

Inside a Completely Transparent Company - rguzman
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/inside-buffer-company-complete-transparency.html

======
ChuckMcM
I think this is a great experiment. I'm curious to see it play out.

One of things at Google was that they told you a formula for compensation
(base + (bonus target % * personal multiplier * company multiplier * median
salary)) But then they chose to keep the "median salary" and "personal
multiplier" secret. At which point you had no idea if your manager was being
truthful at all with you about your compensation.

The weird thing was, _the lack of transparency_ was a bigger issue than the
money. Everyone I knew (anecdotal I know) didn't "care" what their bonus
amount was but they cared a lot if they were being lied too. I tried and
failed a couple of times to communicate that issue to the 'engineering
council' (which decided such things).

So I think that this choice Buffer has made would certainly make people like
me much more comfortable with the communications from our management.

------
JonFish85
Am I the only one who would hate such a system? I could see, if I were a
manager there, a lot of downside to this. "Why does Jenna make 15% more than I
do and we have similar jobs? I sleep less than she does, I'm here on extra
days, I haven't taken a vacation day in years. I want a raise to reflect
this."

It would seem to me to open a huge can of worms to have to manage through. And
then it would almost be a race-to-the-bottom in some ways: I make the same as
Jake, but he gets in later and leaves earlier.

Not to mention, especially with hiring, there's very little room for
negotiation, whether as a hiring manager or a potential employee. If someone
is high-value, you run the risk of bringing in a new employee where (s)he is
making a good bit more than the rest of the engineers, which could lead to the
situation I mentioned above.

~~~
ktsmith
I wouldn't care about the transparency on salaries and that type of thing, I
think that has significant benefits. I wouldn't be willing to participate in
the sleep sharing, or personal improvement tracking. I find that to be very
creepy, unrelated to work, and intrusive. I don't find it that surprising
given how much people overshare on social media though.

------
finnh
While I'm not sure about the "radically transparent" bit, I do like this
statement:

 _It might sound crazy, but we see see customer support as the new marketing
department. And so far it's working great for us._

We do this as well, for a product that has a low per-seat price, and it's a
huge competitive advantage.

~~~
hello_newman
"We do this as well, for a product that has a low per-seat price, and it's a
huge competitive advantage"

Bingo. It really is a huge competive advantage. I mean, do you know anyone who
likes going through those automated voice calls, or has to be put on hold for
15 minutes to just speak with someone about a discrepancy?

You could argue that companies like Zappos wouldn't have been as successful if
they didn't value customer service so much. It's the same with non-tech
companies like Nordstrom's, Patagonia or Whole Foods. People like being
treated well and they remember that the next time they shop.

------
mbesto
Very interesting to see that being transparent with salaries is so taboo in
the states. Many parts of Europe (I know firsthand Sweden is like this) it's
completely normal and acceptable to tell people your salaries.

------
aashaykumar92
This is too cool...good for you guys and way to actually go through with all
this!

In terms of culture, I would say Google is still considered a role model but
in terms of transparency, I have not heard of nor seen a company operate like
Buffer so guys are definitely setting the bar high!

What about open constructive criticism, though? I guess it is a sensitive
point, yet one that seems to be in Buffer's reach. For example, are you guys
transparent (or close enough) such that employees can call each other out in
front of everyone? I know many people may see this as inappropriate but hey,
they also probably see sharing salaries as inappropriate.

------
martinhenk
I've always loved the way Joel and Leo have taken a completely different path
to success. Instead of working themselves into a wreck they've chosen self-
improvement so they work more efficiently rather than just more hours.

------
pastaking
Very cool. Can someone at Buffer share their formula for salary and equity?

It sounds like a stable system, and I'm sure many of us would find it really
helpful.

------
Geekette
Awesome. More companies should do this. Interestingly a practice some
governments follow. Sweden, Norway and Finland make everyone's salary, tax
details and net worth public. Norway also makes the records available online.

------
JoaquinRoca
I love it. There are more and more examples coming out every day. I've helped
SumAll.com figure this out. It's a lot of hard work, but well worth it in the
end. It doesn't hurt that I love Buffer as well. Great job!

------
mvkel
tl;dr they turned "How to Win Friends and Influence People" into a company
culture.

A book that was written in 1936.

I feel like this is the equivalent of a 17 year old going nuts for Ayn Rand.

The reality is every _employee_ is different, and the culture should embrace
that. Instead of trying to reshape how a person is wired, why not shape how
your company's goals are defined and let people use whatever means necessary
to get there?

Take a developer with an extremely low social drive who needs cold, hard facts
to get on board with an initiative. Buffer's culture would completely conflict
with how they're wired because it relies heavily on face-to-face interaction
and all the "soft talk" would likely be perceived as manipulative by them. On
the other hand, a highly socially-driven person like a sales rep would _need_
said encouragement to thrive.

That's my point; there's no one culture that fits everyone, so focus on the
higher-level goals and missions of the company than the attitudes of the
people.

Use your interviewing prowess to identify team fit instead of hiring based on
skills and shoehorn them into the culture.

All this culture is doing is homogenizing a workforce. Debate isn't a bad
thing.

------
azat_co
Great to see you guys promoting being more transparent!

------
andyidsinga
buffer's employee turnover #s might be a signal of how well their type of
transparency is working for employees.

anyone know?

