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| 0|0|Titles for Analysts We use the following criteria to assess the level and title of our analysts at Basecamp. These criteria arent exhaustive, and they arent mere checklists. Theyre a guidance to having an individualized discussion about career progression.|What are the criteria for titles for data analysts?|exhaustive|140|151 | |
| 1|0|Titles for Analysts We use the following criteria to assess the level and title of our analysts at Basecamp. These criteria arent exhaustive, and they arent mere checklists. Theyre a guidance to having an individualized discussion about career progression.|How are the criteria for titles for data analysts used?|exhaustive|140|151 | |
| 2|1|Analyzes complex business problems and issues using from internal and external sources to provide insight to decision-makers. Identifies and interprets trends and patterns in datasets to locate influences. Constructs forecasts, recommendations and strategic/tactical plans based on business and market knowledge. Creates specifications for reports and analysis based on business needs and required or available elements. May provide consultation to users and lead cross-functional teams to address business issues. May directly produce datasets and reports for analysis using system reporting tools.|What does the system build forecasts, recommendations and strategic/tactical plans based on?|business and market knowledge|287|322 | |
| 3|2|Analyzes complex business problems and issues using from internal and external sources to provide insight to decision-makers. Identifies and interprets trends and patterns in datasets to locate influences. Constructs forecasts, recommendations and strategic/tactical plans based on business and market knowledge. Creates specifications for reports and analysis based on business needs and required or available elements. May provide consultation to users and lead cross-functional teams to address business issues. May directly produce datasets and reports for analysis using system reporting tools.|What kind of tools are used for analysis?|system reporting|591|607 | |
| 4|3|Level specific traitsSenior Analyst (L3)|what does l3 stand for in data analyst|traitsSenior Analyst|15|40 | |
| 5|5|Work happens autonomously with no regular need for unsolicited review. Brings in appropriate stakeholders for input and feedback on a timeline that makes sense for all involved. Advocates for impactful projects that cross-team collaboration. Able to run and direct small self-organized teams for such projects. Leads in making decisions on when and how substantial changes to the analytics tooling and workflow are needed. Turns implicit knowledge explicit by documenting processes, key decisions, schematics, and other facts regularly. Makes more accessible across the company by publishing relevant analyses and training others throughout the company on how to access unaided. Helps set and maintain professional standards for the entire organization. Is highly regarded by others in the company and works to make the company better as a place to work. Usually at least 8 years of experience.|How does the system work without a need for regular?|unsolicited review|51|70 | |
| 6|6|Work happens autonomously with no regular need for unsolicited review. Brings in appropriate stakeholders for input and feedback on a timeline that makes sense for all involved. Advocates for impactful projects that cross-team collaboration. Able to run and direct small self-organized teams for such projects. Leads in making decisions on when and how substantial changes to the analytics tooling and workflow are needed. Turns implicit knowledge explicit by documenting processes, key decisions, schematics, and other facts regularly. Makes more accessible across the company by publishing relevant analyses and training others throughout the company on how to access unaided. Helps set and maintain professional standards for the entire organization. Is highly regarded by others in the company and works to make the company better as a place to work. Usually at least 8 years of experience.|What is the typical experience of a BD/BA?|at least 8 years of experience|886|917 | |
| 7|7|Can set and direct a large, cross-department project team towards one goal. Capable of running and directing those teams for substantive long-term projects. Pushes the whole organization forward regularly through the use of different organizational concepts and analytical applications. Regularly publishes and shares analysis process insights inside and outside the company. Capable of designing and architecting new analytics tooling and workflows. Usually at least 12 years of experience.|How long-term are large cross-department project teams capable of working for?|substantive long-term projects|125|156 | |
| 8|10|We are actively fixing feature-related bugs for Basecamp and HEY. Its a good idea to try to do a quick search first to see your bug has already been reported, but better to report something twice than not at all.|For what project are we actively fixing feature-related bugs?|Basecamp and HEY|48|65 | |
| 9|10|We are actively fixing feature-related bugs for Basecamp and HEY. Its a good idea to try to do a quick search first to see your bug has already been reported, but better to report something twice than not at all.|How do you find a quick bug report?|try to do a quick search|85|109 | |
| 10|11| you find a bug related to Basecamp, add it to a Card Table in Basecamp Web: Bugs, Basecamp Android: Bugs, or Basecamp iOS: Bugs. you find a bug related to HEY, add it to a Card Table in HEY Web: Bugs, HEY Android: Bugs, or HEY iOS: Bugs.|In what app can you find bugs related to Basecamp?|Basecamp Web: Bugs|65|84 | |
| 11|12|Moonlighting means working other professional, paid jobs outside of your work at 37signals. Its not a black and white topic. There are one-time gigs, other pursuits, or opportunities that help you grow and make life interesting. We want to support that. But we want to make sure professional endeavors outside of 37signals dont create conflicts of interest or affect your time, dedication, or performance at 37signals. So its a delicate balance.|What is it called when someone works other paid jobs?|Moonlighting|0|12 | |
| 12|13|Moonlighting means working other professional, paid jobs outside of your work at 37signals. Its not a black and white topic. There are one-time gigs, other pursuits, or opportunities that help you grow and make life interesting. We want to support that. But we want to make sure professional endeavors outside of 37signals dont create conflicts of interest or affect your time, dedication, or performance at 37signals. So its a delicate balance.|How does the topic of Moonlighting effect the work environment?|Its not a black and white topic|92|124 | |
| 13|14|With that in mind, here are some examples of what wed consider OK and what we would consider a conflict of interest and not OK:OK|What word do they use to describe what is considered to be a conflict of interest?|OK|63|65 | |
| 14|15|An occasional side gig, free or paid, for someone you know. For example, you want to work on a friends website, or a design or writing project for something youre involved with, thats fine. An occasional speaking gig, free or paid. Someones going to pay you to give a talk somewhere? Thats fine as long as it doesnt involve multiple days off for travel (unless you use your own personal vacation time against this travel time). A side business thats different from your day job, as long as the commitment is only a few hours a week. you come to work exhausted because youre trying to start a full-time business on the side, its going to impact your performance here. Serve as an advisor for another company, or be on a board, as long as theres no conflict of interest. The time commitment must be under a few hours a month. And theres a scheduling conflict, 37signals gets priority. Do volunteer or occasional pro-bono work for a cause youre actively involved with. A little work here and there is fine, but, for example, becoming an organizations full-time web designer and being on the hook to work during your standard work day, etc, would not be OK.|How much time does it take for an employee to work on a side business with his or her day job?|a few hours a week|516|535 | |
| 15|15|An occasional side gig, free or paid, for someone you know. For example, you want to work on a friends website, or a design or writing project for something youre involved with, thats fine. An occasional speaking gig, free or paid. Someones going to pay you to give a talk somewhere? Thats fine as long as it doesnt involve multiple days off for travel (unless you use your own personal vacation time against this travel time). A side business thats different from your day job, as long as the commitment is only a few hours a week. you come to work exhausted because youre trying to start a full-time business on the side, its going to impact your performance here. Serve as an advisor for another company, or be on a board, as long as theres no conflict of interest. The time commitment must be under a few hours a month. And theres a scheduling conflict, 37signals gets priority. Do volunteer or occasional pro-bono work for a cause youre actively involved with. A little work here and there is fine, but, for example, becoming an organizations full-time web designer and being on the hook to work during your standard work day, etc, would not be OK.|What site gets priority when there is a scheduling conflict?|37signals|867|876 | |
| 16|17|You cant work full time or part time for another company in our industry. youre unclear about what our industry is, and you have a specific situation youd like to talk about, ping Jason or David. Go out on a regular speaking circuit tour which is going to multiple days of travel multiple times a year. Thats too disruptive to our own work schedule and to your fellow teammates. Consult for other companies in our industry where there may be a conflict of interest (a competitor, a product tangentially related to 37signals, etc). Be aggressive in marketing your availability for side work. something comes to you through a friend or some connection, fine, but aggressively promoting something on the side will ultimately result in a conflict of interest here at work. Take on anything outside of work thatll pull attention from work. For example, you wanted to launch an app, but the app requires providing timely customer support to people who use the app, thats going to eat into your day here at work. That would ultimately be a problem.|What kind of tour will take a lot of time?|speaking circuit tour|219|240 | |
| 17|19|Is it competitive? Does it occupy a disproportionate amount of your time? Does it you to be away during times when youre needed at work? Is it another paid gig that employs the same skills 37signals is paying you for?|what is the name of the company that pays you to do what?|37signals|197|206 | |
| 18|20|In general, wed like to be lenient within reason, but were going to be strict we see it impact your time, attention, or performance here at work.|How do you like to be?|lenient within reason|27|49 | |
| 19|20|In general, wed like to be lenient within reason, but were going to be strict we see it impact your time, attention, or performance here at work.|How do you decide to be strict on a policy?| we see it impact your time, attention, or performance here at work|78|148 | |
| 20|23|So, this is where well try to share whats worth knowing about 37signals the company, our culture, our process, and our history. Its a guide to understanding what people are talking about when they call for judo (redefining a hard problem into an easy one) or whether its okay to take your vacation when youve only been with us for a month (yes).|what is the name of the company that is mentioned|37signals|62|71 | |
| 21|24|This handbook also offers us an opportunity to clarify who we actually are as a company. What do we stand for? How should we work? Codifying those beliefs into a handbook makes them tangible and, most importantly, editable. Making the company our best product is a guiding principle, but we cant easily improve what we havent articulated. So whatever version of this handbook youre reading, you can be sure its not the last. Please do help it up to date! And by up to date, were not just talking about misspellings and team changes. Its just as much we say were about X, but what were really doing is Y. So many of these employee handbook projects turn out to be ideal-case prescriptions rather than real-world descriptions. They cover all the ways people should act, not the ways they actually do. Thats a sham. Lets not write a handbook like that. Lets it honest.|How do these handbook projects end up being?|ideal-case prescriptions rather than real-world descriptions|668|729 | |
| 22|25| youre reading this just after joining the company, its particularly on you, actually. Its harder for us slowly-boiled frogs whove been with 37signals for a to spot the broken ways. Please take advantage of that glorious, shiny ignorance of being new, and question things.|How do you find broken ways in the world of software?|Its harder|89|99 | |
| 23|25| youre reading this just after joining the company, its particularly on you, actually. Its harder for us slowly-boiled frogs whove been with 37signals for a to spot the broken ways. Please take advantage of that glorious, shiny ignorance of being new, and question things.|what do you do when you join a company?|question things|264|280 | |
| 24|26|Our Internal Systems Besides the customer-facing applications, like the different versions of Basecamp, we have a number of internal systems that help us support, report, and operate the company. They are as follows: Dash|How do our internal systems help the company?|support, report, and operate|154|182 | |
| 25|27|Dash is the main hub for everything that has to do with logging (like finding why a request is slow or whether an email has been delivered), reporting (everything from number of support cases handled to split of devices used to access Basecamp), application health (response times, job queue exceptions etc).|What is the main hub for everything that has to do with logging?|Dash|0|4 | |
| 26|28|dash.37signals.comQueenbee Queenbee is our invoice, accounting, and identity system. Here you can look up any customer account, see whether they are comped, refund an invoice, or even login as a customer.|What is the queenbee?|invoice, accounting, and identity system|43|84 | |
| 27|29|Thats an immense amount of power and we take its use very seriously. We only ever login as a customer after having been given explicit permission to do so, never preemptively. Our customers expect that their information is confidential, even from us, and we intend to honor that expectation at all times.|How long do we have to login as a customer?|after having been given explicit permission to do so, never preemptively|102|175 | |
| 28|29|Thats an immense amount of power and we take its use very seriously. We only ever login as a customer after having been given explicit permission to do so, never preemptively. Our customers expect that their information is confidential, even from us, and we intend to honor that expectation at all times.|How do you login as a customer?|after having been given explicit permission to do so, never preemptively|102|175 | |
| 29|31|This is perhaps less of a system and more of an interface to all our other systems. The 37 command gives easy access to the production consoles for all the applications, which is often needed when diagnosing or fixing custom issues. It also allows you to directly grep and tail log files for live debugging, amongst other things.|How many command does the console have?|37|88|90 | |
| 30|32|We track programming exceptions on Sentry. When a customer hits a Oops, something went wrong! screen, that means therell be an in Sentry explaining to programmers why they saw that screen. Keeping the exceptions under control and monitored is primarily the responsibility of SIP and Jim via on-call.|What is the name of the program that tracks programming exceptions?|Sentry|35|42 | |
| 31|33|We track programming exceptions on Sentry. When a customer hits a Oops, something went wrong! screen, that means therell be an in Sentry explaining to programmers why they saw that screen. Keeping the exceptions under control and monitored is primarily the responsibility of SIP and Jim via on-call.|What is the primary person responsible for keeping exceptions under control?|SIP and Jim|281|292 | |
| 32|34|getsentry.comCustomer.IO All drip campaigns, welcome emails, and other email marketing campaigns for 37signals are run through Customer.IO. This allows the marketing team to independently tweak and measure the campaigns. customer.io Shipshape|What platform are 37signals email marketing campaigns run through?|Customer.IO|127|139 | |
| 33|34|getsentry.comCustomer.IO All drip campaigns, welcome emails, and other email marketing campaigns for 37signals are run through Customer.IO. This allows the marketing team to independently tweak and measure the campaigns. customer.io Shipshape|How does the marketing team benefit from the Customer.IO service?|allows the marketing team to independently tweak and measure the campaigns|145|220 | |
| 34|35|Shipshape is how we make sure our work computers are up to our strict security protocol. When youre given access to the companys GitHub account, you can run Shipshape to be sure youre up to . Shipshape will also test your machine periodically to let you know (and our SIP team know) your machine springs a leak and needs bailing out.|What is the name of the program that lets you make sure you meet our security protocol?|Shipshape|0|9 | |
| 35|35|Shipshape is how we make sure our work computers are up to our strict security protocol. When youre given access to the companys GitHub account, you can run Shipshape to be sure youre up to . Shipshape will also test your machine periodically to let you know (and our SIP team know) your machine springs a leak and needs bailing out.|What is the name of the program that lets you make sure you meet our security protocol?|Shipshape|0|9 | |
| 36|36|Vocabulary 37signals has over time developed a vocabulary specific to our work and company. Chowder When establishing the tasks under a project, there are must-haves and maybes. Chowder is a shorthand we use to refer to the maybes. Judo|What has developed a vocabulary specific to our work and company?|Vocabulary 37signals|0|20 | |
| 37|37|Most problems can be solved in a thousand different ways. One way might take 100 hours, another might take 10. Judo is the art of problem restatement. Turning that massive, scary 3-month looking problem into one that can be done in 3 weeks instead. Its often used when we frustrated trying to solve something hard and we arent making sufficient progress: Lets figure out a way to judo this!.|What is the average amount of time that a solution to a problem might take?|10|107|110 | |
| 38|38|PDIPlease do investigate. Seen most often on to-do lists in Basecamp to indicate uncertainty. It helps everyone on the project understand that were going to look into it but it may or may not be feasible, practical, or possible.|In what software does it often appear on a to-do list?|Basecamp|60|68 | |
| 39|38|PDIPlease do investigate. Seen most often on to-do lists in Basecamp to indicate uncertainty. It helps everyone on the project understand that were going to look into it but it may or may not be feasible, practical, or possible.|What does the acronym PDIPlease do on a to-do list?|investigate|13|25 | |
| 40|39|Its a rare case when our initial aspirations for a feature dont meet the boundaries of our cycle budgets. When that happens, our go-to tool for shipping is scope hammering. This basically just means shrinking the scope, removing features or configuration or fidelity, until the work is doable within the time left. Its the opposite tactic to working longer days or weekends or to postpone the project into another cycle. Almost every project can be scope hammered, especially you invite someone in to assist with the analysis who isnt afraid to kill other peoples darlings. Youll better at doing that yourself after a few rounds too.|what is our go-to tool for shipping?|scope hammering|156|172 | |
| 41|40|Its a rare case when our initial aspirations for a feature dont meet the boundaries of our cycle budgets. When that happens, our go-to tool for shipping is scope hammering. This basically just means shrinking the scope, removing features or configuration or fidelity, until the work is doable within the time left. Its the opposite tactic to working longer days or weekends or to postpone the project into another cycle. Almost every project can be scope hammered, especially you invite someone in to assist with the analysis who isnt afraid to kill other peoples darlings. Youll better at doing that yourself after a few rounds too.|How does scope hammering work?|shrinking the scope, removing features or configuration or fidelity|199|267 | |
| 42|41|Titles for Programmers We use the following criteria to assess the level and title of programmers of Basecamp. These criteria arent exhaustive, and they arent mere checklists. Theyre a guidance to having an individualized discussion about career progression.|How are the criteria a guidance for?|having an individualized discussion about career progression|197|258 | |
| 43|42|It should also be noted that these criteria chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently. In addition to that assessment, we also look at the quality of the execution itself. Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry (based on San Francisco rates), so the quality of the work itself should be commensurate with that target.|How do these criteria measure performance?|examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently|52|123 | |
| 44|42|It should also be noted that these criteria chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently. In addition to that assessment, we also look at the quality of the execution itself. Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry (based on San Francisco rates), so the quality of the work itself should be commensurate with that target.|What is the basis of Basecamp's pay in the top 10% of the industry?|San Francisco rates|264|285 | |
| 45|44|Work is thoroughly reviewed with substantial backnforth frequently needed before merging. Basic language features are mastered, but some advanced structures may still be unfamiliar. Occasional issues following patterns and approaches within existing bases. Works primarily on tightly scoped, routine problems. Usually less than 2 years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the typical experience of a professional programmer?|less than 2 years|323|340 | |
| 46|45|Work is reviewed with the occasional need for material direction or implementation changes. Follows established patterns and approaches within existing bases with ease. Works mostly on clearly defined and scoped individual features or problems. Usually at least 2-5 years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|How does Work usually work?|clearly defined and scoped individual features or problems|190|249 | |
