Fringe Benefits

Matt Richtel, reporting for the New York Times:

Phil Libin, chief executive of Evernote, turned to his wife last year and asked if she had suggestions for how the software company might improve the lives of its employees and their families. His wife, who also works at Evernote, didn’t miss a beat: housecleaning.

[…]

These kinds of benefits are a departure from the upscale cafeteria meals, massages and other services intended to keep employees happy and productive while at work. And the goal is not just to reduce stress for employees, but for their families, too. If the companies succeed, the thinking goes, they will minimize distractions and sources of tension that can inhibit focus and creativity.

It’s an interesting idea. The mundane hassles of life can certainly inhibit focus and creativity. I wonder though, is this a symptom of a harried and frazzled culture - a bandaid solution for a systemic failure?

Comments

[Isaac Smith]

When I first heard about how google and other companies treat their employees with such amazing benefits at the office like toys, free dry cleaning, free gourmet cafeterias, etc. I really wanted to work at a place like that, but then I learned that those benefits were a way to make working incredibly long sustained hours more tolerable. I no longer want to work in a place that I can ride around on a scooter.