What struck me was how one Google employee described their work hours in terms of an honour system.

They don’t have set hours and don’t even have to clock in or complete timesheets, but work on the basis of delivering the outcomes of their role. They rely on peer review and work in teams, so there is transparency around who’s doing what. People who abuse the culture are found out quickly. This rarely happens though, as getting a job is hard and no-one wants to jeopardise their place.

Food of all types is also provided free of charge. However, the employee emphasised perks were not the reason why people stay. He said the real benefit of all this was the ability to create output and achieve outcomes. Staff are inevitably more efficient as it puts them in the right mindset. Would an honour code work in your business?

Paul Siderovski, MD. SiDCOR Chartered Accountants.