| 47|46|Work is reviewed with the occasional need for material direction or implementation changes. Follows established patterns and approaches within existing bases with ease. Works mostly on clearly defined and scoped individual features or problems. Usually at least 2-5 years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the typical experience of a professional programmer?|2-5 years of experience|267|290 | |
| 48|48|Work doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be. Fully capable of taking substantial features from concept to shipping as the sole programmer (alongside a designer). Can provide material feedback on the work of junior programmers and programmers. Deep expertise within at least one programming environment. Basic proficiency in at least one additional programming environment. Usually at least 5-8 years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the typical experience of a professional programmer?|at least 5-8 years of experience|410|442 | |
| 49|49|Work happens completely autonomously with no regular need for review. Fully capable of owning and running entire subsystems of work (Queenbee expert, Action Cable implementation). Helps set and maintain professional standards for the entire organization. Deep, substantial expertise in multiple programming environments. Capable of running and directing small teams for substantial projects. Capable of executing projects across multiple domains (say, native app that needs API backend). Usually at least 8-12 years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the name of an example of a work system?|Queenbee expert, Action Cable|133|162 | |
| 50|50|Work happens completely autonomously with no regular need for review. Fully capable of owning and running entire subsystems of work (Queenbee expert, Action Cable implementation). Helps set and maintain professional standards for the entire organization. Deep, substantial expertise in multiple programming environments. Capable of running and directing small teams for substantial projects. Capable of executing projects across multiple domains (say, native app that needs API backend). Usually at least 8-12 years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the typical experience of a professional programmer?|8-12 years|505|515 | |
| 51|51|Can set and direct an entire department, like SIP, Core Product, or Research & Fidelity. Fully capable of designing, owning, and running entirely new, novel systems (design billing systems, Trix, Active Record from scratch) Capable of running and directing larger teams for large, long-running projects. Recognized widely in the industry for material contributions to the state of the art. Invents new concepts, pushes the whole organization forward regularly. Usually at least 12-15+ years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the industry recognized widely for?|material contributions to the state of the art|342|389 | |
| 52|52|Can set and direct an entire department, like SIP, Core Product, or Research & Fidelity. Fully capable of designing, owning, and running entirely new, novel systems (design billing systems, Trix, Active Record from scratch) Capable of running and directing larger teams for large, long-running projects. Recognized widely in the industry for material contributions to the state of the art. Invents new concepts, pushes the whole organization forward regularly. Usually at least 12-15+ years of experience being a professional programmer in the specific domain.|What is the typical experience of a professional programmer?|12-15+ years|478|490 | |
| 53|53| your work performance is not meeting expectations, you may be put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). We only initiate PIPs your managers concern is correctable in the short term. We do not usually initiate PIPs for fundamental performance issues that relate to your core job skills.|What does PIP stand for?|Performance Improvement Plan|74|102 | |
| 54|54| your work performance is not meeting expectations, you may be put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). We only initiate PIPs your managers concern is correctable in the short term. We do not usually initiate PIPs for fundamental performance issues that relate to your core job skills.|How do you know if an issue is a PIP?| your managers concern is correctable in the short term|132|190 | |
| 55|56|Your manager will identify a productivity or disciplinary problem as soon as possible after it occurs its a specific incident, or as soon as they can when they sense a general problem with your ongoing performance. Your formal reviews may be helpful in identifying a problem, but managers shouldnt wait for those reviews to raise a problem with you.|How should managers respond to formal reviews?|shouldnt wait for those reviews to raise a problem with you|292|352 | |
| 56|57|Your manager will have a conversation with you about:the specific problem the steps required for you to correct the timeline for correction Revisit Throughout Timeline & On Deadline|How will the manager help you?|Your manager will have a conversation with you about:the specific problem|0|73 | |
| 57|58|Your timeline for taking steps to correct your performance is at the discretion of your manager. During that timeframe, you and your manager will check in periodically about whether or not theyre seeing the improvement theyve asked to see.|what is the person who gives you your timeline for improvement?|your manager|83|96 | |
| 58|58|Your timeline for taking steps to correct your performance is at the discretion of your manager. During that timeframe, you and your manager will check in periodically about whether or not theyre seeing the improvement theyve asked to see.|what does the manager of an employee want to see|improvement|207|218 | |
| 59|59|When you come to the of your PIP timeline, you and your manager will have a formal check-in. your performance is back where it should be, thats the of this process.|What is the final step of a PIP timeline?|a formal check-in|78|96 | |
| 60|60| your performance is not where it should be, your manager will outline next steps. they feel youre putting forth good effort and could use more time to show improvement, they may extend the timeline of the PIP. your manager feels your performance has not improved at all and you havent met the requirements outlined in your PIP, they may decide to terminate your employment with 37signals.|How will your manager outline if your performance is not where it should be?|next steps|73|84 | |
| 61|60| your performance is not where it should be, your manager will outline next steps. they feel youre putting forth good effort and could use more time to show improvement, they may extend the timeline of the PIP. your manager feels your performance has not improved at all and you havent met the requirements outlined in your PIP, they may decide to terminate your employment with 37signals.|What will your manager do if your performance is not what it should be?|outline next steps|65|84 | |
| 62|61| you are terminated, youll be offered a severance package that includes 2 weeks of pay for every 6 months of employment, with a max 6 months severance pay (for 6 years+ of employment). The package also includes health insurance for you and your dependents youve been on our policies for the same time periods, compensation for unused vacation time, and compensation for unused sabbatical time applicable (1 year look back). In return, youll be asked for a general release of liabilities and other standard employment termination terms. When you begin looking for work, your manager and the company may provide references, desired.|What is the severance package for terminations?|2 weeks of pay for every 6 months of employment|74|122 | |
| 63|61| you are terminated, youll be offered a severance package that includes 2 weeks of pay for every 6 months of employment, with a max 6 months severance pay (for 6 years+ of employment). The package also includes health insurance for you and your dependents youve been on our policies for the same time periods, compensation for unused vacation time, and compensation for unused sabbatical time applicable (1 year look back). In return, youll be asked for a general release of liabilities and other standard employment termination terms. When you begin looking for work, your manager and the company may provide references, desired.|What does the severance package include?|2 weeks of pay for every 6 months of employment|74|122 | |
| 64|63|Your manager will offer extra support during the PIP process. We know lots of external factors can come into play at work. youre having personal or professional issues that are harming your performance, please tell your manager so they can work with you.|How do you talk to your manager about personal or professional issues?|please tell your manager so they can work with you|206|257 | |
| 65|63|Your manager will offer extra support during the PIP process. We know lots of external factors can come into play at work. youre having personal or professional issues that are harming your performance, please tell your manager so they can work with you.|How can you talk to your manager about your issues?|please tell your manager so they can work with you|206|257 | |
| 66|64|Lots of employees who still work at 37signals have been on PIPs. Were not in the game of high turnover. We want to see you through the process and see you come out energized on the other side. We care about everyone who works here and youre having performance issues, our first reaction is to help you. We only ask that you work with us to devise a realistic improvement plan that elevates you and works for 37signals.|What are lot of employees at 37signals still working on?|PIPs|59|64 | |
| 67|64|Lots of employees who still work at 37signals have been on PIPs. Were not in the game of high turnover. We want to see you through the process and see you come out energized on the other side. We care about everyone who works here and youre having performance issues, our first reaction is to help you. We only ask that you work with us to devise a realistic improvement plan that elevates you and works for 37signals.|What company are they still working for?|37signals|36|45 | |
| 68|66|The process outlined above is for employees who are dealing with manageable performance or disciplinary issues. an employee is negligent in their duties or commits fraud or insubordination to the point that a performance plan wont serve 37signals or the employee, we retain the right to immediately terminate at-will as stated in our employment contracts. 37signals also retains the right to bypass steps outlined above, including offering a severance package, the severity of performance problems warrants that. In either of these cases, the reasoning will be spelled out in detail to the employee prior to termination.|How will the employee be informed of the reasons for their termination?|in detail|579|588 | |
| 69|69|Thats what we mean when we say marketing is everyones responsibility, and that it pays to spend the time to recognize that. This means avoiding the bullshit of outage language and bending our policies, not just lending your ears. It means taking the time to the writing right and consider how youd feel you were on the other side of the interaction.|"What does the phrase ""Marketing is everyone's responsibility"" mean?"|avoiding the bullshit of outage language and bending our policies|135|201 | |
| 70|69|Thats what we mean when we say marketing is everyones responsibility, and that it pays to spend the time to recognize that. This means avoiding the bullshit of outage language and bending our policies, not just lending your ears. It means taking the time to the writing right and consider how youd feel you were on the other side of the interaction.|How do you avoid the bullshit of outage language?|bending our policies|180|201 | |
| 71|70|The vast majority of our customers come from word of mouth and much of that word comes from people in our audience. This is an audience weve been educating and entertaining for 20 years and counting, and your voice is part of us now, whether you like it or not! Tell us and our audience what you have to say!|what do our customers come from?|word of mouth|45|58 | |
| 72|70|The vast majority of our customers come from word of mouth and much of that word comes from people in our audience. This is an audience weve been educating and entertaining for 20 years and counting, and your voice is part of us now, whether you like it or not! Tell us and our audience what you have to say!|what years have we been entertaining and educating our audience|20 years and counting|177|199 | |
| 73|71|This goes for tools and techniques as much as it goes for prose. 37signals not only tries to out-teach the competition, but also out-share and out-collaborate. Were prolific open source contributors through Ruby on Rails, Trix, Turbolinks, Stimulus, and many other projects. Extracting the infrastructure that others could use as well is satisfying, important work, and we should continue to do that.|How does 37signals collaborate with other developers?|out-share and out-collaborate|129|159 | |
| 74|71|This goes for tools and techniques as much as it goes for prose. 37signals not only tries to out-teach the competition, but also out-share and out-collaborate. Were prolific open source contributors through Ruby on Rails, Trix, Turbolinks, Stimulus, and many other projects. Extracting the infrastructure that others could use as well is satisfying, important work, and we should continue to do that.|How were prolific contributors to 37signals?|Ruby on Rails|207|221 | |
| 75|72|Its also worth mentioning that joining 37signals can be all-consuming. Weve seen it happen. You dig 37signals, so you feel pressure to contribute, maybe overwhelmingly so. The people who work here are some of the best and brightest in our industry, so the self-imposed burden to be exceptional is real. But heres the thing: stop it. Settle in. Were glad you love this job because we all do too, but at the of the day its a job. Do your best work, collaborate with your team, write, read, learn, and then turn off your computer and play with your dog. Well all be better for it.|What is it worth joining?|37signals can be all-consuming|39|70 | |
| 76|73|Basecamp. On our website, we say Basecamp is a private, secure online where people working together can organize and discuss everything they need to a project done. See it, track it, discuss it, act on it. Tasks, discussions, deadlines, and files everythings predictably organized in Basecamp. But we want it to be more than that. In mid-2016, we decided to focus on helping small business owners manage their businesses and help alleviate growth and organizational pains theyre facing. Project management was our bread and butter for over 15 years. But we were inspired by how we, internally, have used Basecamp to run 37signals, and we want to extend that philosophy to our current customers and scores of brand-new customers.|What is the name of the private, secure space online where people working together can organize and discuss everything they need to get a project done?|Basecamp|33|41 | |
| 77|74|Basecamp. On our website, we say Basecamp is a private, secure online where people working together can organize and discuss everything they need to a project done. See it, track it, discuss it, act on it. Tasks, discussions, deadlines, and files everythings predictably organized in Basecamp. But we want it to be more than that. In mid-2016, we decided to focus on helping small business owners manage their businesses and help alleviate growth and organizational pains theyre facing. Project management was our bread and butter for over 15 years. But we were inspired by how we, internally, have used Basecamp to run 37signals, and we want to extend that philosophy to our current customers and scores of brand-new customers.|What was our bread and butter for over 15 years?|Project management|497|515 | |
| 78|75|But lets take a look back. In 2003, 37signals was a web design firm made up of 4 people. We always had work, but we were disorganized. With so many concurrent projects, things began to slip through the cracks. Projects dragged on too long. We dropped the ball on key deliverables. We had some major miscommunication. As many people even still do, we relied on email for everything. Things inevitably got lost, people left out of conversations, theres nowhere to go to see whats left to do.|How many people did 37signals have in 2003?|4|79|80 | |
| 79|75|But lets take a look back. In 2003, 37signals was a web design firm made up of 4 people. We always had work, but we were disorganized. With so many concurrent projects, things began to slip through the cracks. Projects dragged on too long. We dropped the ball on key deliverables. We had some major miscommunication. As many people even still do, we relied on email for everything. Things inevitably got lost, people left out of conversations, theres nowhere to go to see whats left to do.|What were the people of 37signals using for everything?|email|360|365 | |
| 80|76|So we started looking for a project management tool. We tried a few tools, but they were complicated and didnt fit what we needed. Frustrated, we decided to build our own simple project management app. A few months later we had something ready, and we immediately started using this tool with our existing clients.|What did we decide to build?|our own simple project management app|163|201 | |
| 81|76|So we started looking for a project management tool. We tried a few tools, but they were complicated and didnt fit what we needed. Frustrated, we decided to build our own simple project management app. A few months later we had something ready, and we immediately started using this tool with our existing clients.|What did we build?|project management app|178|201 | |
| 82|77|Lo and behold, our projects ran better! We regained the sense of order and calmness wed been craving. And clients noticed they really appreciated the improved communication and organization. Soon after, our clients started asking us what software we were using to run these projects. Turns out they wanted to use it for their own in-house projects! So, we polished it up and put it on the market. On February 5th, 2004, Basecamp was born, and within a year, Basecamp was generating more income for us than our web design business, so we shuttered the web design firm to focus solely on Basecamp. That original Basecamp is called Basecamp Classic, and it still retains quite a few loyal customers! In 2012, we released our second version of Basecamp, referred to as BCX.|What is the original name of Basecamp?|Basecamp Classic|629|646 | |
| 83|77|Lo and behold, our projects ran better! We regained the sense of order and calmness wed been craving. And clients noticed they really appreciated the improved communication and organization. Soon after, our clients started asking us what software we were using to run these projects. Turns out they wanted to use it for their own in-house projects! So, we polished it up and put it on the market. On February 5th, 2004, Basecamp was born, and within a year, Basecamp was generating more income for us than our web design business, so we shuttered the web design firm to focus solely on Basecamp. That original Basecamp is called Basecamp Classic, and it still retains quite a few loyal customers! In 2012, we released our second version of Basecamp, referred to as BCX.|What is the second version of Basecamp called?|BCX|765|769 | |
| 84|78|Fast forward to 2014. Wed been feeling pulled in too many directions for too long. Campfire, Highrise, Backpack, and a host of other products were taking away from what we really wanted to do: maintain and improve Basecamp. So we spun off, sold, or otherwise sunset our ancillary products, and dedicated the entire companys efforts to Basecamp. In 2015 we launched our third version of Basecamp, BC3, and in 2022, we launched Basecamp 4.|In what year did Basecamp 4 launch?|2022|408|413 | |
| 85|80|HEY is our love letter to email. our internal communications are almost exclusively in Basecamp (with reviews in GitHub the primary exception), we still correspond with some external service providers and customers via email. Every time we needed to do that, we felt the drag: how much harder it was to manage and stay on top of email. So we eventually decided to do something about it. After over two years of work, we launched HEY in June 2020.|What month and year did we launch the Hey letter?|June 2020|447|457 | |
| 86|81|In 2014, we decided to spin off or sell our other (very successful!) applications. One of those was Highrise, our customer relationship management (CRM) tool. Highrise became a subsidiary of 37signals run by its own board, executive, and staff. In 2018, we took back control of Highrise, disbanded the separate company, and turned off new signups. Highrise is now, as Basecamp Classic, Basecamp 2, Backpack, and Campfire, part of our until-the--of-the-internet legacy. Maintained for existing customers, but no longer developed for new features or new customers.|Who was our CRM tool?|Highrise|100|109 | |
| 87|83|Ten years ago, to-do list apps were few and far between. So, we created Ta-da List as a stand alone free subscription app at tadalist.com in January 2005. Now that people have to-do lists on their phones, desktops, laptops, tablets, and refrigerator doors, we recognized that Ta-da List was a little outdated. We closed new signups to tadalist.com in 2012, but existing customers were able to retain their accounts.|What app was created in 2005?|Ta-da List|72|82 | |
| 88|84|Ten years ago, to-do list apps were few and far between. So, we created Ta-da List as a stand alone free subscription app at tadalist.com in January 2005. Now that people have to-do lists on their phones, desktops, laptops, tablets, and refrigerator doors, we recognized that Ta-da List was a little outdated. We closed new signups to tadalist.com in 2012, but existing customers were able to retain their accounts.|In what year did we close signups for Ta-da List?|2012|351|356 | |
| 89|85|We created Backpack in May 2005 as a supplement to Basecamp Classic. Backpack existed as an organizer: a place to lifes loose ends together. Users could make lists, notes, add files, upload pictures, and create Writeboards to share with other users. When we restructured in 2014, we closed Backpack to new customers, but existing customers still use (and love!) Backpack.|What was Backpack originally created as a supplement to?|Basecamp Classic|51|68 | |
| 90|86|We created Backpack in May 2005 as a supplement to Basecamp Classic. Backpack existed as an organizer: a place to lifes loose ends together. Users could make lists, notes, add files, upload pictures, and create Writeboards to share with other users. When we restructured in 2014, we closed Backpack to new customers, but existing customers still use (and love!) Backpack.|What feature of Backpack allowed users to create groups to share with others?|Writeboards|216|227 | |
| 91|87|A tool called Writeboards lives in Basecamp Classic and Backpack. A Writeboard functions as a very simple, minimally formattable text document. In October 2005, we launched Writeboards.com, so people who wanted to use the tool without a Basecamp or Backpack subscription could do so. We retired Writeboards.com in 2014, but they still work in existing Basecamp Classic and Backpack accounts.|What tool still works in existing Basecamp Classic and Backpack accounts?|Writeboards.com|295|310 | |
