Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Portfolio (January 27, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591847125
ISBN-13: 978-1591847120
Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #67,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #79 in Books > Business & Money > Industries > Computers & Technology #175 in Books > Business & Money > Business Culture > Workplace Culture #214 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Company Profiles
If low pay, constant lay-offs and cheating the IRS brings Joy, well, then you'll love the book.First, I'll tell you what Menlo does right - they make great software. I was really proud of the software we wrote when I was there. And you'll learn what it is like to work in a collaborative environment. I would recommend any company hire Menlo for software development.That said, workers at Menlo are not as joyous as Rich makes it sound. Like any business, SOME people love it, some people hate it.Any "joy" at Menlo comes at a price.Rich has admitted on a podcast that the pay at Menlo is on the low side. Maybe "joy" is worth it ... but keep reading.For all this talk of "joy", I think most people want a job with consistent work (and pay). For all the hype, Menlo has not been able to keep people employed. Rich tried to open a second office in Chicago - it failed. As a Menlo employee, you'll face constant layoffs as the company struggles to get work. Layoffs are common. Part of this is due to having too much process. Menlo charges a high fee (as admitted by their head project manager in a blog post). The high fee is due to large teams assigned to every project. In theory, the team means high quality, but process is taken to extremes at Menlo.One competitor to Menlo is Thought Works. Both companies have a similar model. They compete in the Agile Software market. Thought Works employs sales people to get work. Menlo has openly shunned a sales force - and the lack of consistent work is the result.The on-again, off-again part was a bit too much for me.When I was being hired, other employees took me aside and told me the contact was illegal. So I had my employment contract reviewed by an attorney.
Several hours after I finished reading Rich's book, I sent him an email saying how much I enjoyed and appreciated what he had to say. After all the books I pored over back when I was a business consultant, Joy, Inc. shows wisdom and heart that truly make for great business and fulfilling work life. From the blurbs I had read before opening the book, I expected dramatic crises with big salvation, which seems to be standard fare among business books. But Rich isn't a crisis, confusion, scream and heroic savior kind of guy, and I already knew that from working with him and his team a few years ago. And my company adopted and has used for at least five years our own hybridization of Menlo Innovation's the "ten o'clock shout out"/"weekly show and tell", so I know the value of these practices. I'm sure this isn't the only reason the current staff at my company is the best team I've ever had the pleasure to work with, but I believe it is an important factor. Rich shows the everyday work flow and problems in good economic times and bad and how his team has chosen to succeed across all situations. A couple of things he mentions, but may be lost on the reader, the successes of Rich's company had already proved themselves in his previously failing company: what it took was confidence he and his partners could do it again without the part of the company that had failed. Rich's company is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is an incredibly creative, accepting and forward thinking town, which during Michigan's deepest unemployment, peaked at around 7%. If you're going to start or relocate a business, or go to work for one, you might want to find a town like Ann Arbor. Also, something Rich doesn't mention is that he himself is an imposing personality of great good, patience and knowledge.
Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love Dealing With Difficult People: Get to Know the Different Types of Difficult People in the Workplace and Learn How to Deal With Them (How To Win People, How To Influence People) Monsters, Inc. Little Golden Book (Disney/Pixar Monsters, Inc.) Smart Policies for Workplace Technologies: Email, Blogs, Cell Phones & More (Smart Policies for Workplace Technology) Visual Workplace/Visual Thinking: Creating Enterprise Excellence through the Technologies of the Visual Workplace Fun is Good: How to Create Joy & Passion in Your Workplace & Career The Joy of Conflict Resolution: Transforming Victims, Villains and Heroes in the Workplace and at Home Aloha: Love, Suite Love/Fixed by Love/Game of Love/It All Adds Up to Love (Inspirational Romance Collection) Love's Unending Legacy/Love's Unfolding Dream/Love Takes Wing/Love Finds a Home (Love Comes Softly Series 5-8) Joy Of First Classics (Joy Of...Series) The Joy of First Year Piano (Joy Of...Series) The Joy of Ballet Music: Piano Solo (Joy Of...Series) The Joy of Waltzes, Tangos and Polkas: Piano Solo (Joy Books (Music Sales)) Joy on the Job . . . . Over 365 Ways to Create the Joy and Fulfillment You Deserve Peers Inc: How People and Platforms Are Inventing the Collaborative Economy and Reinventing Capitalism The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace: Empowering Organizations by Encouraging People Joy of Love, The: On Love in the Family; The Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford It Love & Hip Hop: Unsung All Exclusive Access: New York Atlanta Hollywood Unauthorized Version (Love & Hip Hop, Vh1 Love & Hip Hop WEDDING, Love & Hip Hop ... Season 1 2 3 4 5 6 DVD Prime Instant Video) People Tactics: Become the Ultimate People Person - Strategies to Navigate Delicate Situations, Communicate Effectively, and Win Anyone Over (People Skills)