You don't work at Wired, you live Wired. With Chuck, Wired's full time chef, filling the space with mouth-watering aromas throughout the day and a McIntosh amp pumping out tunes around the clock, one feels like one is at home not at work. On Thursdays, a massage therapist visits the Wired office for in-house massages. "Wired is a place people want to come to work," reads the first principle of Wired's Operating Heuristics.
Nori Castillo, the accounting manager, kepts a folded futon under his
desk. At first glance, one might be tempted to make the assumption that Nori
likes to take a siesta after lunch. Actually, sleeping on the job is sometimes
a problem at Wired, but rather than the sleeping interfering with the
job,
it is usually the other way around. When Nori started two years ago,
eighty hours per week wasn't uncommon, nor was holding a second job at night to
help pay the bills.
Today, people are encouraged to work a normal 40-50 hour
week and sleep at home, yet nonetheless they still keep the media room locked.
Otherwise, people will occasionally take a cat nap and
continue working through the night or even the whole weekend. In the old space
there was a shower that was frequently used for this living-at-work modus
operandi. The tiles in the new shower room are still being installed
but should be ready soon.
While "overworked and underpayed" is still a commonly heard phrase, it is
usually said with about as much conviction as one spouts off "morning" on an
groggy Monday. People don't seem to care as much about money when they
have a passion for their work.
Nori talks about Wired like family community. As an informal human resources manager, Nori has brought in probably 15-20% of the Wired workforce, so it is like a family for him, especially in the case of his cousin, Melissa, who works at HotWired. But this team-spirit feeling is perverasive throughout much of the company, even with the newer employees. Wired has many social functions and parties that help build the team-spirit and keep morale high. Nori and all the Wired veterans are one in believing that the informal social network connecting and supporting the Wired team is critical to their success.
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PEOPLE | HEART | CULTURE | BUSINESS |