| 92|89|In 2006, we built Campfire to help businesses communicate better. Its a simple, real-time web-based group chat tool that lets people set up password-protected chat rooms super quickly. At the very beginning, it didnt integrate with Basecamp, but when it did, it took off. Signups for Campfire were closed in February 2017.|In what month and year did signups for Campfire end?|February 2017|308|322 | |
| 93|90|37signals SuiteThe 37signals Suite was a bundle of Basecamp Classic, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire that allowed businesses to big savings across the apps, simplify billing, and unify users across the apps. We retired the 37signals Suite offering after BCX was launched.|What were the components of the 37signals Suite?|Basecamp Classic, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire|51|101 | |
| 94|91|37signals SuiteThe 37signals Suite was a bundle of Basecamp Classic, Highrise, Backpack, and Campfire that allowed businesses to big savings across the apps, simplify billing, and unify users across the apps. We retired the 37signals Suite offering after BCX was launched.|What app allowed businesses to get big savings across apps?|37signals Suite|19|34 | |
| 95|92|In 2012, we launched Echo, which turned into Breeze, a mailing list tool for small groups. We were excited about it, tried for a year to build up the product and bring in customers, but the product didnt take off like we hoped it would. Only about 1,200 customers signed up in that year, so rather than watch it limp along, we closed it down in August 2013.|What did the name Echo become?|Breeze|45|52 | |
| 96|93|In 2012, we launched Echo, which turned into Breeze, a mailing list tool for small groups. We were excited about it, tried for a year to build up the product and bring in customers, but the product didnt take off like we hoped it would. Only about 1,200 customers signed up in that year, so rather than watch it limp along, we closed it down in August 2013.|What was the number of people who signed up for Echo in 2012?|1,200|248|253 | |
| 97|94|Unlike our other retired products, we refunded our customers money and closed the product entirely so not even existing customers could retain their subscription. We directed them to other small scale mailing list alternatives and apologized for the hiccup.WeWorkRemotely.com|How did we handle the refund for our other products?|closed the product entirely|71|98 | |
| 98|94|Unlike our other retired products, we refunded our customers money and closed the product entirely so not even existing customers could retain their subscription. We directed them to other small scale mailing list alternatives and apologized for the hiccup.WeWorkRemotely.com|How did our other retired products end up closing?|we refunded our customers money and closed the product entirely|35|98 | |
| 99|95|37signals has run a job board since 2006, helping connect small businesses with good designers and programmers for full-time jobs, freelance gigs, and internships.|What site has run a job board since 2006?|37signals|0|9 | |
| 100|95|37signals has run a job board since 2006, helping connect small businesses with good designers and programmers for full-time jobs, freelance gigs, and internships.|What year did 37signals start running a job board?|2006|36|41 | |
| 101|97|In 2009, 37signals launched Sortfolio (previously named Haystack) to help clients find the right web designer in a more efficient way. Clients are able to filter by city and typical budget range and then peruse the results in a more visual way. We ended up selling Sortfolio in 2013 to be able to focus more on Basecamp and allow another company to give Sortfolio the love and attention it deserves.|Who was Sortfolio previously named?|Haystack|56|65 | |
| 102|98|In 2009, 37signals launched Sortfolio (previously named Haystack) to help clients find the right web designer in a more efficient way. Clients are able to filter by city and typical budget range and then peruse the results in a more visual way. We ended up selling Sortfolio in 2013 to be able to focus more on Basecamp and allow another company to give Sortfolio the love and attention it deserves.|What other company did 37Signals sell Sortfolio to?|Basecamp|311|319 | |
| 103|99|Know Your Team (formerly Know Your Company)|What was the Know Your Team formerly known as?|Know Your Company|25|43 | |
| 104|100|In 2013, 37signals created a software tool that allows managers to ask questions to gain insight into what their employees think about work, the culture, the direction of the company, what people are working on, or even something personal like their favorite recent movie. We created Know Your Team because when the 37signals team grew to about 30 people, Jason realized he didnt know the company or its people as well as he should have. So, Know Your Team was created initially as an internal tool that eventually became a product that we sold to customers. In 2014, we sold Know Your Team to Claire Lew, and shes been running it ever since!|What company created a software tool in 2013?|37signals|9|18 | |
| 105|101|International Travel Guide you travel out of your country of residence with your work laptop or other devices, you may face questions about business visitor visas, customs, and border security. We have answers!|What are some of the questions international travelers may encounter?|business visitor visas, customs, and border security|143|196 | |
| 106|104|You need a visa or a waiver to authorize travel to the US. your country participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), then you can apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) within 3 days of travel. The ESTA is valid for 2 years. Apply for an ESTA here.|What does ESTA stand for?|Electronic System for Travel Authorization|154|197 | |
| 107|105|You need a visa or a waiver to authorize travel to the US. your country participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), then you can apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) within 3 days of travel. The ESTA is valid for 2 years. Apply for an ESTA here.|What is the validity of an ESTA?|2 years|245|253 | |
| 108|106|Canadian passport holders dont need a visa to enter the US for non-paid business events. Passport and government ID are all thats required.B-1 Business Visitor Visa|What are the two documents that a Canadian passport holder must have in order to enter the United States?|Passport and government ID|89|115 | |
| 109|107| your country does not participate in the Visa Waiver Program or you are not eligible for an ESTA, youll need to apply for a B-1 business visitor visa the long way.|What kind of visa will you need if your country does n 't participate in the Visa Waiver Program?|B-1 business visitor visa|127|152 | |
| 110|108|Well work with you through this process. Start early, as soon as we have dates for a meetup or conference. Visa appointments and processing can take weeks to months. Ping Andrea as soon as you know that youll need a visa.|How soon should you start getting a visa?|weeks to months|149|165 | |
| 111|108|Well work with you through this process. Start early, as soon as we have dates for a meetup or conference. Visa appointments and processing can take weeks to months. Ping Andrea as soon as you know that youll need a visa.|What is the typical processing time for a visa?|weeks to months|149|165 | |
| 112|110|Citizens of some countries are eligible for and Canadians are eligible for NEXUS. These programs are completely optional but may make life a little easier, at the cost of onerous biometric scans like fingerprinting (for and NEXUS) and iris scanning (for NEXUS). Note: An ESTA is still required for travel; these programs just speed up entry.|How do these programs help?|speed up entry|352|367 | |
| 113|111|Travel to countries other than the United StatesVisa|What is the name of the travel document that allows travel to other countries?|StatesVisa|42|52 | |
| 114|112|The visa requirements for your nationality will vary depending on the country you plan to visit, as individual visa policies and requirements vary for different foreign citizens. It may or may not be necessary to obtain a travel document to visit your country of destination.|How will the visa requirements differ for different countries?|individual visa policies and requirements vary for different foreign citizens|100|178 | |
| 115|112|The visa requirements for your nationality will vary depending on the country you plan to visit, as individual visa policies and requirements vary for different foreign citizens. It may or may not be necessary to obtain a travel document to visit your country of destination.|What document will it be necessary for you to have to have in order to enter a country?|travel document|222|237 | |
| 116|113|Please check the requirements for your nationality with your destination country as far in advance of travel as you can. You can also use a visa checker. You may be able to travel visa-free, or you may need to obtain a visa, a waiver, or an electronic travel authorization.|How far in advance of travel can you check the required requirements for a trip?|as far|81|87 | |
| 117|113|Please check the requirements for your nationality with your destination country as far in advance of travel as you can. You can also use a visa checker. You may be able to travel visa-free, or you may need to obtain a visa, a waiver, or an electronic travel authorization.|What can you use to check your travel requirements before travel?|visa checker|140|153 | |
| 118|114|To substantiate the purpose of your travel to any country, we can provide an unofficial invitation letter that states that youre traveling on behalf of 37signals business. Verify in advance the country youre visiting requires a letter of purpose, and that you wont need a work visa to accompany a letter.|what does the letter of purpose for travel state?|youre traveling on behalf of 37signals business|123|171 | |
| 119|116|When you cross a border, you may be asked to unlock your phone or laptop for search, possibly exposing sensitive company like source , passwords, and customer account . Yikes! We need to take some precautionary measures to safeguard our .|What is sensitive information that can be exposed by a border crossing?|source , passwords, and customer account |131|181 | |
| 120|117|When you cross a border, you may be asked to unlock your phone or laptop for search, possibly exposing sensitive company like source , passwords, and customer account . Yikes! We need to take some precautionary measures to safeguard our .|How do you safeguard company data?|We need to take some precautionary measures|189|232 | |
| 121|118|Whats a work device? Anything you have company on: your laptop where you work with source ; your tablet where you read work email; your phone where you use the Basecamp app; etc.TL;DR: Dont Travel With Work Data|What app do you use on your phone?|Basecamp|169|177 | |
| 122|119| you dont need your work laptop (or tablet/phone), dont bring it with you! Wipe company from your phone before crossing the border. Restore it afterward.Checklist: Before You Travel|What do you do with your work laptop/tablet before crossing the border?|Wipe company from your phone|77|110 | |
| 123|120|Let us know! Share your travel plans and when you expect to arrive in the US. Update your electronic travel authorization with your travel when you have it. Ensure you have your passport, visa/waiver, invitation letter, and travel details all in order. you run into general travel issues on 37signals business, contact Andrea. you find yourself facing serious consequences like arrest or illegal detention in the United States, you can contact our attorney Jennifer Schaaf. Her contact information is in the teams vault in 1Password. You should also contact your home countrys embassy or consulate; please save that phone number prior to travel. If youre traveling to a country with privacy laws that concern you, please raise that concern internally with Andrea before you travel so we can discuss putting protections in place, including connecting you with a local, on-call attorney. 1Password Check that your personal 1Password vault doesnt have any work logins. If it does, move them to the team vault instead. You have a personal vault inside the 37signals team which is perfect for those logins. Turn on Travel Mode. Go to https://basecamp.1password.com/profile and click Enable Travel Mode. Open 1Password on each device youre traveling with (laptop, phone, iPad, etc) so it can wipe its data while its in Travel Mode. HEY Log out of HEY on all sessions. Clear browser cookies, logging you out of all work sites. Laptops: Clear cookies in Chrome, Safari, etc. iOS: Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data Android: Chrome > Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data. Check Cookies and site data; uncheck all the other items. > Clear data. Source code. Make an encrypted archive on an external hard drive of your git repos so you can download and restore it after youre through customs. Here are instructions for doing that if youre running a Mac OS. Please perform an equally secure file encryption for Windows or Linux OS & check with SIP if youre unsure how to do that. Delete all source code from your laptop. Other sensitive documents. Same deal as source code. Make an encrypted backup on your external drive and remove from your laptop. Please refrain from using iCloud for any files/repos. Dropbox Log out of Dropbox and disconnect. Touch ID (optional) Unlocking your device can be compelled at US border crossings, but other countries may be less intrusive, so it may make sense to make your device a little harder to unlock. Disable Touch ID or Face ID on your phone, tablet, and laptop. Require a passcode/password to unlock.|Who should you contact if you run into travel issues?|Andrea|333|340 | |
| 124|120|Let us know! Share your travel plans and when you expect to arrive in the US. Update your electronic travel authorization with your travel when you have it. Ensure you have your passport, visa/waiver, invitation letter, and travel details all in order. you run into general travel issues on 37signals business, contact Andrea. you find yourself facing serious consequences like arrest or illegal detention in the United States, you can contact our attorney Jennifer Schaaf. Her contact information is in the teams vault in 1Password. You should also contact your home countrys embassy or consulate; please save that phone number prior to travel. If youre traveling to a country with privacy laws that concern you, please raise that concern internally with Andrea before you travel so we can discuss putting protections in place, including connecting you with a local, on-call attorney. 1Password Check that your personal 1Password vault doesnt have any work logins. If it does, move them to the team vault instead. You have a personal vault inside the 37signals team which is perfect for those logins. Turn on Travel Mode. Go to https://basecamp.1password.com/profile and click Enable Travel Mode. Open 1Password on each device youre traveling with (laptop, phone, iPad, etc) so it can wipe its data while its in Travel Mode. HEY Log out of HEY on all sessions. Clear browser cookies, logging you out of all work sites. Laptops: Clear cookies in Chrome, Safari, etc. iOS: Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data Android: Chrome > Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data. Check Cookies and site data; uncheck all the other items. > Clear data. Source code. Make an encrypted archive on an external hard drive of your git repos so you can download and restore it after youre through customs. Here are instructions for doing that if youre running a Mac OS. Please perform an equally secure file encryption for Windows or Linux OS & check with SIP if youre unsure how to do that. Delete all source code from your laptop. Other sensitive documents. Same deal as source code. Make an encrypted backup on your external drive and remove from your laptop. Please refrain from using iCloud for any files/repos. Dropbox Log out of Dropbox and disconnect. Touch ID (optional) Unlocking your device can be compelled at US border crossings, but other countries may be less intrusive, so it may make sense to make your device a little harder to unlock. Disable Touch ID or Face ID on your phone, tablet, and laptop. Require a passcode/password to unlock.|Who is our attorney?|Jennifer Schaaf|474|490 | |
| 125|121|Have ready your passport, visa/waiver, invitation letter, and travel details including the address of where youll be staying. Ensure your devices are charged up and turned on. Customs may balk at a bricked phone or laptop. questions: Purpose of your visit? Here for a business meeting in city. Here to do work? Nope! Here on business, meeting with 37signals. Where are you staying? Lodging name, address, phone number. Be straightforward and truthful. Youre legit! No need to be cagey or misleading.|What group will likely balk at a bricked phone?|Customs|176|183 | |
| 126|122|Have ready your passport, visa/waiver, invitation letter, and travel details including the address of where youll be staying. Ensure your devices are charged up and turned on. Customs may balk at a bricked phone or laptop. questions: Purpose of your visit? Here for a business meeting in city. Here to do work? Nope! Here on business, meeting with 37signals. Where are you staying? Lodging name, address, phone number. Be straightforward and truthful. Youre legit! No need to be cagey or misleading.|What company are you meeting with for business?|37signals|355|365 | |
| 127|123|Let us know when youve arrived at your destination and have cleared airport security. Touch ID / Face ID: Reenable on your phone, tablet, and laptop. Dropbox: Log in and reconnect, but only needed during travel. Basecamp app: Reinstall on your phone, tablet, and laptop. 1Password: Turn off Travel Mode. Go to https://basecamp.1password.com/profile and click Disable Travel Mode. Next time you open 1Password, youll have full access again. HEY: Log back in on your device(s). Source code: Download and restore the archive of your git repos, but only if needed during travel. Other sensitive documents: Download and restore, but only if needed during travel.|What does 1Password disable?|Travel Mode|294|306 | |
| 128|124|Let us know when youve arrived at your destination and have cleared airport security. Touch ID / Face ID: Reenable on your phone, tablet, and laptop. Dropbox: Log in and reconnect, but only needed during travel. Basecamp app: Reinstall on your phone, tablet, and laptop. 1Password: Turn off Travel Mode. Go to https://basecamp.1password.com/profile and click Disable Travel Mode. Next time you open 1Password, youll have full access again. HEY: Log back in on your device(s). Source code: Download and restore the archive of your git repos, but only if needed during travel. Other sensitive documents: Download and restore, but only if needed during travel.|What does 1 Password call the Travel Mode on?|Turn off Travel Mode|285|306 | |
| 129|125|We work in 6-week or 8-week cycles at 37signals. There are typically six cycles to a year. Two are 8-week cycles, during Summer Hours, and the rest 6-week cycles. This fixed cadence serves to give us an internal sense of urgency, work as a scope hammer to projects from ballooning, and provide a regular interval to decide what were working on.|What are the typical cycles of a 37signals employee?|six cycles to a year|69|90 | |
| 130|126|We work in 6-week or 8-week cycles at 37signals. There are typically six cycles to a year. Two are 8-week cycles, during Summer Hours, and the rest 6-week cycles. This fixed cadence serves to give us an internal sense of urgency, work as a scope hammer to projects from ballooning, and provide a regular interval to decide what were working on.|How many cycles does it take for a year at 37signals?|six|69|72 | |
| 131|127|The idea is not that everything we ever decide to work on has to take six or eight weeks or can be completed in that time. But rather that we think about how we can break big projects into smaller ones that can be done in that amount of time, and that we bundle smaller things into a presentable scope of work that can be discussed.|How are smaller things bundled together?|into a presentable scope of work that can be discussed|277|332 | |
| 132|128|This is particularly important for the product teams. Here we like to designate the work we take on with the scope in mind up front. We think of a small feature as a 1-weeker or a big feature as a 6-weeker (or anything in between). This designation helps us avoid a 1-weeker snowballing into a 4-weeker, just because people piling on more scope. Work is thus limited by a budget, and the budget focuses our discussion about whats reasonable and whats not. When a project starts slipping on its budget, the first approach should be to judo the problem and scope hammer the domain and certainly not make it up by working more hours! Most things we work on can fit within six normal weeks or eight summer weeks.|How do you approach a budget slippage?|to judo the problem and scope hammer the domain|536|583 | |
| 133|128|This is particularly important for the product teams. Here we like to designate the work we take on with the scope in mind up front. We think of a small feature as a 1-weeker or a big feature as a 6-weeker (or anything in between). This designation helps us avoid a 1-weeker snowballing into a 4-weeker, just because people piling on more scope. Work is thus limited by a budget, and the budget focuses our discussion about whats reasonable and whats not. When a project starts slipping on its budget, the first approach should be to judo the problem and scope hammer the domain and certainly not make it up by working more hours! Most things we work on can fit within six normal weeks or eight summer weeks.|What is the normal range of weeks that a feature can fit in?|six|674|677 | |
| 134|129|In between each cycle, we spend two weeks cooling down. Thats the time to deal with bugs or smaller issues that come up, write up what we worked on, and figure out what we should tackle next. Its sometimes tempting to simply extend the cycles into the cooldown period to fit in more work. But the goal is to resist this temptation. Yes, sometimes a little spill-over will happen, but its helpful to think about the of the normal cycle as pencils down. That means that by week 4 of a normal cycle, we should be winding down, getting ready to launch, make sure QA is lined up, and all the other work that happens during and after the launch of new projects.|What is the length of time between each cycle?|two weeks|32|41 | |
| 135|130|In between each cycle, we spend two weeks cooling down. Thats the time to deal with bugs or smaller issues that come up, write up what we worked on, and figure out what we should tackle next. Its sometimes tempting to simply extend the cycles into the cooldown period to fit in more work. But the goal is to resist this temptation. Yes, sometimes a little spill-over will happen, but its helpful to think about the of the normal cycle as pencils down. That means that by week 4 of a normal cycle, we should be winding down, getting ready to launch, make sure QA is lined up, and all the other work that happens during and after the launch of new projects.|How do we spend 2 weeks between each cycle?|cooling down|42|55 | |
