I’ve now got all of a few weeks under my belt at VMware and am starting to learn the ropes of the facilities and even my job. Well, its fair to say that I nearly completely understand the facilities and nearly completely don’t understand my job. But I’m working hard to rectify that. Upon reflection of the setup at VMware versus that at Intel, I’ve started to formulate a list of the things that I loved and hated about the work environment at Intel. Since I’ve only had about four office jobs I don’t have much to compare this to so I’m hoping you’ll comment and throw in observations about your own work.
Intel Hate #1: Rules, rules, rules.
Everywhere you went in that place there were signs telling you how to behave: “Walk, don’t run”, “No talking”, “Slow down”, “Hold the hand rail”, “No smoking here”, “No cameras allowed”, “This aisle not for through traffic”. And for nearly every one of these I at one time had someone yell at me for violating policy.
Intel Hate #2: Fucking cheapskates!
I can understand cost cutting in an age of microprocessor commoditization but depriving its employees of extremely low-cost luxury items like a coffee machine or pens (without having to ask an administrative assistant) is unforgivable. Given how overwhelmed I was with the services provided at VMware (which will be the topic of another blog entry) I can imagine the opposite feeling of despair that must grip people when they move to Intel from a more lenient environment.
Intel Hate #3: Enter the prison.
Everything in the Santa Clara buildings is gray with perhaps a strip of navy blue. Those cold, dull colors paired with the gray tweed cubicle environment really instills the feeling of incarceration. I believe that the inclusion of some warm artwork here or there would do wonders.
Intel Love #1: Meeting punctuality.
Meetings are an unavoidable fact of the corporate environment. Intel embraced this a long time ago and setup some draconian policies about the time management in the meetings. But those draconian policies enable even the lowliest intern to kick people out of conference rooms on-time so the next meeting can start. This is starkly contrasted with my experience at VMware where rooms and schedules are at the mercy of the biggest boss.
Intel Love #2: IT reliability.
Intel had a world-class IT department. Wireless worked everywhere, the VPN client software was straightforward and unfailingly reliable, and 24-hour tech support was available if needed. As an Intel employee, one comes to think this is the way all companies are until you ask around a little.
Intel Love #3: The “open door” policy.
While the cubicle environment is depressing, it is the complement of an important policy that is universally respected at Intel: the “open door” policy. This policy is stated simply as, “Any employee can ask to meet with any other employee provided sufficient time to plan the meeting.” In practice it means that virtually every intelligent question sent to any random person in the company will be responded to. Furthermore, because everyone is in a cube it’s easy to pop in an ask a question when you need to. When offices (with sound proof doors) are introduced every self-important manager with an immediate deliverable can physically and virtually shut himself off from the world.
Changing jobs has started me thinking about this for the first time. So, I haven’t even talked to any of you about your experiences. Share them here!
Well, I have had a few different of office jobs, as well, and my experiences are similar. As some of these jobs were in a manufacturing plant, the equivalent of the sign that said “Don’t run” at Intel would be the sign that said “Keep your hands out of the lathe if you want to ever pet your dog again” (usually with a helpful graphic).
I have never worked anywhere where it wasn’t a struggle to get basic office supplies in a timely manner upon first arrival. Most people don’t realize that throwing a Staples catalog at someone on their first day is kind of pointless: “let’s see, I think I might need some paper, and a pen, and Post-Its(TM), and a bottle of Advil(TM), and a handgun, and a lot of bullets — at least I don’t need motive.” I have discovered that it is more expensive, but massively better for my psyche, to show up with most of the stuff that I typically use on the first day. Then I sneak around to unoccupied offices and swipe anything else I might need.
Regarding decor, my last office had permanent footprints in the carpeting made by a schmoe and a gallon of machine oil. I think I would prefer gray with a navy stripe. The smell took three years to fade, all the while I felt like I was working in a Jiffy-lube.
Meeting punctuality has never been much of a problem, but three hour-long meetings a day has always made me grumpy, punctual or not. I thought that the Intel policy that you described would actually be kind of useful — I know that I would appreciate meetings that /had/ to end in 30-minutes, less someone exploded. (I remember reading of a manager who required that all meetings be held either standing (on the plant floor, for instance) or with a mandatory 32oz. drink — meetings always ended on time, or someone made a mess.)
If someone finds this entry tied to my name on the Internet, I do not want them to know my opinions on my IT department. Or open-door policies.
Since college I have been a Construction Foreman, an Art Consultant, a Chemical Salesperson, an Etreprenuer in Advertising, a corporate rising star at AT&T, and most recently an Account Executive for a wholesale lender. I can tell you that there are a lot of plusses and minuses to each and every one of them, save the exception of my most recent. I work out of my house, the closest corporate office is in Philadelphia, my boss lives over an hour away and I need not talk to him if I don’t want to, the money is great and I only deal with people I like. I get to tell people to “fuck off” politely if I do not want to do business with them because they are morons, unscrupulous, or their offices smell of too much cologne (often the case here in Miami).
My reccomendation to anyone who doesn’t have this luxury of creating and nurturing your own work environment is this-
1. Buy a really nice pen before your first day, along with a place that it “always goes”. It will follow the old rule of sunglasses- you buy cheap gas station ones, they will be lost, forgotten, or broken within a couple of months. Buy an expensive pair and you are forced to keep a tight reign on thier whereabouts. Besides, using a nice pen looks cool, and they will last forever.
2. IT departments on the whole suck. If you need them they typically will not respond quickly unless you get someone higher up to light the fire. Mkae friends with them on the first day, and take one of them out and get them really drunk within the first month. If you can, take them to a strip club and live it up like rap stars. It works wonders.
3. Sounds cliche’, but it is true. Come earlier than the boss and leave later than the boss. This does not mean you cannot fuck around for an hour or 3 during the day. The perception will always be that you are dedicated and timely regarldess of the fact that you spent the last 4 hours at Toys R’ Us playing Playstation 3. This will get you in good enough with the boss for rule #4
4. If things are difficult to get a hold of because you work for cheapo corporate tightasses, do what I did. Every time you are finishing a face to face meeting with a higher up, hesitate halfway out the door to your office and ask “Do you happen to have any extra post its/toner/pads/tampons?” If they do, they will likely hand it over knowing that you are their go to guy. If they don’t, they will eventually get annoyed enough to kill the penny pinchers in charge to loosen their purse strings.
5. If you don’t like your environment, freakin’ change it. I remember we were building a new call center at AT&T where I was going to work. I went in as the lines were being installed and cubes were being set up. Although there were a lot of warm browns and tans, it needed something else. I waited for there to be nobody but the outside contractors around and I had a tree delivered and set up. Not a ficus, but a freakin’ 20 foot tall tree. It sat right under a skylight. Here’s the kicker- never take credit for it if people like it and definitely don’t take credit for it if they don’t there are so many people involved in setting up an office environment that they will all assume somebody else did it. There was a meeting with our Senior VP afterwards. He forcefully thanked the Project Manager for the tree idea, of which she accepted the compliment. I sat back with a smug grin.
So- hang a painting, paint a wall, install a skylight. Just don’t do it when anyone can witness you doing it and preferably hire someone else. It will all be seen as “business as usual” and it will be worth having a nicer place to work.