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from the this-dept-written-at-11:01am dept.
There aren't many companies that insist staff start work every day at such an oddly specific time as Pivotal Software.
Employees at the US firm's 20 global offices all have to be at work and ready to go at exactly 9.06am. At that precise time a cowbell is rung, or a gong is hit, and all workers gather for a brief stand-up meeting that lasts for between five and 10 minutes. Then the firm's programmers hit their computers, with no other meetings or distractions for the rest of the day.
Pivotal's founder and chief executive Rob Mee says it is all about making the working day as efficient as possible.
"I realised that programmers, if left to their own devices, may roll in at 10am," he says. "And if they haven't eaten adequately they will be hungry by 11am, so they'll stop for food, which then makes the afternoon too long. It is not very efficient. "So we thought, 'let's provide breakfast for everyone.' It gives them a reason to get here." So all employees get a free breakfast before work starts at 9.06am.
But why 9.06am? "We thought that if we made it 9am, developers psyching themselves up for the day would think, 'well if it is 9am I'll be late,'" says Mr Mee. "So then we thought, 'why don't we make it 9.05am,' but that is too precise, as programmers don't like over-optimising, so we went with 9.06am. Then it became something fun."
And at the end of the day everyone has to leave the office at 6pm sharp because staff aren't allowed to work into the evening. Mr Mee explains the reasoning: "Programmers don't programme well if they are too tired, so we don't want them working late into the night."
While Pivotal's approach to morning punctuality may seem endearingly nerdish, the business is in fact one of the most successful companies most people have never heard of. Valued at $2.8bn (£2.4bn), its investors include computer groups Dell Technologies and Microsoft, conglomerate General Electric, and car giant Ford.
Do you think it is a good idea? Would it be acceptable to you?
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @05:55PM
It works for early risers. For late risers, not so much.
(Score: 2) by aclarke on Thursday November 24 2016, @09:01PM
Huh? I hate to break it to you, but a company starting work at 09:06 is not for early risers. I'm not sure when you get up, I certainly wouldn't refer to anyone getting up after 06:00 as an early riser.
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Friday November 25 2016, @11:36AM
People naturally come to full awakeness at different times, but there's a general trend that this gets earlier as people get older. There's a reason that most companies have a 9-5 work day: that's the time when most men in their 50s (i.e. most managers) are at their most awake and alert. For teenagers, there's little point trying to do anything that involves thinking before 11-12 and this slides earlier slowly as people age. A company that starts at 9 and ends at 5 is fine if most employees are in their 50s, but it's wasting productive hours for anyone younger.
A lot of software companies are run by younger people and so tend to have an understanding of this. It's not unusual for people to roll into the office at 10-11am at these places (and then stay a bit later). If you make them come in at 9, they'll be there, they just won't be productive.
sudo mod me up
(Score: 2) by aclarke on Friday November 25 2016, @03:35PM
Could be, but I was happiest getting up around 06:00 as a teenager. I DEFINITELY would not be rolling in at 10-11 at any age I've experienced so far. The goal would have been to get to work by 07:30 and then roll out a bit earlier and enjoy my afternoon.
There may be trends, but as individuals we're, well, individuals.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 25 2016, @08:37AM
In my experience, early risers tend to prefer the outdoors, or become managers. Developers are rarely early risers.