| 136|132|Its hard to up on what everyone is doing and what it means, you just watch the stream of latest activity scrolling along in 37signals. (Its also a waste of time and source of stress to even try.) Instead, we have four chief mechanisms for keeping everyone in the loop about the work thats going on.|How many chief mechanisms are there for keeping people in the loop about the work that is going on?|four|221|225 | |
| 137|133|First, theres the daily question of What did you work on today?, which supplies the nitty gritty details, but as a personal narrative. Theyre a great conversation starter you see someone working on something you either care about or want to learn more about. Please do use them as such! Youre obliged to answer this question at least twice a week.|what is the daily question|What did you work on today|36|64 | |
| 138|133|First, theres the daily question of What did you work on today?, which supplies the nitty gritty details, but as a personal narrative. Theyre a great conversation starter you see someone working on something you either care about or want to learn more about. Please do use them as such! Youre obliged to answer this question at least twice a week.|what is the minimum amount of answers you must give to this question?|twice a week|337|350 | |
| 139|134|Second, theres the weekly question of What will you be working on this week?, which details your intentions for the coming week. Everyone except team OMG is obliged to answer this question when theyre not out.|when do you answer the weekly question|when theyre not out|189|209 | |
| 140|134|Second, theres the weekly question of What will you be working on this week?, which details your intentions for the coming week. Everyone except team OMG is obliged to answer this question when theyre not out.|What is the name of the only exception to the weekly question of What will you be working on this week?|OMG|150|153 | |
| 141|135|Daily and weekly check-ins are subdivided by department so you're only subscribed to your team's answers. You're of course free to subscribe to other team check-ins, but you're not obligated to do so you find it too noisy.|What are the check-ins for the daily and weekly check-ins?|subdivided by department|31|55 | |
| 142|136|Third, there are the heartbeats. These are the team versions of What did you work on this cycle? This is where we summarize and celebrate the work thats been done. Every team lead is obliged to write, or designate someone on the team to write, this account one week after a cycle has ended.|What are the team versions of What did you work on this cycle?|heartbeats|21|32 | |
| 143|136|Third, there are the heartbeats. These are the team versions of What did you work on this cycle? This is where we summarize and celebrate the work thats been done. Every team lead is obliged to write, or designate someone on the team to write, this account one week after a cycle has ended.|What do the heartbeats celebrate?|the work thats been done|138|163 | |
| 144|137|Fourth, and finally, there are the kickoffs. These are the team version of What are you going to work on next cycle? This is where the plan for the coming six or eight weeks is presented. Every team lead is obliged to write, or designate someone on the team to write, this account before the start of the new cycle.|What are the team version of What are you going to work on next cycle?|the kickoffs|31|44 | |
| 145|137|Fourth, and finally, there are the kickoffs. These are the team version of What are you going to work on next cycle? This is where the plan for the coming six or eight weeks is presented. Every team lead is obliged to write, or designate someone on the team to write, this account before the start of the new cycle.|At what point does a team have to write its account of what are you going to work on next cycle?|before the start of the new cycle|281|315 | |
| 146|138|These mechanisms work together to free individuals and teams to run their days and cycles with confidence and independence. We have six opportunities per year to make big decisions about what to work on, and the rest of the time should chiefly be spent carrying out those short-term plans. By having clear expectations for communication, its easier for everyone to build trust in where were going and why.|How many opportunities does the self-help system have per year to make big decisions?|six|132|135 | |
| 147|138|These mechanisms work together to free individuals and teams to run their days and cycles with confidence and independence. We have six opportunities per year to make big decisions about what to work on, and the rest of the time should chiefly be spent carrying out those short-term plans. By having clear expectations for communication, its easier for everyone to build trust in where were going and why.|How does having expectations for communication help build trust in what was going and why?|easier|342|348 | |
| 148|140|Whether you work on the product development or not, your voice and observations can help determine what we should be working on. The way to exert this influence is through pitches.|What can help determine what we should be working on?|your voice and observations|52|79 | |
| 149|140|Whether you work on the product development or not, your voice and observations can help determine what we should be working on. The way to exert this influence is through pitches.|What is the name of the way that a user can influence a website?|pitches|172|180 | |
| 150|141|Write-up your idea of a new feature, a change to a feature, or any other product development you think we should be considering as a fully considered post (the more specific, the better). This gives the whole company a chance to consider and respond to the idea, and then well have the idea encapsulated in a post, available for reference at any time.|How do you decide on an idea that will be included in a post?|available for reference at any time|315|351 | |
| 151|141|Write-up your idea of a new feature, a change to a feature, or any other product development you think we should be considering as a fully considered post (the more specific, the better). This gives the whole company a chance to consider and respond to the idea, and then well have the idea encapsulated in a post, available for reference at any time.|How specific are your ideas of a fully considered post?|the more specific, the better|156|187 | |
| 152|142|Therell always be more pitches than we have time to , though. So its important to have realistic expectations about what will happen after you posted your pitch. The default is simply that everyone involved with product development (and probably most everyone in the company) will read and consider your pitch. Thats a win right there. Even the full pitch doesnt make it in, it can impact other product decisions by shining light on a weak point.|How do you have to think about your pitch if you want to make it in the industry?|read and consider your pitch. Thats a win right there|291|345 | |
| 153|142|Therell always be more pitches than we have time to , though. So its important to have realistic expectations about what will happen after you posted your pitch. The default is simply that everyone involved with product development (and probably most everyone in the company) will read and consider your pitch. Thats a win right there. Even the full pitch doesnt make it in, it can impact other product decisions by shining light on a weak point.|How can the information of a bad product decision impact other product decisions?|by shining light on a weak point|426|459 | |
| 154|143| a few pitches might instantly strike a chord loud enough to go on the plate for the next cycle, its more likely that your pitch will sit for a first. There are always more ideas than time, and we can only a few things done each cycle. So chances are that even everyone agrees the pitch is a great idea, it might not be the next most important thing for us to tackle. Dont be discouraged by this. Weve had many pitches that have sat for many cycles, not years, before finally coming together and then happening.|What is the likelyhood of a pitch going on the plate for a while?|more likely that your pitch will sit for a first|106|161 | |
| 155|143| a few pitches might instantly strike a chord loud enough to go on the plate for the next cycle, its more likely that your pitch will sit for a first. There are always more ideas than time, and we can only a few things done each cycle. So chances are that even everyone agrees the pitch is a great idea, it might not be the next most important thing for us to tackle. Dont be discouraged by this. Weve had many pitches that have sat for many cycles, not years, before finally coming together and then happening.|How likely is it that an idea will be a great one?|it might not be the next most important thing for us to tackle|322|385 | |
| 156|144|We have people working all sorts of different hours and from all sorts of different places at 37signals. That alone makes it hard to enforce a lot of tightly-coupled workflows during the day, but thats a feature not a bug. Most of the work you do at 37signals shouldnt you to be in constant communication throughout the entire day with someone.|What company are there people from all over the world working for?|37signals|94|104 | |
| 157|145|We have people working all sorts of different hours and from all sorts of different places at 37signals. That alone makes it hard to enforce a lot of tightly-coupled workflows during the day, but thats a feature not a bug. Most of the work you do at 37signals shouldnt you to be in constant communication throughout the entire day with someone.|What company are there people from all over the world working for?|37signals|94|104 | |
| 158|146|Its far better for everyones concentration and sanity you collaborate as though most things will an answer eventually, but not necessarily right this second. Your first choice of action should be to post a message, a todo, or a document about what you need to explain or need to know. Then others can read it on their schedule, when the natural lulls of the day allow it, rather than being interrupted right in their peak flow time.|How do you collaborate with people to make sure they have the information they need to do their work?|to post a message, a todo, or a document|203|243 | |
| 159|146|Its far better for everyones concentration and sanity you collaborate as though most things will an answer eventually, but not necessarily right this second. Your first choice of action should be to post a message, a todo, or a document about what you need to explain or need to know. Then others can read it on their schedule, when the natural lulls of the day allow it, rather than being interrupted right in their peak flow time.|How should you first action be taken?|to post a message, a todo, or a document|203|243 | |
| 160|147|Dont take that as gospel, though. Some times you really DO need to tightly collaborate with someone for an extended period of time, and thats fine. We have pings, hangouts, screensharing, or even in-person collaboration for when nothing will do. (But most of the time something will).|What do you call it when a song is based off of a real life situation?|gospel|18|25 | |
| 161|147|Dont take that as gospel, though. Some times you really DO need to tightly collaborate with someone for an extended period of time, and thats fine. We have pings, hangouts, screensharing, or even in-person collaboration for when nothing will do. (But most of the time something will).|How do you collaborate with someone for an extended period of time?|tightly|67|74 | |
| 162|148|All that being said, you should still ensure that there is ample overlap with the people you work with most of the time. most roadblocks can just as well be cleared in 15-30-60 minutes, they become real annoying its a one-day turn-around every time.|What is the fastest a roadblock can be cleared?|15-30-60 minutes|174|191 | |
| 163|148|All that being said, you should still ensure that there is ample overlap with the people you work with most of the time. most roadblocks can just as well be cleared in 15-30-60 minutes, they become real annoying its a one-day turn-around every time.|What is the shortest amount of time that can cause a roadblock to become an issue?|15-30-60 minutes|174|191 | |
| 164|149|In certain departments, like Support and Ops, its even more important that people are dependently available when they say they will be. That work has a lot of interrupt-based jobs that simply needs to be done right here, right now. So what applies to almost all work for design and programming and QA may well apply a little less frequently there.|What departments are more important that people are available when they say they will be?|Support and Ops|29|45 | |
| 165|150|In self-sufficient, independent teams|What is the name of an independent team?|self-sufficient|3|19 | |
| 166|152|Thus, the fewer other departments a team has to pass through on their road to rolling out a new feature, the better. We should be working on opening all these natural road blocks that form by default when you have awesome, strong departments, such as SIP, mobile, Ops, QA, and so forth.|How do the default ones form?|when you have awesome, strong departments|200|242 | |
| 167|152|Thus, the fewer other departments a team has to pass through on their road to rolling out a new feature, the better. We should be working on opening all these natural road blocks that form by default when you have awesome, strong departments, such as SIP, mobile, Ops, QA, and so forth.|What are some of the departments that make up a strong department?|SIP, mobile, Ops, QA|251|272 | |
| 168|153|For example, a team working on a new scheduling feature should be able to test and integrate their work with the native apps without involving mobile, unless something special is needed. Mobile shouldnt need a special heads up, and thus interruption and mental overhead or even guilt from lack of participation.|How should the new feature be tested and integrated with?|native apps|113|124 | |
| 169|153|For example, a team working on a new scheduling feature should be able to test and integrate their work with the native apps without involving mobile, unless something special is needed. Mobile shouldnt need a special heads up, and thus interruption and mental overhead or even guilt from lack of participation.|What should not need a heads up in order to work on a new feature?|Mobile|187|193 | |
| 170|154|Similarly, a native feature that requires an API change should be carried out by that native team directly.|How should the change of an API be carried out?|by that native team directly|78|107 | |
| 171|155|When we need to use the staging database, that should be self-service too. Have a script anyone can run to restore it. Dont going to ops and waiting around for someone to do it for us.|What should the staging database be able to be accessed through?|self-service|57|69 | |
| 172|156|None of this means we cant talk together or ask colleagues with more experience or expertise for their advice. It just means it shouldnt be a required, necessary step to make 37signals better.|How do you decide if something should happen?|it shouldnt|125|136 | |
| 173|157|As soon as organizational bottlenecks form, like a slew of features waiting for the mobile integration, were dragged towards more micro and detailed schedule management. It becomes a critical path with dependencies and making sure team Z is available just at the right moment for team A, such that nobody is blocked. Thats a poor fit for our organizational aspirations, so we have to work to counter that.|How were bottlenecks like features scheduled?|more micro and detailed schedule management|125|169 | |
| 174|157|As soon as organizational bottlenecks form, like a slew of features waiting for the mobile integration, were dragged towards more micro and detailed schedule management. It becomes a critical path with dependencies and making sure team Z is available just at the right moment for team A, such that nobody is blocked. Thats a poor fit for our organizational aspirations, so we have to work to counter that.|What team must be available at the right moment for team A?|team Z|231|237 | |
| 175|158|With managers of oneWe rely on everyone at 37signals to do a lot of self-management. People who do this well qualify as managers of one, and we strive for everyone senior or above to embody this principle fully.|What do managers of one rely on everyone at 37signals to do?|self-management|68|84 | |
| 176|158|With managers of oneWe rely on everyone at 37signals to do a lot of self-management. People who do this well qualify as managers of one, and we strive for everyone senior or above to embody this principle fully.|How do you qualify as self-management?|People who do this well|85|108 | |
| 177|159|That means setting your own direction when one isnt given. Determining what needs to be done, and doing it, without waiting for someone to tell you to. A manager of one will spend their time well when left to their own devices. Theres always more work to be done, always more initiatives to kick off, always more improvement to be had.|How does a manager spend their time?|when left to their own devices|196|227 | |
| 178|160|We limit ourselves to a 40-hour (32-hour in the summer) work week. Keeping our hours at work limited forces us to prioritize the work that really matters. A healthy amount of sleep and a rich and rewarding life outside of work should not be squandered for a few more hours at work.|What is the work week limit for us?|40-hour|24|31 | |
| 179|161|We limit ourselves to a 40-hour (32-hour in the summer) work week. Keeping our hours at work limited forces us to prioritize the work that really matters. A healthy amount of sleep and a rich and rewarding life outside of work should not be squandered for a few more hours at work.|How does limiting our work hours force us to do what?|prioritize the work that really matters|114|154 | |
| 180|162|There are occasions where teams or individuals need to work off-hours for on-call, maintenance or emergencies. This time should not be in addition to your normal working hours. Use your discretion to take time off to make up for the additional hours you put in during the week.|What kind of emergencies will sometimes require time off?|on-call, maintenance|74|94 | |
| 181|162|There are occasions where teams or individuals need to work off-hours for on-call, maintenance or emergencies. This time should not be in addition to your normal working hours. Use your discretion to take time off to make up for the additional hours you put in during the week.|What should time off to make up for the time you put in during the week be used for?|hours|244|249 | |
| 182|163|Were happy for others to use this handbook as inspiration for their own organizations! The structure is fair game to copy. However, please dont use our words exactly you are making your own handbook. Personalize to match your own organization, including of course the examples. Thanks!|How can the handbook be used in a way that's similar to the original?|Personalize to match your own organization|203|246 | |
| 183|164|Were happy for others to use this handbook as inspiration for their own organizations! The structure is fair game to copy. However, please dont use our words exactly you are making your own handbook. Personalize to match your own organization, including of course the examples. Thanks!|How do you personalize a handbook?|to match your own organization|215|246 | |
| 184|166| you want to learn the 37signals view of the world, it helps to know the influences that helped form it. We've been around since 1999. Since then theres been a number of key influencers that have marked the company culture.Books|Since what year has 37signals been around?|1999|131|136 | |
| 185|167|Turn The Ship Around: Leadership should mean giving control rather than taking control and creating leaders rather than forging followers, David Marquet. 37signals employs great people and they deserve the freedom and autonomy to act on their own. Dont wait for permission, just state what youre going to do, and then do it. Finding Flow: True happiness is found in optimal moments of engagement when we stretch just beyond our abilities and lose track of time and space in the process. Protecting the flow by limiting interruptions has been a driving principle of 37signals. Punished by Rewards: We dont strive for trophies, swoon for trinkets, gameify our apps with badges, or push any other form of extrinsic motivation for neither ourselves nor our customers. Working at 37signals should be about the intrinsic motivation of doing a good job, not because youre trying to impress someone else. The Manual: Do not wish that all things will go well with you, but that you will go well with all things. Core lessons on keeping calm and carrying on that have inspired and guided us. Maverick: Ricardo Semler helped us find the confidence to promote and push for weird and different ways of working by showing just how weird and different you can work at even a place as stodgy as a 8,000-person industrial company in Brazil.|Who helped us find the confidence to promote and push for weird and different ways of working?|Ricardo Semler|1092|1106 | |
| 186|168|What We Stand For Values Before anything else, values come first. Without clear, shared values, we wander independently and contradict one another. Everythings harder when we all believe different things about whats important to us, our company. Key values:|What comes first, values or something else?|values|47|53 | |
| 187|169|Be Straightforward. Whenever we speak internally or externally we should speak plainly and clearly. Watch out for lingo, assumptions, exaggeration, or other things that get in the way of a straightforward explanation. This doesnt mean we strip the poetry and personal expression from our language, but its got to make sense. With the exception of deep technical discussions, anyone who reads what we collectively write should simply get it without further explanation required. Dont use eight words when five will do. Be fair and do the right thing. Whats fair? Whats the right thing? We all have to use our best judgment, and everyones judgment varies, but a good rule of thumb is what would you do for a friend or a neighbor if they asked for help? An example might be providing a refund even if its a little outside the refund window. Or being someone who says Sure we can do that for you when a customer expected you to say sorry, we cant. If the request is reasonable, grant it. At the same time, saying no is sometimes the right thing! If thats the case, dont feel badly about it. Levelheadedness. We should be calm, considered, and thoughtful in our dealings with each other and the world at large. We dont act out of spite, we dont rush to judgment, we dont jump to conclusions. If someone disagrees with us or attacks us we listen, we think, and we respond calmly and clearly directly addressing the idea or the situation, not the personality or the pressure. Generosity. Generosity is a wonderful virtue. Being generous is surprising someone on the other end with goodwill and asking for nothing in return. It could be time, attention, or treasure we give what were expected to, and then some. Independence. This ones a bit of a contradiction. After speaking about shared values, heres one that breaks away: Independence. We encourage independent thought and original thinking. Since day one, weve always done things our way. We dont look to the industry or our competitors for the way forward. We see things with our own eyes, make our own calls, and offer thoughts, perspectives, ideas, and products that we think are right, not that they think are right.|What is the one that breaks away from the others?|Independence|1818|1831 | |
