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posted by janrinok on Thursday November 24 2016, @05:27PM   Printer-friendly
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?


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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @07:09PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @07:09PM (#432517)

    Even 5 is before 8 :)
    I put it as positive as I could.
    Honestly, I think this is a boss who doesn't know the difference between a success strategy and narcissism, and only proves that even small companies can get away with doing stupid things.
    Anyone with children and not going for the "dedicated housewife" way of life will certainly also prefer to work elsewhere that doesn't require you to be at work at a specific yet random time for no good reason that almost certainly doesn't fit with child care schedule.
    I wonder if they only employ young people that know no better and think pointless rules is the point of work?
    I mean going home on time might be nice, but guess what, there's companies where you can do while still having flexible work hours. At least in Europe...

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @07:41PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @07:41PM (#432531)

    > a specific yet random time for no good reason

    EXCUSE ME. HE SAID IT'S FUN. THAT'S WHY WE DO IT, BECAUSE IT'S FUN. DON'T YOU GET IT???? I HATE YOU NEGATIVE NINNIES.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @08:35PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @08:35PM (#432569)

    and think pointless rules is the point of work?

    Since most jobs have no real purpose, it's no surprise that people start thinking that following shallow, worthless orders is the entire point.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @08:37PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 24 2016, @08:37PM (#432573)

    Employees at the US firm's 20 global offices

    That's not a small company in any meaningful sense.