Best Buy Institutes Extreme Flex Time

s31523 writes "The company I work at has a flex time policy where basically, you can come in and leave within a window of time, as long as you are in the office during 'core' hours (10am-2pm). Best Buy has gone extreme, they have completely banished traditional views of office hours. Citing a preference for results over time invested, the company has completely done away with schedules. No mandatory meetings. No impression-management hustles." From the article: "Another thing about this experiment: It wasn't imposed from the top down. It began as a covert guerrilla action that spread virally and eventually became a revolution. So secret was the operation that Chief Executive Brad Anderson only learned the details two years after it began transforming his company. Such bottom-up, stealth innovation is exactly the kind of thing Anderson encourages. The Best Buy chief aims to keep innovating even when something is ostensibly working. '[The 'results-only work environment'] was an idea born and nurtured by a handful of passionate employees,' he says. 'It wasn't created as the result of some edict.'" Sheesh. I work from home and even I have a schedule. Here's hoping it catches on.

Comments

Re:In the end the only thing that matters is:

[HikingStick]

Best Buy Stores may (as you say) suck, but the corporate offices are looking like one sweet gig here in Minnesotah--yah der don'tcha know...

Funny

[TrappedByMyself]

The local best Buy has gotten crappier over the last few years.
They've gone from almost always having what I am looking for to almost never having what I am looking for.
A simple USB mouse? Nope, just wireless and the $70 gamer mice. Off to Staples
A new PC game? Nope, ours never seems to have games on release. Off to Eb Games
A cheap cable? Nope, just a $50 Geek Squad version. Off to Wal-mart for the $10 version

Re:In the end the only thing that matters is:

[steveo777]

Minnesotah--yah der don'tcha know...

Dude, I've lived in Minnesota most of my life and if I ever hear you talking like that to outsiders again I swear I'll slap you upside the face with a hockey stick! No hotdish for you!

It only means....

[LibertineR]

Employees will have time to chase you into the parking lot in a desparate attempt to get you to agree to that extended warranty. Hell, they might even follow you home, bitches!

They have yet to address...

[Pojut]

...that little issue when I go in there with my step-dad to get him a laptop and I know more than the guy selling it to us.

1. They need to ensure more than one register is open when there are 20 people on line.

2. They need to ensure that the people they hire for the different departments actually know something about what they are selling. Not what they memorized from the training. Actual KNOWLEDGE.

Bah, I'm already doing it.

[SocialEngineer]

I work at a local newspaper, and we've already got this implemented!

I work as late as necessary, as long as I work 8 hours (starting at 9 AM or earlier). Heck, the day before thanksgiving, I got to work from 9 AM until 12:20 AM Thanksgiving day! YEAH! I even go to SKIP MY LUNCH BREAK! As long as the paper gets done, they don't care how late I work! Well, if the paper is done, they usually want me to leave, or clock out, since they really don't want to pay overtime..

Sarcasm aside, this is great. Wouldn't work in my industry, seeing as how we are usually pretty crunched for time as is.

Re:A passionate mutiny?

[Pojut]

I am one of those mindless drones in a call center, and I approve of this message.

I can see it now...

[Cytlid]

...this is opposed to the old standby "Work All Days Evenly". A new ROWE vs WADE.

Re:More Hours?

[kryten_nl]

I just have one question; FBI, CIA or NSA? :)

Where?

[Quiet_Desperation]

Best Buy has employees?

You mean those blue shirted people who just stand around?

They *work* there? :-o

Re:Depends on the people

[slashbob22]

Ducks, Eagles and Wood? Good grief, you sound like a certain Simpson:

One way to get rid of them is to tell 'em stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time we went over to Shelbyville during the war, I wore an onion on my belt....which was the style at the time...you couldn't get those white ones, you could only get those big yellow ones.................now where was I........oh yeah, the important thing was I was wearing an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time, you couldn't get those... (trails off)

Re:In the end the only thing that matters is:

[Greventls]

Best Buy Stores may (as you say) suck, but the corporate offices are looking like one sweet gig here in Minnesotah--yah der don'tcha know... Does the Best Buy corporate offices use the geek squad for their IT support?

Re:Is it just me...

[RyoShin]

Given the chance I bet any employee of Best Buy would gladly stab anyone at the Top just to make a quick buck.

Yes, but they'd only make money if they mail in the rebate with a photocopy of the original stabbing impliment and the original bloody suit.

Re:In the end the only thing that matters is:

[kimvette]

Probably not, because they want their computers to WORK.

Lots of room in the schedule at stores

[RealGrouchy]

Well, with the number of employees at their stores, I think they have enough overlap to allow this for store employees, too.

- RG>

Cats

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

The company I do programming for has a similar policy. I can start work any time of the day I want as long as I get in the full 16 hours.