| 188|171|Growth makes a lot of things more difficult people dont know each other as well, information is harder to find, stuff gets lost, communication becomes muddled, it becomes harder to stay on top of everything thats going on, etc. What worked for 3 or 5 people, doesnt work as well at 6 or 8. And certainly not 10, 15, 25 or more.|What makes things more difficult for people that dont know each other well?|Growth|0|6 | |
| 189|171|Growth makes a lot of things more difficult people dont know each other as well, information is harder to find, stuff gets lost, communication becomes muddled, it becomes harder to stay on top of everything thats going on, etc. What worked for 3 or 5 people, doesnt work as well at 6 or 8. And certainly not 10, 15, 25 or more.|At what number does growth make things more difficult for a group of people?|6 or 8|282|289 | |
| 190|172|At some point, growing small businesses need a system, something to stay organized, something to grow with so they dont lose control of themselves along the way. Company-wide communication, team-based communication, and project work needs a home.|How do small businesses stay organized?|a system|45|54 | |
| 191|172|At some point, growing small businesses need a system, something to stay organized, something to grow with so they dont lose control of themselves along the way. Company-wide communication, team-based communication, and project work needs a home.|How do small businesses grow?|something to grow with|84|106 | |
| 192|173|Most companies cobble together a latticework of separate tools as they grow, but the weight of disorganization and lack of order collapses and eventually catches up to them. Email doesnt cut it anymore. More meetings arent going to solve the problem. And increasingly, incessant chatting creates exponentially more communication without the necessary structure and context to make it useful.|What collapses and eventually catches up to most companies?|the weight of disorganization and lack of order|81|128 | |
| 193|173|Most companies cobble together a latticework of separate tools as they grow, but the weight of disorganization and lack of order collapses and eventually catches up to them. Email doesnt cut it anymore. More meetings arent going to solve the problem. And increasingly, incessant chatting creates exponentially more communication without the necessary structure and context to make it useful.|What has stopped cutting it anymore?|Email|174|179 | |
| 194|174|This is where Basecamp comes in.|What is the name of the app that shows where to go on a map?|Basecamp|14|22 | |
| 195|175|Basecamp helps growing companies organize their projects, internal communications, and client work in one place so they have a central source of truth. People know what to do, they know where things are, its clear where things stand, and everyone is accountable.|How does Basecamp help companies organize their work?|in one place|99|111 | |
| 196|175|Basecamp helps growing companies organize their projects, internal communications, and client work in one place so they have a central source of truth. People know what to do, they know where things are, its clear where things stand, and everyone is accountable.|Who is accountable for the actions of the people working in Basecamp?|everyone|238|246 | |
| 197|176|This is what we do here. It takes many forms, and were always working towards a more perfect system, but we help groups of people get their shit together and keep it together so they can do their best work with their team, in their company, for their own customers.|how do we help groups of people|get their shit together and keep it together|130|174 | |
| 198|176|This is what we do here. It takes many forms, and were always working towards a more perfect system, but we help groups of people get their shit together and keep it together so they can do their best work with their team, in their company, for their own customers.|How do we help groups of people get their shit together?|keep it together|158|174 | |
| 199|177|Titles for Designers We use the following criteria to assess the level and title of designers at Basecamp. These criteria arent exhaustive, and they arent mere checklists. We use the criteria as a guide for having individualized discussions about career progression.|How do the criteria help guide discussions?|as a guide for having individualized discussions about career progression|192|266 | |
| 200|178|These criteria chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently on a series of projects over an extended period of time (doing something well once isnt enough to justify advancement). In addition to that assessment, we also look at the quality of the execution itself. Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry (based on San Francisco rates), so the quality of the work itself should be commensurate with that target.|How are these criteria measured?|chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling|15|79 | |
| 201|178|These criteria chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently on a series of projects over an extended period of time (doing something well once isnt enough to justify advancement). In addition to that assessment, we also look at the quality of the execution itself. Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry (based on San Francisco rates), so the quality of the work itself should be commensurate with that target.|What is the basecamp industry rate in the city?|10%|324|327 | |
| 202|179|Work is thoroughly reviewed with substantial back-and-forth. Works primarily on tightly scoped, single element, routine problems with another designer. Follows existing design patterns, works within our existing look and feel. Usually less than 2 years of experience being a professional designer. WEB: Can write basic HTML/CSS with guidance. MOBILE: Can create prototypes w/ static screens.|How is the review of works?|thoroughly reviewed with substantial back-and-forth|8|60 | |
| 203|180|Work is thoroughly reviewed with substantial back-and-forth. Works primarily on tightly scoped, single element, routine problems with another designer. Follows existing design patterns, works within our existing look and feel. Usually less than 2 years of experience being a professional designer. WEB: Can write basic HTML/CSS with guidance. MOBILE: Can create prototypes w/ static screens.|What is the experience of a designer?|less than 2 years|235|252 | |
| 204|181|Work is reviewed with the occasional need for material direction or implementation changes. Works mostly on tightly scoped features, individual screens, or small problems with another designer. Usually at least 2-5 years of experience being a professional designer. WEB: Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS. MOBILE: Can create basic prototypes demonstrating interactions and animations.|What is the average experience of a professional designer?|2-5 years|211|220 | |
| 205|182|Work is reviewed with the occasional need for material direction or implementation changes. Works mostly on tightly scoped features, individual screens, or small problems with another designer. Usually at least 2-5 years of experience being a professional designer. WEB: Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS. MOBILE: Can create basic prototypes demonstrating interactions and animations.|How can the WEB be used?|Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS|271|312 | |
| 206|183|Work doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be. Can run point on small batch projects, taking them from concept to shipping as the sole designer (alongside a programmer). Can occasionally run point on large batch projects, sometimes with assistance. Usually at least 5-8 years of experience being a professional designer. WEB: Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS and basic proficiency in Javascript. MOBILE: Can create detailed interactive prototypes demonstrating flows, interactions, and animations.|How can the process of working for a company be reviewed?|doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be|5|73 | |
| 207|184|Work doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be. Can run point on small batch projects, taking them from concept to shipping as the sole designer (alongside a programmer). Can occasionally run point on large batch projects, sometimes with assistance. Usually at least 5-8 years of experience being a professional designer. WEB: Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS and basic proficiency in Javascript. MOBILE: Can create detailed interactive prototypes demonstrating flows, interactions, and animations.|What is the typical experience of a professional designer?|5-8 years|293|302 | |
| 208|185|Work happens completely autonomously without regular need for review. Can run point on large batch projects, taking them from concept to shipping as the sole designer (alongside a programmer). Can lead a small department or longer-term initiative. Helps set and maintain professional standards for the entire organization. Makes regular, material contributions to the look-and-feel of our general aesthetic and brand. Usually at least 8-12 years of experience being a professional designer. Typically at least 3-5 years experience at Basecamp internalizing how we work. WEB: Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS/JS + the ability to make moderate progress in Rails. MOBILE: Can create detailed interactive prototypes demonstrating flows, interactions, and animations.|What is the typical experience of a professional designer?|8-12 years of experience|435|459 | |
| 209|186|Work happens completely autonomously without regular need for review. Can run point on large batch projects, taking them from concept to shipping as the sole designer (alongside a programmer). Can lead a small department or longer-term initiative. Helps set and maintain professional standards for the entire organization. Makes regular, material contributions to the look-and-feel of our general aesthetic and brand. Usually at least 8-12 years of experience being a professional designer. Typically at least 3-5 years experience at Basecamp internalizing how we work. WEB: Fully capable of writing modern HTML/CSS/JS + the ability to make moderate progress in Rails. MOBILE: Can create detailed interactive prototypes demonstrating flows, interactions, and animations.|What is the typical amount of experience that a designer will have at Basecamp?|3-5 years|510|519 | |
| 210|187|Can run point on our most complex, critical, big batch projects, taking them from concept to shipping as the sole designer (alongside one or more programmers). Leads major product redesigns (from version 2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc). Can spin up new concepts and prototype new products from scratch. Regularly publishes and shares design process insights inside and outside the company. Moves the industry forward by introducing novel techniques, approaches, or ideas. Completely comfortable discussing complex application logic with programmers. Usually at least 12-15+ years of experience being a professional designer. Typically at least 5-7 years experience at Basecamp internalizing how we work. WEB: Fully capable of writing their own HTML/CSS/JS + the ability to make significant progress in Rails. WEB: Can spin up new Rails apps from scratch, and make initial progress without outside help. MOBILE: Can create detailed interactive prototypes demonstrating flows, interactions, and animations. MOBILE: Can work in native environments and put together their own app from scratch.|How does the sole designer of a project help the company?|from concept to shipping|77|101 | |
| 211|189|37signals Code of Conduct 37signals pledges to be a company with a healthy and friendly work environment. What follows is a set of guidelines on how we get there. Behavior that contributes to a healthy and friendly work environment:|How does 37Signals Code of Conduct help a company?|healthy and friendly work environment|67|105 | |
| 212|189|37signals Code of Conduct 37signals pledges to be a company with a healthy and friendly work environment. What follows is a set of guidelines on how we get there. Behavior that contributes to a healthy and friendly work environment:|What contributes to a healthy and friendly work environment?|Behavior|163|171 | |
| 213|190|Using courteous language. Being respectful and empathetic, especially when it comes to differing viewpoints and experiences. Gracefully accepting constructive criticism and direct feedback, as well as offering it in that spirit. Assuming good intentions. Approaching work relationships with a default of trust and positivity.|What are the two default ways people approach work relationships?|trust and positivity|304|325 | |
| 214|193|These expectations apply to all current employees. Unacceptable employee conduct will not be tolerated virtually (e.g. in Basecamp, GitHub) or at in-person events.Reporting|What is an example of an example of an unacceptable employee event?|Basecamp, GitHub|122|139 | |
| 215|194|If you experience or witness something that violates our Code of Conduct, please report it to your manager or to leadership via email or chat. All reports will be reviewed and investigated, and your confidentiality will be as protected as possible during the investigation.|What are the two channels through which you can report a violation of the Code of Conduct?|email or chat|128|142 | |
| 216|194|If you experience or witness something that violates our Code of Conduct, please report it to your manager or to leadership via email or chat. All reports will be reviewed and investigated, and your confidentiality will be as protected as possible during the investigation.|What channels will you report something via?|email or chat|128|142 | |
| 217|195|If an employee is found to have violated our Code of Conduct, it will be permanently documented in their personnel file. Depending on the severity of the offense and the findings of the investigation, additional responses may include mandatory training, a formal reprimand, or even termination. The reactive measures taken will be shared with the reporting employee when possible.|What factors will determine the amount of mandatory training?|severity of the offense and the findings of the investigation|138|200 | |
| 218|196|In extreme circumstances, you can report an incident anonymously. Anonymous complaints should be reserved for incidents in which you fear for your safety.|How can you report an incident in extreme circumstances?|anonymously|53|65 | |
| 219|196|In extreme circumstances, you can report an incident anonymously. Anonymous complaints should be reserved for incidents in which you fear for your safety.|How can you anonymously complain?|reserved for incidents in which you fear for your safety|97|154 | |
| 220|197|An important note: Most interpersonal conflicts do not rise to the level of a Code of Conduct report. If you find a colleague rude or difficult to work with, you should address that with your manager or better yet with that colleague directly. Code of Conduct reports are reserved for the kind of unacceptable behavior outlined above and other serious transgressions illegal or egregiously unethical behavior.|How does the Code of Conduct report on a colleague?|address that with your manager or better yet with that colleague directly|169|243 | |
| 221|201|When you start, youll receive an outline of expected performance metrics for your first 3 months. Those standards will be clear and attainable, and your manager will give you frequent, candid feedback. On occasion, despite our collective best efforts, its not a fit. We dont do full-scale performance improvement plans during the first three months. So if during that time it starts looking like your long-term employment wont work out, your manager will let you know early and why.|How will your manager give feedback to you?|frequent, candid|175|191 | |
| 222|201|When you start, youll receive an outline of expected performance metrics for your first 3 months. Those standards will be clear and attainable, and your manager will give you frequent, candid feedback. On occasion, despite our collective best efforts, its not a fit. We dont do full-scale performance improvement plans during the first three months. So if during that time it starts looking like your long-term employment wont work out, your manager will let you know early and why.|How long are performance improvement plans for in the full-time work world?|three months|336|349 | |
| 223|202|We hope, and fully expect, that your first 90 days will confirm what we learned in the hiring phase youre well suited for this job, this team, and youre invigorated by the work to be done. Just put in your best effort, make sure you reach out if things arent feeling right, embrace the feedback you get from your manager, and openly share your feedback with them!|How do you feel about the job?|if things arent feeling right|243|273 | |
| 224|203|Advancing your career at 37signals doesnt mean giving up on your craft. No matter your role, you can become better at the work itself and level-up that way. This is especially important since were a relatively small company with few layers of managerial cake.|What can you improve on to level up your career?|No matter your role, you can become better at the work|72|126 | |
| 225|204|Advancing your career at 37signals doesnt mean giving up on your craft. No matter your role, you can become better at the work itself and level-up that way. This is especially important since were a relatively small company with few layers of managerial cake.|How many layers of management does 37signals have?|few|229|232 | |
| 226|205|Within each of our job functions, weve mapped our trajectory of mastery to five different levels. That title structure is shared amongst all departments, but the particulars of what characterizes one level from another will of course be different. Heres an example of the titles for programming:|How many different levels of mastery are there in a company?|five|75|79 | |
| 227|205|Within each of our job functions, weve mapped our trajectory of mastery to five different levels. That title structure is shared amongst all departments, but the particulars of what characterizes one level from another will of course be different. Heres an example of the titles for programming:|What is the shared among all departments in the organization?|title structure|103|118 | |
| 228|207|While this is how we recognize mastery, its by no means an expectation that everyone will start as a junior and end up as a principal. 37signals needs people and perspectives from all levels of skill. And for those who do end up progressing all the way through this path, it may well be a journey of many, many years, if not a decade+.|What does it need people and perspectives from all levels of skill for?|37signals|135|144 | |
| 229|207|While this is how we recognize mastery, its by no means an expectation that everyone will start as a junior and end up as a principal. 37signals needs people and perspectives from all levels of skill. And for those who do end up progressing all the way through this path, it may well be a journey of many, many years, if not a decade+.|What is the length of a journey in the Path to Mastery?|many, many years|300|317 | |
| 230|208|But these titles make it clear to everyone where someone is in their career progression at 37signals. Note that these titles are about a particular role at 37signals. Someone may well have been a Senior Designer somewhere else with a different assessment criteria and a different workflow, and then still start at 37signals as a Designer. We recognize mastery and titles at 37signals for the work done at 37signals.|These titles are about a particular role at what company?|37signals|156|166 | |
| 231|208|But these titles make it clear to everyone where someone is in their career progression at 37signals. Note that these titles are about a particular role at 37signals. Someone may well have been a Senior Designer somewhere else with a different assessment criteria and a different workflow, and then still start at 37signals as a Designer. We recognize mastery and titles at 37signals for the work done at 37signals.|These titles are about a particular role at what company?|37signals|156|166 | |
| 232|209|Day to day, though, these titles arent really much of a factor. But they do give newcomers another way of orienting themselves at the company and it gives everyone a clear way of tracking their personal career progression at 37signals.|How does 37signals track a person's career progress?|clear|166|171 | |
| 233|209|Day to day, though, these titles arent really much of a factor. But they do give newcomers another way of orienting themselves at the company and it gives everyone a clear way of tracking their personal career progression at 37signals.|What company tracks personal career progression?|37signals|225|235 | |
| 234|211|37signals pays at the top 10% for our industry at San Francisco salary levels, regardless of where you live. The comparison data is provided by a company called Radford that polls compensation data from all the major companies in our industry and plenty of our smaller peers as well. Because we dont pay bonuses, we match our base compensation to the base + bonus of our peer group.|What is the name of the company that pays at the top 10% in San Francisco salary levels?|37signals|0|9 | |
| 235|211|37signals pays at the top 10% for our industry at San Francisco salary levels, regardless of where you live. The comparison data is provided by a company called Radford that polls compensation data from all the major companies in our industry and plenty of our smaller peers as well. Because we dont pay bonuses, we match our base compensation to the base + bonus of our peer group.|What is the name of the company that provides comparison for 37signals?|Radford|161|168 | |
| 236|212|Some jobs at 37signals are not matched to Radford comparison data. Compensation for common technical roles like programming and design is reliably competitive in a market like San Francisco. For some non-technical roles, compensation is much lower, much less competitive. To compensate for that industry disparity, we instituted a $73,500 salary floor (floor adjusted for inflation since publishing).|How much is the salary floor for Radford employees?|73,500|332|338 | |
| 237|213|The Radford data is reviewed once per year at the end of November. If its warranted, that is if the market rates in the top 10% have gone up, well increase pay on January 1st to follow suit. We dont decrease pay, even if the market rates may have dropped. If that happens, well hold them steady until they come up again.|How do market rates of the top 10% affect Radford pay?|gone up|133|141 | |
