium for family plans. Often companies pay for a much lower portion of these expensive plans. It's also a very good health plan with nationwide coverage.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#206

Post by dginsburg »

There has been little mention of the most amazing perk at Basecamp which are the four day work weeks for four months of the year. This doesn't mean working four days of ten hours each day. You work four normal, eight hour days and get one day off.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#207

Post by scurvy »

tptacek wrote: post #48
kayhi wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Employees at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, will be able to enjoy up to one year of paid time with their newborns during the child's first year after birth or adoption starting next year." - Business Insider

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation can promise a lot of things that a 50 person competitive startup can't reasonably promise.

I'd hardly call Basecamp a startup. It's rather long-lived and has a proven business model at this point.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#208

Post by nhangen »

noam87 wrote: post #131
nhangen wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most vacations, at least in the US, are 1 week in length. Upper middle class takes maybe 2 weeks. The wealthy of course take as long as they want. I don't think I've ever had a vacation longer than 10 days.

Wow that's awful.

I agree! That's why I became an entrepreneur lol.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#209

Post by goseeastarwar »

tptacek wrote: post #130
goseeastarwar wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's fair to say that given DHH's lifestyle, Basecamp can afford to do this. No judgement on how David choses to spend his time or money, I just think it's a little disingenuous to act like they're a normal startup. It's a well-oiled lifestyle company that prints cash.

This is not remotely fair to say. To promise a year of leave for all employees, you have to be able to add headcount to cover the absence. It's not simply a year's cash salary we're talking about; it's a potentially uncapped obligation.

You're accounting for the worst-case scenario, which is fine, but I still don't know why we're behaving like Basecamp can't afford to hire folks to backfill people on leave.

Re: Basecamp Employee Handbook

#210

Post by ezyjules »

duncan_bayne wrote: post #202
ezyjules wrote: post #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…

Language matters in this case, especially when you're in an advocacy role. "The government... pick[s] up most of the tab of extended leave" is simply not true. Other taxpayers - including other parents - pick up the tab.

Yes, point well made. This is how taxes work. In this case I was highlighting that the company itself does not have to cover the majority.
Post reply on HN