Valve's Employee Handbook Leaked

                Earlier this week, Valve’s 56-page employee handbook leaked onto the internet. You can read it here. The handbook is given to new employees on their first day, and outlines the company’s basic business model, which is far from normal.

                The handbook outlines the company’s command structure, which is decidedly unique. The handbook states “…we don’t have any management, and nobody ‘reports to’ anybody else. We do have a founder/president, but even he isn’t your manager. This company is yours to steer—toward opportunities and away from risks. You have the power to green-light projects. You have the power to ship products.”

                This unique way of doing things has been met with skepticism in the business community. David Herrmann, business operations professor at Utah State University, said that while software companies are known for doing things a little differently, he believes that, “Somewhere there’s gotta be some central people.”

                In addition to employees being able to begin or end projects ad nauseam, salaries are based on co-workers’ ratings of each other’s performance. The handbook said “Over time, compensation gets adjusted to fit an employee’s internal peer-driven valuation. That’s what we mean by ‘correct’—paying someone what they’re worth (as best we can tell using the opinions of peers).”

                “I agree with the principle,” Herrmann said, “within some bounds. For example, how does an engineer determine the worth of a marketer? I do something similar in my class with group projects. You will get two sides, where everyone is so nice in their reviews it’s ridiculous, or they all did a great job, but they hammer on each other. Then it’s like, ‘so, who did the work then?’ I don’t see it working on a large scale.”

                Cassandra Sherwood, a graphics design student at USU, said she was unsure if she would want to work under a system like that.

                “If everyone liked me it would be great,” Sherwood said. “But imagine how bad office politics would be if promotions and salaries aren’t just in the hands of your boss, but your co-workers as well. If you disagree with someone, or make a mistake, that could have a real impact on your salary. I’m not sure I would want that.”