| 238|213|The Radford data is reviewed once per year at the end of November. If its warranted, that is if the market rates in the top 10% have gone up, well increase pay on January 1st to follow suit. We dont decrease pay, even if the market rates may have dropped. If that happens, well hold them steady until they come up again.|On what date does the Radford pay increase to follow the market rate?|January 1st|163|174 | |
| 239|214|In addition to raises based on Radford market data, weve also in the past given raises in excess of those based on core price index inflation numbers, if the market didnt move upward. This is not a guaranteed practice.|What other market has we used in the past?|Radford market data|31|51 | |
| 240|215|Everyone in the same role at the same level is paid the same at 37signals.When you get a promotion, that is you move from one level to another, youll get a corresponding pay raise effective on your next pay cycle. Performance Reviews|What company pays everyone the same for the same role?|37signals.When|64|78 | |
| 241|215|Everyone in the same role at the same level is paid the same at 37signals.When you get a promotion, that is you move from one level to another, youll get a corresponding pay raise effective on your next pay cycle. Performance Reviews|What does a promotion give you?|a corresponding pay raise|154|179 | |
| 242|216|Youll meet with your manager for formal performance reviews. When you're new to 37signals, you'll meet at the 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year marks. Then you'll meet once a year, around your anniversary with the company. Your manager will share performance expectations for your role when you start, and they'll keep you apprised of any changes to expectations should they evolve.|At what time of the year will you meet with your manager?|3-month, 6-month, and 1-year marks|110|145 | |
| 243|216|Youll meet with your manager for formal performance reviews. When you're new to 37signals, you'll meet at the 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year marks. Then you'll meet once a year, around your anniversary with the company. Your manager will share performance expectations for your role when you start, and they'll keep you apprised of any changes to expectations should they evolve.|What will your manager share with you when you start?|performance expectations|242|266 | |
| 244|217|Managers are expected to document performance review outcomes and any action items or deadlines that come out of the meetings.Performance Improvement Plans|What do managers document?|performance review outcomes|34|61 | |
| 245|217|Managers are expected to document performance review outcomes and any action items or deadlines that come out of the meetings.Performance Improvement Plans|Along with the performance review outcomes, what is typically recorded in a meeting?|action items or deadlines|70|95 | |
| 246|218|If your work performance is not meeting expectations, you may be put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). We only initiate PIPs if your managers concern is correctable in the short term. We do not initiate PIPs for fundamental performance issues that relate to your core job skills. If youre a Programmer whose coding skills are not at the level they need to be, wed forego a PIP. However we may initiate a PIP to help you improve your performance in a coachable skill like project management. In those cases, well follow our performance plan process.|What does PIP stand for?|Performance Improvement Plan|74|102 | |
| 247|218|If your work performance is not meeting expectations, you may be put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). We only initiate PIPs if your managers concern is correctable in the short term. We do not initiate PIPs for fundamental performance issues that relate to your core job skills. If youre a Programmer whose coding skills are not at the level they need to be, wed forego a PIP. However we may initiate a PIP to help you improve your performance in a coachable skill like project management. In those cases, well follow our performance plan process.|What is the first step in initiating a PIP?|performance plan process|530|555 | |
| 248|219|Getting started at 37signals involves a lot of little details, a number of big tasks, learning the details of your new job, meeting new coworkers, all while working remotely. Your teammates, your manager, your 37signals buddy, your Ops buddy, and our People team are all here to help as you navigate your first few days and weeks.|What site help job seekers learn about their new job?|37signals|19|28 | |
| 249|220|Getting started at 37signals involves a lot of little details, a number of big tasks, learning the details of your new job, meeting new coworkers, all while working remotely. Your teammates, your manager, your 37signals buddy, your Ops buddy, and our People team are all here to help as you navigate your first few days and weeks.|What is the name of your co-workers that will help you in your new job?|your manager, your 37signals buddy, your Ops buddy|191|242 | |
| 250|221|Before you start, Andrea will order you a new laptop with the specs you request and any accessories you need like an external keyboard, mouse, or display. Get what you need, while keeping in mind the demands of your work when choosing specs.|Who will order you a new laptop for your work?|Andrea|18|24 | |
| 251|222|Before you start, Andrea will order you a new laptop with the specs you request and any accessories you need like an external keyboard, mouse, or display. Get what you need, while keeping in mind the demands of your work when choosing specs.|What should you in mind when choosing a laptop spec?|the demands of your work|196|220 | |
| 252|223|A day or two before you start, your manager will email you instructions for your first day. Your manager will be your point of contact for your early projects and activities. You'll also work with a member of our Ops team who will help you as you set up all the accounts you need to work at 37signals.|What is the point of contact for your early projects?|Your manager|92|104 | |
| 253|223|A day or two before you start, your manager will email you instructions for your first day. Your manager will be your point of contact for your early projects and activities. You'll also work with a member of our Ops team who will help you as you set up all the accounts you need to work at 37signals.|What team will help you set up your 37signals accounts?|Ops team|213|221 | |
| 254|224|On your first day, you'll log into Basecamp to see a project dedicated to your onboarding called Welcome, [your name]!. Your welcome project will contain a few to-do lists linking to accounts or services that you need to set up to get started. Youll also see to-do lists that your Ops buddy and manager will be working through. Your Ops buddy and your manager will be in contact with you as you set up your environment, should you have questions or get stuck.|What is the name of the onboarding project for the first day of the job?|Welcome|97|105 | |
| 255|225|The accounts you're asked to set up depend on the role you've been hired for. But everyone at the company is asked to follow a stringent and specific security protocol, which we monitor after set-up using Shipshape. Heres a list of what we require and why we require it.|How are the accounts you're asked to set up set up?|depend on the role you've been hired for|36|77 | |
| 256|225|The accounts you're asked to set up depend on the role you've been hired for. But everyone at the company is asked to follow a stringent and specific security protocol, which we monitor after set-up using Shipshape. Heres a list of what we and why we it.|what is the name of the onboarding platform for onboarding?|Shipshape|205|215 | |
| 257|226|Your training schedules and onboarding expectations will be in your welcome project. You'll also find docs with helpful links to technical documentation, walkthrough videos, important Basecamp projects, and more.|How will you find your training schedule and onboarding expectations?|welcome project|68|84 | |
| 258|227|Your welcome project will also contain a list of people to meet over the course of your first few weeks. * your manager. You and your manager will meet on your first day to sort out a recurring 1:1 schedule and to review your specific onboarding expectations. * your team. Most teams have a weekly call which you'll join your first week. * your 37signals buddy. Your buddy will be someone whos not on your immediate team, whos worked at 37signals for a , and who can point you in the right direction when you have a question and dont quite know where to turn. Theyll introduce themselves during your first week, to say hi and offer their help. Theyll check in with you periodically throughout your first couple months to see how youre settling in. * People Ops. You'll meet with Andrea to review 37signals policies, benefits, and compensation.|Who will help you with policies and compensation?|Andrea|784|790 | |
| 259|228|After your environment has been set up, expectations are clear, and you've met who you need to meet, you'll get to work! You'll begin working on real projects, with plenty of support and guidance, within your first week. Your responsibilities and impact will increase as you learn and gain confidence over the next few months, and most people are up to speed and feeling fully part of the team in about 3 months.|What is the first week of a new job for most people?|3 months|403|412 | |
| 260|228|After your environment has been set up, expectations are clear, and you've met who you need to meet, you'll to work! You'll begin working on real projects, with plenty of support and guidance, within your first week. Your responsibilities and impact will increase as you learn and gain confidence over the next few months, and most people are up to speed and feeling fully part of the team in about 3 months.|In what time period will most people feel fully part of the team?|3 months|403|412 | |
| 261|229|Most people at 37signals work from home most of the time. You can spend up to $2,000 during your first year at 37signals outfitting your home office. Getting the basics right will make a big difference: a good chair and a good desk.|What is the maximum amount of money that you can spend during your first year at 37signals?|2,000|79|84 | |
| 262|230|Most people at 37signals work from home most of the time. You can spend up to $2,000 during your first year at 37signals outfitting your home office. Getting the basics right will make a big difference: a good chair and a good desk.|How do you spend the first year of your home office?|up to $2,000|72|84 | |
| 263|231|Working from home all the time isnt everyones cup of coffee. Lots of us choose to work from coffee shops or other third spaces either some of the time or a lot of the time. Great for a buzz of other people and caffeine, but please do mind our basic security rules and procedures to ensure that nothing leaks on to the cafe wifi.|How do you decide to work from coffee shops or other third spaces?|either some of the time or a lot of the time|127|172 | |
| 264|232|Working from home all the time isnt everyones cup of coffee. Lots of us choose to work from coffee shops or other third spaces either some of the time or a lot of the time. Great for a buzz of other people and caffeine, but please do mind our basic security rules and procedures to ensure that nothing leaks on to the cafe wifi.|What are some of the places people work from home?|coffee shops or other third spaces|92|126 | |
| 265|233|If working from home or from a coffee shop doesnt suit you, then trying a coworking space might just do the trick. 37signals offers a $200/month stipend towards a desk in such a place. We also offer all staff an account with Deskpass if you need inspiration.|What company offers a stipend for a desk at a coffee shop?|37signals|115|124 | |
| 266|234|If working from home or from a coffee shop doesnt suit you, then trying a coworking space might just do the trick. 37signals offers a $200/month stipend towards a desk in such a place. We also offer all staff an account with Deskpass if you need inspiration.|What kind of account do staff have with 37signals?|Deskpass|225|233 | |
| 267|237|It should also be noted that these criteria chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently. In addition to that assessment, we also look at the consistency and quality of the execution itself. Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry (based on San Francisco rates), so the quality of the work itself should be commensurate with that target.|How do these criteria measure performance?|examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently|52|123 | |
| 268|237|It should also be noted that these criteria chiefly examine the scope of work someone is capable of tackling independently. In addition to that assessment, we also look at the consistency and quality of the execution itself. Basecamp pays in the top 10% of the industry (based on San Francisco rates), so the quality of the work itself should be commensurate with that target.|What is the basis of Basecamp's pay-in-the-top-10%?|San Francisco rates|280|301 | |
| 269|238|Discussion about tasks and how to complete them prior to starting work is required. Basic familiarity with networking, configuration management, containers, orchestration, and other major systems, and with common processes and procedures. Mostly carries out low-risk, isolated system maintenance tasks; passively participates in emergency problem resolution. Many questions to more senior team members. Does not participate in on-call rotation. Self taught; may have worked at IT Help Desk for 1-2 years.|What does the system not participate in?|on-call rotation|427|444 | |
| 270|240|Work is reviewed with the occasional need for material direction or implementation changes. Works on single system / variable problems. Can handle on call with the backing of a more senior team member. Can perform work on production systems by following existing procedures. Shows strength in some areas of specialization, but lacks the balance of experience in all areas. Lacks institutional knowledge about our systems. Not completely familiar with documentation or procedures. Usually at least 5 years of experience as sysadmin or programmer with site reliability experience.|How does the system of work for the work?|by following existing procedures|241|274 | |
| 271|242|Work doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be. Can work independently on smaller projects and be a reliable contributor to larger projects. Fully participates in on call rotation. Subject matter expert in at least one major system. Plans and performs lower risk maintenance independently. Participates in higher risk maintenances. Contributes to resolving major problems. Improves existing professional standards for the team. Usually at least 6-10 years of experience being a professional sysadmin or network engineer; typically 5 years experience at Basecamp internalizing how we work.|How should work be reviewed?|doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be|5|73 | |
| 272|243|Work doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, but general approach may be. Can work independently on smaller projects and be a reliable contributor to larger projects. Fully participates in on call rotation. Subject matter expert in at least one major system. Plans and performs lower risk maintenance independently. Participates in higher risk maintenances. Contributes to resolving major problems. Improves existing professional standards for the team. Usually at least 6-10 years of experience being a professional sysadmin or network engineer; typically 5 years experience at Basecamp internalizing how we work.|What does the system of work for the entire group?|Subject matter expert|207|228 | |
| 273|244|Able to fill in and lead team for short periods. Work happens completely autonomously with no regular need for review. Expert on multiple systems. Helps make strategic decisions around major components. Elevates the standards through new tooling, processes, procedures and effective communication. Able to carry out research, testing, implementation and improvement for new systems. Leads high risk maintenance with limited to no customer impact. Significant technical contributor to problem resolution; demonstrates consistent maturity in communication and demeanor under stress. Performs more complex work like capacity planning, load testing, security improvements, etc. Sets new professional standards for the team. Usually at least 8-12 years of experience being a professional sysadmin.|What type of complex work does a system administrator do?|capacity planning, load testing, security improvements|613|668 | |
| 274|245|Able to fill in and lead team for short periods. Work happens completely autonomously with no regular need for review. Expert on multiple systems. Helps make strategic decisions around major components. Elevates the standards through new tooling, processes, procedures and effective communication. Able to carry out research, testing, implementation and improvement for new systems. Leads high risk maintenance with limited to no customer impact. Significant technical contributor to problem resolution; demonstrates consistent maturity in communication and demeanor under stress. Performs more complex work like capacity planning, load testing, security improvements, etc. Sets new professional standards for the team. Usually at least 8-12 years of experience being a professional sysadmin.|What is the average experience of a professional syseadmin?|8-12 years|737|747 | |
| 275|246|Can run large and complex Ops projects independently. Carries significant responsibility for many domains of infrastructure. Multiple areas of expertise: configuration management, containers, continuous integration / development, debugging, orchestration, optimization, networking, performance, reliability, security. Makes what is new normal; what is old reliable; evangelizes what is next. Pushes the whole organization forward regularly through implementing new systems and designs. Writes new procedures and documentation regularly; trains others throughout the company. Work is almost always free of mistakes; often helps others improve the quality of their work. Completely comfortable working with all teams at Basecamp; frequently coordinates work across teams to solve complex problems. When a site is down, something is broken, or work is crazy, this person is ready to save the day and lead us to a successful resolution. Effectively delegates work to others; acts as a leader who has earned the respect of their peers. Capable of coordinating company wide response to major issues and leading problem resolution via emergency procedures. Usually 12-15 years of experience being a professional sysadmin.|How does the Ops person push the whole organization forward?|through implementing new systems and designs|440|485 | |
| 276|247|Can run large and complex Ops projects independently. Carries significant responsibility for many domains of infrastructure. Multiple areas of expertise: configuration management, containers, continuous integration / development, debugging, orchestration, optimization, networking, performance, reliability, security. Makes what is new normal; what is old reliable; evangelizes what is next. Pushes the whole organization forward regularly through implementing new systems and designs. Writes new procedures and documentation regularly; trains others throughout the company. Work is almost always free of mistakes; often helps others improve the quality of their work. Completely comfortable working with all teams at Basecamp; frequently coordinates work across teams to solve complex problems. When a site is down, something is broken, or work is crazy, this person is ready to save the day and lead us to a successful resolution. Effectively delegates work to others; acts as a leader who has earned the respect of their peers. Capable of coordinating company wide response to major issues and leading problem resolution via emergency procedures. Usually 12-15 years of experience being a professional sysadmin.|What is the typical experience of a professional syseadmin?|12-15 years|1158|1169 | |
| 277|248|Benefits & Perks Health Insurance Detailed information about all 37signals insurance policies and other benefits can be found in Basecamp. Medical Insurance|What is the name of the company that offers health insurance?|Benefits & Perks|0|16 | |
| 278|248|Benefits & Perks Health Insurance Detailed information about all 37signals insurance policies and other benefits can be found in Basecamp. Medical Insurance|In what of the website can one find information about the 37signals insurance policies?|Basecamp|129|138 | |
| 279|249|In the United States, medical insurance is provided through Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. The company pays 75% of the premium and the employee pays the other 25%. Open enrollment is in November every year, with new coverage beginning December 1. Marriages and domestic partnerships are covered equally. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals, your coverage will end on the last day of the month of your separation date and you may be eligible for continued coverage after that (COBRA).|What is the name of the medical insurance company in the US?|Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO|60|87 | |
| 280|249|In the United States, medical insurance is provided through Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO. The company pays 75% of the premium and the employee pays the other 25%. Open enrollment is in November every year, with new coverage beginning December 1. Marriages and domestic partnerships are covered equally. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals, your coverage will end on the last day of the month of your separation date and you may be eligible for continued coverage after that (COBRA).|On what date does the insurance company open for new policies?|December 1|232|243 | |
| 281|250|Dental insurance in the US is provided through MetLife. The company pays 100% of the premium. Open enrollment is in November every year, with new coverage beginning December 1. Marriages and domestic partnerships are covered equally. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals, your coverage will end on the last day of the month of your separation date and you may be eligible for continued coverage after that (COBRA).|What is the name of the company that provides dental insurance in the US?|MetLife|47|55 | |
| 282|251|Dental insurance in the US is provided through MetLife. The company pays 100% of the premium. Open enrollment is in November every year, with new coverage beginning December 1. Marriages and domestic partnerships are covered equally. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals, your coverage will end on the last day of the month of your separation date and you may be eligible for continued coverage after that (COBRA).|On what date does the dental insurance open for new policies?|December 1|165|176 | |
| 283|252|Vision insurance in the US is provided through MetLife. The company pays 100% of the premium. Open enrollment is in November every year, with new coverage beginning December 1. Marriages and domestic partnerships are covered equally. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals, your coverage will end on the last day of the month of your separation date and you may be eligible for continued coverage after that (COBRA).|Vision insurance in the US is provided through what company?|MetLife|47|55 | |
| 284|253|Vision insurance in the US is provided through MetLife. The company pays 100% of the premium. Open enrollment is in November every year, with new coverage beginning December 1. Marriages and domestic partnerships are covered equally. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals, your coverage will end on the last day of the month of your separation date and you may be eligible for continued coverage after that (COBRA).|On what date does new coverage for Vision begin?|December 1|165|176 | |
| 285|255|If youre outside of the US and pay out of pocket for private health insurance, you can request reimbursement for 75% of your insurance payments on your monthly invoice. Your monthly reimbursement is capped at the amount 37signals pays per employee per month on the US employee group plan. You may be asked to provide documentation to support your request for reimbursement.|What percentage of out of pocket health insurance payments is reimbursed?|75%|113|116 | |
| 286|255|If youre outside of the US and pay out of pocket for private health insurance, you can request reimbursement for 75% of your insurance payments on your monthly invoice. Your monthly reimbursement is capped at the amount 37signals pays per employee per month on the US employee group plan. You may be asked to provide documentation to support your request for reimbursement.|How much is the reimbursement capped at?|37signals pays per employee per month|220|257 | |
| 287|256|37signals offers a $400,000 life insurance/AD+D policy to all staff through MetLife. The company pays 100% of the premium. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment, and its terminated automatically on your final day of employment. Open enrollment is in November every year, and participants are auto-enrolled at that time.|How much is the life insurance/AD+D policy offered by 37signals?|400,000|20|27 | |
| 288|257|37signals offers a $400,000 life insurance/AD+D policy to all staff through MetLife. The company pays 100% of the premium. You're eligible for coverage on your first day of employment, and its terminated automatically on your final day of employment. Open enrollment is in November every year, and participants are auto-enrolled at that time.|What company offers this life insurance/AD+ policy?|MetLife|76|84 | |
| 289|258|Retirement PlanOur retirement plan for US employees is with Vanguard. 37signals matches 100% of what you contribute, up to 6% of your salary. You are eligible to enroll in the 401K plan with your first paycheck.|What is the name of the company that has a retirement plan for US employees?|Vanguard|60|69 | |
| 290|258|Retirement PlanOur retirement plan for US employees is with Vanguard. 37signals matches 100% of what you contribute, up to 6% of your salary. You are eligible to enroll in the 401K plan with your first paycheck.|What percentage of what you contribute does 37signals match?|100%|88|92 | |
| 291|259|If you're outside the US, 37signals will match what you contribute to a retirement account in your home country, up to 6% of your salary. In these cases, 37signals will pay you directly via your monthly invoice. Its up to you to invest that payment and maintain administration of the retirement account and its taxes. You may be asked to provide documentation to support your request for a match.|What will match what you contribute to a retirement account in your home country?|37signals|26|35 | |
| 292|259|If you're outside the US, 37signals will match what you contribute to a retirement account in your home country, up to 6% of your salary. In these cases, 37signals will pay you directly via your monthly invoice. Its up to you to invest that payment and maintain administration of the retirement account and its taxes. You may be asked to provide documentation to support your request for a match.|What do you have to provide to support a match to a retirement account?|documentation|346|359 | |
| 293|260|The FSA is an account where you can set aside pre-tax money for out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as prescriptions, over-the-counter medicine, vision care, etc. You have to decide up front how much money you want to put in the account, and the max is $3,050/year. There is a separate type of FSA for dependent care, and the max for that plan is $5,000/year or $2,500/year if you split this with a partner. This is an entirely optional program. Open enrollment is in December every year, with new coverage beginning January 1. Both FSAs are with Paychex, our payroll provider.|How much is the max FSA for individuals?|3,050/year|255|266 | |
| 294|261|The FSA is an account where you can set aside pre-tax money for out-of-pocket medical expenses, such as prescriptions, over-the-counter medicine, vision care, etc. You have to decide up front how much money you want to put in the account, and the max is $3,050/year. There is a separate type of FSA for dependent care, and the max for that plan is $5,000/year or $2,500/year if you split this with a partner. This is an entirely optional program. Open enrollment is in December every year, with new coverage beginning January 1. Both FSAs are with Paychex, our payroll provider.|What is the name of the payroll provider for the FSA accounts?|Paychex|548|556 | |
| 295|262|37signals offers 18 days of paid time off plus 11 local holidays every year. We ask that you track your time off. Your vacation time is prorated based on your start date during your first year at 37signals. Your vacation time rolls over year to year with a maximum bank of 27 days at any time. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals with vacation days in your bank, youll be paid the monetary equivalent for those unused days (prorated at the time of your departure).|What is the number of paid days of paid time off?|18|17|19 | |
| 296|263|37signals offers 18 days of paid time off plus 11 local holidays every year. We ask that you track your time off. Your vacation time is prorated based on your start date during your first year at 37signals. Your vacation time rolls over year to year with a maximum bank of 27 days at any time. If you are terminated or resign from 37signals with vacation days in your bank, youll be paid the monetary equivalent for those unused days (prorated at the time of your departure).|What is the maximum bank of vacation time at any time?|27 days|273|280 | |
| 297|264|In addition to annual PTO and holidays, every three years employees may take a 30-day paid sabbatical. Give your team a heads-up preferably three months in advance so they can coordinate. If youre terminated or resign from 37signals with an unused sabbatical, 37signals will pay you the monetary equivalent of those unused days only if your unused sabbatical was earned within the previous 12 months.|What is the length of a paid sabbatical?|30-day|79|85 | |
| 298|265|In addition to annual PTO and holidays, every three years employees may take a 30-day paid sabbatical. Give your team a heads-up preferably three months in advance so they can coordinate. If youre terminated or resign from 37signals with an unused sabbatical, 37signals will pay you the monetary equivalent of those unused days only if your unused sabbatical was earned within the previous 12 months.|What is the ideal amount of notice that a sabbatical should be given to a team?|three months|140|152 | |
| 299|266|We dont offer a bank of sick days nor do we ask you to track your sick days. However if youre unexpectedly away from work due to illness or injury for more than 5 consecutive work days, youll transition from sick time to Personal Leave. 37signals does not pay out for unused sick time upon resignation or termination, since we have no sick time bank.|What is the benefit of being able to track sick time?|if youre unexpectedly away from work due to illness or injury|85|146 | |
| 300|267|We dont offer a bank of sick days nor do we ask you to track your sick days. However if youre unexpectedly away from work due to illness or injury for more than 5 consecutive work days, youll transition from sick time to Personal Leave. 37signals does not pay out for unused sick time upon resignation or termination, since we have no sick time bank.|How do you track sick time?|we have no sick time bank|324|350 | |
| 301|268|Your manager will check in with you if youre consistently taking 3+ unplanned sick days per month. Excessive use of sick time may result in disciplinary measures. If you have a medical condition you know will take you away from work regularly, please work with your manager for accommodations.|How many sick days are you allowed in a month?|3+|65|67 | |
| 302|268|Your manager will check in with you if youre consistently taking 3+ unplanned sick days per month. Excessive use of sick time may result in disciplinary measures. If you have a medical condition you know will take you away from work regularly, please work with your manager for accommodations.|How will excessive sick time result in your job?|disciplinary measures|140|162 | |
| 303|269|If you are unable to work for more than 1 week because of illness or injury, let your manager know as soon as you can. You can take four weeks off at 100% pay. If after 4 weeks, youre still unable to work, your salary will drop to 70% for an additional 8 weeks. Your medical insurance will remain in force throughout your Leave. If after 12 weeks, you still cannot work, talk to your manager, and we will discuss what comes next on a case-by-case basis. You may be asked to provide medical documentation to support your request for Personal Leave, and Personal Leave is limited to one instance of paid leave per 12-month period.|What percentage will your salary drop you can work for 4 weeks but are still unable to work?|70%|231|234 | |
| 304|270|If you are unable to work for more than 1 week because of illness or injury, let your manager know as soon as you can. You can take four weeks off at 100% pay. If after 4 weeks, youre still unable to work, your salary will drop to 70% for an additional 8 weeks. Your medical insurance will remain in force throughout your Leave. If after 12 weeks, you still cannot work, talk to your manager, and we will discuss what comes next on a case-by-case basis. You may be asked to provide medical documentation to support your request for Personal Leave, and Personal Leave is limited to one instance of paid leave per 12-month period.|How many paid personal leave per year are there?|one|581|584 | |
| 305|271|We work 4-day work weeks from May 1 through August 31 every year. An employee who has just been hired may have to complete a training program per their team lead to be eligible. When a holiday occurs during summer hours, you can take the holiday off or your normal summer day off. Any additional days off would count as vacation days.|What month marks the beginning of a 4-day work week?|May 1 through August 31|30|53 | |
| 306|272|We work 4-day work weeks from May 1 through August 31 every year. An employee who has just been hired may have to complete a training program per their team lead to be eligible. When a holiday occurs during summer hours, you can take the holiday off or your normal summer day off. Any additional days off would count as vacation days.|What do the additional days off count as?|vacation days|320|334 | |
| 307|273|37signals also allows a Day of Service. You can take one day off every year to volunteer for a charitable or community organization of your choice. No need to use a vacation day or personal day, just let your team know youll be out. 37signals does not pay out for unused Days of Service if you resign or are terminated from 37signals.|What app allows for a Day of Service?|37signals|0|9 | |
| 308|274|37signals also allows a Day of Service. You can take one day off every year to volunteer for a charitable or community organization of your choice. No need to use a vacation day or personal day, just let your team know youll be out. 37signals does not pay out for unused Days of Service if you resign or are terminated from 37signals.|What app allows for a Day of Service?|37signals|0|9 | |
| 309|275|37signals doesn't have a formal time off request process. It's your responsibility to work with your manager and team to ensure coverage and manage your scheduled workload. The sooner you can inform your manager and team of your planned absence, the better, especially longer absences like sabbatical or long vacations. If your team has a defined process for scheduling time off, please follow that first.|What does not have a formal time off process?|37signals|0|9 | |
| 310|277|The only time we ask you not to schedule discretionary time off is during a CODE. At 37signals, we assign a CODE when urgent work needs to be done. We have three levels of criticality. A CODE RED is an emergency, a CODE YELLOW is less immediate but still critical, and a CODE LAUNCH is called when were in the final stages of launching a new product. If were in the midst of one of these and you can delay your vacation or sabbatical until after the code has ended, please do.|What is the number of levels of criticality at 37signals?|three|156|161 | |
| 311|277|The only time we ask you not to schedule discretionary time off is during a CODE. At 37signals, we assign a CODE when urgent work needs to be done. We have three levels of criticality. A CODE RED is an emergency, a CODE YELLOW is less immediate but still critical, and a CODE LAUNCH is called when were in the final stages of launching a new product. If were in the midst of one of these and you can delay your vacation or sabbatical until after the code has ended, please do.|How long can you delay your vacation or sabbatical?|until after the code has ended|434|465 | |
| 312|279|If you become the primary caregiver of a child, you can take up to 16 weeks leave at 100% pay. If you become the secondary caregiver of a new child, you can take up to 6 weeks leave at 100% pay. You may choose to take an additional unpaid leave as the primary or secondary caregiver.|What is the pay of a primary caregiver?|100%|85|89 | |
| 313|280|Some states require us to provide additional benefits.Bereavement Leave|How do some states us to provide?|additional benefits.Bereavement|34|65 | |
| 314|281|When you lose a loved one, you can take paid time off from work for bereavement, making arrangements, settling family affairs, and attending the funeral or memorial service. Let your manager know your plans as soon as you can so they can arrange for your absence.|How do you time off for a loved one?|paid time off from work|40|63 | |
| 315|281|When you lose a loved one, you can take paid time off from work for bereavement, making arrangements, settling family affairs, and attending the funeral or memorial service. Let your manager know your plans as soon as you can so they can arrange for your absence.|What kind of paid time off is available when you lose a loved one?|work|59|63 | |
| 316|282|You can take ten days of bereavement leave for the death of a spouse or partner, child or child-in-law, parent or parent-in-law, or sibling or sibling-in-law. You can take three days of bereavement leave for the death of a grandparent, niece or nephew, cousin, or close friend. These caps are not to say you must return to work after so many days; you can use any of your available vacation time if you find you need more time off after bereavement leave. And if you know youll be away from work for much longer than outlined above, please talk to your manager to discuss that special case.|What is the maximum amount of leave that can be used for bereavement?|ten days|13|21 | |
| 317|282|You can take ten days of bereavement leave for the death of a spouse or partner, child or child-in-law, parent or parent-in-law, or sibling or sibling-in-law. You can take three days of bereavement leave for the death of a grandparent, niece or nephew, cousin, or close friend. These caps are not to say you must return to work after so many days; you can use any of your available vacation time if you find you need more time off after bereavement leave. And if you know youll be away from work for much longer than outlined above, please talk to your manager to discuss that special case.|What is the maximum amount of bereavement leave you can take?|three days|172|182 | |
| 318|285|For your fur babies! 37signals doesnt contribute to this plan at all, but everyone gets a 10% discount on this insurance you might otherwise buy. There are no set rates, and you can visit our portal on Figos website to get your quote and sign up. Theres no open enrollment period to sign up for pet insurance.|What does everyone on pet insurance?|10% discount|90|102 | |
| 319|286|For your fur babies! 37signals doesnt contribute to this plan at all, but everyone gets a 10% discount on this insurance you might otherwise buy. There are no set rates, and you can visit our portal on Figos website to get your quote and sign up. Theres no open enrollment period to sign up for pet insurance.|What is the place to a quote and sign up for pet insurance?|Figos|202|207 | |
| 320|287|37signals shares 10% of its annual company profits with employees, which is distributed in shares based on tenure. Profits are distributed after the books are closed on the previous fiscal year, usually around March (e.g. 2022 profits distributed in March 2023).|What percentage of its annual profits does 37signals share with its employees?|10%|17|20 | |
| 321|288|37signals shares 10% of its annual company profits with employees, which is distributed in shares based on tenure. Profits are distributed after the books are closed on the previous fiscal year, usually around March (e.g. 2022 profits distributed in March 2023).|In what month are profits usually distributed in the company?|March|210|215 | |
| 322|289|Youre eligible to participate in profit sharing after two years of working at 37signals. Youll accrue one share per month starting on your second anniversary at 37signals, and youll max out your shares at 10 years. We calculate shares based on months of tenure so theres no unfair cliff between being hired in December vs January.|What is the minimum amount of time that you must work at 37signals to be eligible for profit sharing?|two years|54|63 | |
| 323|289|Youre eligible to participate in profit sharing after two years of working at 37signals. Youll accrue one share per month starting on your second anniversary at 37signals, and youll max out your shares at 10 years. We calculate shares based on months of tenure so theres no unfair cliff between being hired in December vs January.|What is the maximum amount of shares you can earn after two years of employment with 37signals?|10 years|205|214 | |
| 324|290|We ask that you think of any compensation from this program as not something to be counted upon, not something to be budgeted with, but as a true bonus. Year to year, profits and therefore the amount were able to share with employees may swing wildly or not be paid out at all.|How do you view compensation from a compensation program?|as a true bonus|136|152 | |
| 325|290|We ask that you think of any compensation from this program as not something to be counted upon, not something to be budgeted with, but as a true bonus. Year to year, profits and therefore the amount were able to share with employees may swing wildly or not be paid out at all.|What can the amount of bonuses for employees fluctuate year to year?|swing wildly or not be paid out at all|238|277 | |
| 326|291|This Program does not have any set expiration date, but the company reserves the right to amend it or cancel it at any time. You forfeit your shares in the profit sharing program if you resign or are terminated from 37signals before the distribution date.|What do you forfeit your shares for resigning or being terminated from 37signals?|profit sharing program|156|178 | |
| 327|291|This Program does not have any set expiration date, but the company reserves the right to amend it or cancel it at any time. You forfeit your shares in the profit sharing program if you resign or are terminated from 37signals before the distribution date.|How can you lose your profit sharing program shares?|if you resign or are terminated from 37signals before the distribution date|179|255 | |
| 328|292|There are no plans to sell 37signals or take the company public! But, in the slight chance of that happening, employees may be eligible to receive a portion of 10% of the value of the company if 37signals is sold or made public. That 10% would be divided into shares, and shares distributed amongst employees based on their tenure at the time of the sale/offering.|What percentage of the company's value would employees receive if the company is sold?|10%|160|163 | |
| 329|293|There are no plans to sell 37signals or take the company public! But, in the slight chance of that happening, employees may be eligible to receive a portion of 10% of the value of the company if 37signals is sold or made public. That 10% would be divided into shares, and shares distributed amongst employees based on their tenure at the time of the sale/offering.|What percentage of the company's value would employees receive the company is sold?|10%|160|163 | |
| 330|294|Employees are eligible for shares in the liquidity pool after two years of working at 37signals. Youll accrue one share per month starting on your second anniversary, and you max out your shares after 10 years. We calculate shares based on months of tenure so theres no unfair cliff between being hired in December vs January.|What do we use to calculate shares?|months of tenure|240|256 | |
| 331|295|This Program does not have any set expiration date, but the company reserves the right to amend it or cancel it at any time. You forfeit your shares in the liquidity pool if you resign or are terminated from 37signals before the distribution date.Employee Gifts|How do you forfeit your shares in the liquidity pool?|if you resign or are terminated from 37signals before the distribution date.Employee|171|255 | |
| 332|296|At the end of every year, 37signals gives a thank-you gift to employees. The gift changes year to year and is not intended to be a year-end bonus.|What does 37signals give employees at the of the year?|thank-you gift|44|58 | |
| 333|296|At the end of every year, 37signals gives a thank-you gift to employees. The gift changes year to year and is not intended to be a year-end bonus.|What is the gift not intended for?|a year-end bonus|129|146 | |
| 334|297|Employees also receive a thank-you gift on their anniversaries with the company.Home Office Set-up|What do employees receive on anniversaries?|thank-you gift|25|39 | |
| 335|297|Employees also receive a thank-you gift on their anniversaries with the company.Home Office Set-up|What kind of gift do employees receive on their birthday?|thank-you|25|34 | |
| 336|298|Since you work remotely, we want to make sure your home office is comfortable. During your first year at 37signals, you can expense up to $2,000 on things like a new desk, new desk chair, or other office furniture. This benefit expires on your first anniversary with the company.|What is the maximum amount of furniture that can be purchased during the first year of employment?|2,000|139|144 | |
| 337|298|Since you work remotely, we want to make sure your home office is comfortable. During your first year at 37signals, you can expense up to $2,000 on things like a new desk, new desk chair, or other office furniture. This benefit expires on your first anniversary with the company.|What is the point of expiring this benefit?|your first anniversary|239|261 | |
| 338|299|Coworking Space StipendYou can expense up to $200/month towards renting coworking space in your city. Please make sure youre using a true coworking space thats meant solely for working, not a club or social space like Soho House.|What is the cost of coworking in NYC?|200/month|46|55 | |
| 339|299|Coworking Space StipendYou can expense up to $200/month towards renting coworking space in your city. Please make sure youre using a true coworking space thats meant solely for working, not a club or social space like Soho House.|What is the name of a social that is meant for a social club, not a working ?|Soho House|218|229 | |
| 340|300|Everyone at 37signals has a subscription to Deskpass, a co-working desk reservation service. You can use Deskpass to find co-working spaces near you, and your $200/month benefit is pre-fixed in your account. You're not required to use Deskpass to use your co-working space benefit. Your Deskpass budget is capped at $200/mo, but none of that gets paid out unless you book a desk.|What is the name of the co-working desk reservation service?|Deskpass|44|53 | |
| 341|300|Everyone at 37signals has a subscription to Deskpass, a co-working desk reservation service. You can use Deskpass to find co-working spaces near you, and your $200/month benefit is pre-fixed in your account. You're not required to use Deskpass to use your co-working space benefit. Your Deskpass budget is capped at $200/mo, but none of that gets paid out unless you book a desk.|What is the name of the co-working desk reservation service that everyone at 37Signals has a subscription to?|Deskpass|44|53 | |
| 342|301|All staff carries a 37signals Visa card that you can use for work expenses like the benefits described above, software, computer equipment, meet-up travel, or office supplies. Check with your manager or Andrea if you have any doubts about whether or not a purchase qualifies as a work expense.|What do staff members carry?|a 37signals Visa card|18|39 | |
| 343|302|All staff carries a 37signals Visa card that you can use for work expenses like the benefits described above, software, computer equipment, meet-up travel, or office supplies. Check with your manager or Andrea if you have any doubts about whether or not a purchase qualifies as a work expense.|Who can you check with to see a purchase is considered a work expense?|your manager or Andrea|187|209 | |
| 344|303|We use an expense management platform called Airbase. You're responsible for the monthly categorizing of your expenses and uploading receipts for purchases over $75. Full instructions on how to log your expenses in Airbase can be found in Basecamp.|What is the name of the platform that helps manage expenses?|Airbase|45|53 | |
| 345|303|We use an expense management platform called Airbase. You're responsible for the monthly categorizing of your expenses and uploading receipts for purchases over $75. Full instructions on how to log your expenses in Airbase can be found in Basecamp.|In what platform are the instructions for Airbase found?|Basecamp|239|248 | |
| 346|304|Overall, we trust our employees to spend money wisely. If youre booking a meet-up flight, you dont need to buy the cheapest, 2-layover redeye; buy the convenient, well-priced seat. If youre attending a conference on behalf of 37signals, well buy your meals. Just try to stay away from caviar and champagne at dinner (okay, maybe once if you have a great day to celebrate).|How do you find a cheaper flight?|buy the convenient, well-priced seat|143|180 | |
| 347|304|Overall, we trust our employees to spend money wisely. If youre booking a meet-up flight, you dont need to buy the cheapest, 2-layover redeye; buy the convenient, well-priced seat. If youre attending a conference on behalf of 37signals, well buy your meals. Just try to stay away from caviar and champagne at dinner (okay, maybe once if you have a great day to celebrate).|Along with champagne, what is something that you should avoid at dinner?|caviar|285|291 | |
| 348|305|Speaking of conferences please limit your attendance at professional conferences to once a year. Dont extend your hotel stay too far to either side of the conference schedule; you should be traveling specifically to attend the conf. Our conference budget guidelines mirror our mini meet-up budget guidelines; you can find those in Basecamp.|What is the maximum amount of professional conferences you should attend?|once a year|84|96 | |
| 349|305|Speaking of conferences please limit your attendance at professional conferences to once a year. Dont extend your hotel stay too far to either side of the conference schedule; you should be traveling specifically to attend the conf. Our conference budget guidelines mirror our mini meet-up budget guidelines; you can find those in Basecamp.|In what platform can you find the conference budget guidelines?|Basecamp|331|340 | |
| 350|306|The entire company gathers in person twice a year. We meet up in a different city every time. In 2022, we traveled to Miami and Amsterdam. Most of the planning is taken care of for you; you just need to book your flights. Lodging, meeting space, agenda, and social outings will be planned and communicated well in advance.|What is the frequency of company gathering in person?|twice a year|37|50 | |
| 351|307|The entire company gathers in person twice a year. We meet up in a different city every time. In 2022, we traveled to Miami and Amsterdam. Most of the planning is taken care of for you; you just need to book your flights. Lodging, meeting space, agenda, and social outings will be planned and communicated well in advance.|In 2022, what city did the entire company travel to?|Miami and Amsterdam|118|138 | |
| 352|308|In general, our meetups are largely unstructured. Every morning, we gather for breakfast at 8am. There are some scheduled talks, like the welcome session on Monday morning, lightning talks, and peer appreciation session. Occasionally, we bring in outside speakers or trainers. Other than that, the meet-up is intentionally loose. Teams huddle in a breakout room, groups go out for coffee or to explore the city, or managers meet 1:1s with employees. Connection and fellowship is always the #1 goal of any meetup, which we accomplish in different ways throughout the week.|How are our meetups generally organized?|largely unstructured|28|49 | |
| 353|308|In general, our meetups are largely unstructured. Every morning, we gather for breakfast at 8am. There are some scheduled talks, like the welcome session on Monday morning, lightning talks, and peer appreciation session. Occasionally, we bring in outside speakers or trainers. Other than that, the meet-up is intentionally loose. Teams huddle in a breakout room, groups go out for coffee or to explore the city, or managers meet 1:1s with employees. Connection and fellowship is always the #1 goal of any meetup, which we accomplish in different ways throughout the week.|What is the #1 goal of any meetup?|Connection and fellowship|450|475 | |
| 354|309|Meeups are 1 week long. Most people arrive Sunday, we meet Monday through Thursday, and then we travel home on Friday. Everyone should come to every meet-up, but skipping one here and there is okay if you have an engagement you cant cancel.|On what day does the meeup group arrive?|Sunday|43|50 | |
| 355|309|Meeups are 1 week long. Most people arrive Sunday, we meet Monday through Thursday, and then we travel home on Friday. Everyone should come to every meet-up, but skipping one here and there is okay if you have an engagement you cant cancel.|What day do we travel home?|Friday|111|118 | |
| 356|310|It's important to note that meet-ups can be overwhelming when we're so used to working on our own and virtually. But meetups are also rewarding and energizing, and you'll probably find yourself looking forward to the next one within weeks of returning home.|How do meet-ups feel for people used to working on their own?|overwhelming|44|56 | |
| 357|310|It's important to note that meet-ups can be overwhelming when we're so used to working on our own and virtually. But meetups are also rewarding and energizing, and you'll probably find yourself looking forward to the next one within weeks of returning home.|How do we usually meet up for meet-ups?|working on our own and virtually|79|112 | |
| 358|311|Once a year, you can get together with a small group of your coworkers on a mini meet-up at a destination of your choosing. Mini meet-ups should have a work focus. Theyre not meant to be social trips, and youre not doing just your day-to-day work in the same room as your coworkers. You should be collaborating on something meaningful. It certainly doesnt have to be big and you dont have to produce something by the end of the meet-up. Pick something youd love to have a week to discuss in person and have fun with it.|What should mini meet-ups have?|a work focus|150|163 | |
| 359|312|Once a year, you can get together with a small group of your coworkers on a mini meet-up at a destination of your choosing. Mini meet-ups should have a work focus. Theyre not meant to be social trips, and youre not doing just your day-to-day work in the same room as your coworkers. You should be collaborating on something meaningful. It certainly doesnt have to be big and you dont have to produce something by the end of the meet-up. Pick something youd love to have a week to discuss in person and have fun with it.|How are mini meet-ups not meant to be?|social trips|187|200 | |
| 360|313|Keep in mind: your mini-meet-up team does not have to be your formal team like Ops, Support, Mobile, etc. Colleagues who are working cross-team who have a project to get together on can meet-up too. Limit yourself to 1 mini-meet-up per year though, whether thats with your dedicated team or with an offshoot team.|What kind of team can also meet up for a mini-meet-up?|Colleagues who are working cross-team|106|143 | |
| 361|313|Keep in mind: your mini-meet-up team does not have to be your formal team like Ops, Support, Mobile, etc. Colleagues who are working cross-team who have a project to get together on can meet-up too. Limit yourself to 1 mini-meet-up per year though, whether thats with your dedicated team or with an offshoot team.|How many mini-meet-up's can you have per year?|1|217|218 | |
| 362|314|Budget guidelines for mini meet-ups can be found in Basecamp.Everyone on Support (EOS)|In what document are the budget guidelines for mini-meetups found?|Basecamp.Everyone|52|69 | |
| 363|315|Once every month or two, everyone in the company is given the opportunity to do a Customer Support shift. We call it Everyone on Support (EOS). Talking directly to customers all day helps us realize whats wrong and whats right with our products. For the first few times you do EOS, youll have a Support buddy to help you write clear and correct answers to customer questions through Help Scout, our support response tool, and then youre on your own!|What shift are they given?|Customer Support shift|82|105 | |
| 364|315|Once every month or two, everyone in the company is given the opportunity to do a Customer Support shift. We call it Everyone on Support (EOS). Talking directly to customers all day helps us realize whats wrong and whats right with our products. For the first few times you do EOS, youll have a Support buddy to help you write clear and correct answers to customer questions through Help Scout, our support response tool, and then youre on your own!|What is the name of the shift that gives everyone in the company the chance to work on Support?|Everyone on Support|117|136 | |
| 365|316|State FMLA Laws New York If youre an eligible secondary caregiver in the state of New York, you may be able to take up to 10 weeks leave. Washington|How much time can you take off in New York?|10 weeks|122|130 | |
| 366|317|This is a voluntary plan fully funded by 37signals. Employees will not be taxed for this plan. This plan is effective April 1, 2019, and in effect for no less than a year and continuously thereafter. Current and future employees of 37signals LLC are eligible for this policy. The definition of Family member can be found in the WA state law RCW 50A.04.010. New child is defined as a new birth, adoption, or fostered minor. A Primary Caregiver is the person who provides the child with the majority of their care during Parental Leave. A Secondary Caregiver is a parent who is accompanied by the presence of the Primary Caregiver. In practice, one example of this policy would be one parent home full-time with a new child as a Primary Caregiver and the other parent home part-time as a Secondary Caregiver. If 70% of your pay is lower than what Washington State would pay under the state requirement, we will supplement to meet that requirement. All durations allowed in this policy are on a 52 consecutive week period. Benefits are allowed per event and do not have a total annual cap. For example, one medical event in March would not reduce the benefit for a medical event in October provided they are unrelated and occurred separately. An employee must be in employment for 820 hours during the qualifying period (Qualifying period means the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters or, if eligibility is not established, the last four completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the application for leave). The employee must also have worked at least 340 hours for the employer during the 12 months immediately preceding the date leave will commence. An employee that had coverage under the state plan retains the state plan coverage until the employee qualifies for coverage under the employers voluntary plan. If an employee was eligible to take benefits under the approved voluntary plan of a previous employer, that employee would be immediately eligible for benefits under the current employers voluntary plan. In addition to the 12 weeks outlined in the companywide policy, as the the birthing parent you may take an additional 2 weeks of leave at $1,000 a week if pregnancy complications result in a longer recovery period. If one of your family members is under treatment or recovery for a serious medical condition and requires your care, you may take 4 weeks off at 100% pay. If after 4 weeks you need more time, you may take up to an additional 8 weeks at 70% of your pay for a total of 12 weeks.|What is the name of the company that funds the Washington state plan?|37signals|41|51 | |
| 367|317|This is a voluntary plan fully funded by 37signals. Employees will not be taxed for this plan. This plan is effective April 1, 2019, and in effect for no less than a year and continuously thereafter. Current and future employees of 37signals LLC are eligible for this policy. The definition of Family member can be found in the WA state law RCW 50A.04.010. New child is defined as a new birth, adoption, or fostered minor. A Primary Caregiver is the person who provides the child with the majority of their care during Parental Leave. A Secondary Caregiver is a parent who is accompanied by the presence of the Primary Caregiver. In practice, one example of this policy would be one parent home full-time with a new child as a Primary Caregiver and the other parent home part-time as a Secondary Caregiver. If 70% of your pay is lower than what Washington State would pay under the state requirement, we will supplement to meet that requirement. All durations allowed in this policy are on a 52 consecutive week period. Benefits are allowed per event and do not have a total annual cap. For example, one medical event in March would not reduce the benefit for a medical event in October provided they are unrelated and occurred separately. An employee must be in employment for 820 hours during the qualifying period (Qualifying period means the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters or, if eligibility is not established, the last four completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the application for leave). The employee must also have worked at least 340 hours for the employer during the 12 months immediately preceding the date leave will commence. An employee that had coverage under the state plan retains the state plan coverage until the employee qualifies for coverage under the employers voluntary plan. If an employee was eligible to take benefits under the approved voluntary plan of a previous employer, that employee would be immediately eligible for benefits under the current employers voluntary plan. In addition to the 12 weeks outlined in the companywide policy, as the the birthing parent you may take an additional 2 weeks of leave at $1,000 a week if pregnancy complications result in a longer recovery period. If one of your family members is under treatment or recovery for a serious medical condition and requires your care, you may take 4 weeks off at 100% pay. If after 4 weeks you need more time, you may take up to an additional 8 weeks at 70% of your pay for a total of 12 weeks.|What date will this voluntary plan be in effect?|April 1, 2019|118|132 | |
| 368|318|A secondary caregiver in Washington State, on Family Leave may take an additional 6 weeks of Family Leave, at $1,000 per week for those 6 weeks. This is in addition to the Family Leave given to all employees regardless of their state of residence. Family and personal leave may be taken together for a total of up to 16 weeks. If you are the birthing parent and require additional time to recover, you may take an additional 2 weeks at $1,000 per week for a total of 18 weeks. If one of your family members is in the military and you experience an exigency circumstance, 37signals has you covered. Exigency circumstances can include short-notice deployment, military events and related activities, childcare and school activities, counseling, and post- deployment activities. You may take 4 weeks off at 100% pay. If after 4 weeks you need more time, you may take up to an additional 8 weeks at 70% of your pay for a total of 12 weeks. Benefits will be calculated according to the Washington State policy RCW 50A.04.020(4) and (5). 37signals will continue to maintain your health insurance and your job at 37signals through the duration of your leave.|What company will continue to provide your health insurance during your leave?|37signals|1032|1041 | |
| 369|318|A secondary caregiver in Washington State, on Family Leave may take an additional 6 weeks of Family Leave, at $1,000 per week for those 6 weeks. This is in addition to the Family Leave given to all employees regardless of their state of residence. Family and personal leave may be taken together for a total of up to 16 weeks. If you are the birthing parent and require additional time to recover, you may take an additional 2 weeks at $1,000 per week for a total of 18 weeks. If one of your family members is in the military and you experience an exigency circumstance, 37signals has you covered. Exigency circumstances can include short-notice deployment, military events and related activities, childcare and school activities, counseling, and post- deployment activities. You may take 4 weeks off at 100% pay. If after 4 weeks you need more time, you may take up to an additional 8 weeks at 70% of your pay for a total of 12 weeks. Benefits will be calculated according to the Washington State policy RCW 50A.04.020(4) and (5). 37signals will continue to maintain your health insurance and your job at 37signals through the duration of your leave.|What company will continue to provide your health insurance during your leave?|37signals|1032|1041 | |
| 370|320|Throughput and productivity is uneven/unpredictable. Adept at commonly asked questions and inquiries. Uses HelpScout effectively. Prefers email support over phone, as is not yet comfortable speaking adlib about product. Works on routine emails or calls. Sometimes assigns emails to others versus finding the answers themselves, is new to Basecamps products less than 2 yrs support experience|How is the productivity of Basecamp's employees measured?|uneven/unpredictable|31|52 | |
| 371|322|Work beyond customer support emails is reviewed with a frequent need for material direction or implementation changes. Guidance is often required. Understands when to initiate on-call workflow with guidance from peers. Throughput and productivity is predictable. Is able to adhere to our customer service values a majority of the time. Is adept at working with HelpScout and finds productivity shortcuts. Works evenly on calls and email, is able to field inquiries that are multi-faceted. Understands most, if not all, of the product features and can provide support on all mobile platforms. Teaches classes and/or contributes to the knowledge database, works with software developers and others in the company to resolve issues. Pattern recognition regarding problem areas in app is developing. Begins to recommend new features and enhancements. Usually at least 2-5 years of experience being a customer support professional.|What is the average experience of a support representative?|2-5 years|864|873 | |
| 372|323|Senior Customer Support Representative, level 3|How many levels does the Senior Customer Support Representative work?|3|46|47 | |
| 373|324|Work beyond customer support tickets is self-directed and doesnt necessarily need to be reviewed, occasionally needs help with choosing items that are impactful. Understands when to initiate on-call workflow without guidance from peers. Complete and deep expertise with all versions of Basecamp. Can handle any inquiry. Has predictable and high throughput, exceeds CS values, while also maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. Generates new ideas and systems in order to deliver better customer support. Is creative and customer-centric. Works independently. Can provide material feedback on the work of Level 1-2 customer support and still maintain productivity. Can work very effectively with difficult or upset customers. Initiates training, publishes to SvN is seen as a leader, go-to person on the team. Tests on multiple platforms and reporting findings as Advanced Troubleshooting/Quality Documentation while maintaining regular customer conversations. Can single-handedly handle a crisis either by taking control over reporting and channels, or delegating tasks to others. Pattern recognition fully developed in order to contribute significantly to product features/enhancements. Usually at least 5-8 years of experience being a customer support professional.|What is the primary purpose of testing on multiple platforms?|maintaining regular customer conversations|927|970 | |
| 374|325|Lead Customer Support Representative, level 4|How many levels does the Lead Customer Support Representative work?|4|44|45 | |
| 375|327|Principal Customer Support Representative, level 5|How many levels does a Support Representative hold?|5|49|50 | |