Basecamp is an important tool for us at IDRsolutions. We use it for all our internal communications and documentation. It is our single source of truth. It also contains all our planning, policies, procedures, history, resources for new hires, how we do stuff, etc. BaseCamp is critical to making sure that while we may work remotely in different offices, we are one team.
Basecamp is a Company that has strong views on how a Software Company operates and endeavors to live up to them. One of their goals is transparency and being open. So we were not entirely surprised to discover that they have made their Playbook available online at GitHub for anyone to read.
There are the usual items you would expect to find such in an employee handbook with tips about how to use Basecamp to work better as a team in lots of different areas, covering everything from how they work to benefits and perks to their rituals. It is very comprehensive.
For example under the ‘Getting Started‘ section, they have tips on how to get started by just getting a new ping buddy. The new ping buddy can help you set up all your accounts and system. They have a section for ‘Perks and Benefits‘ where they have clearly stated about all the benefits an employee can expect. It is clearly meant to be a living and working document (not something the legal team put together to tick a box for compliance). It is written in clear and simple language for every employee to understand.
Basecamp has also tried to capture their culture and beliefs. There are sections where they have clear thoughts on Company rituals as well as making a career. One section ‘Note about moonlighting’ has all do’s and don’t do’s which is also very easy to understand.
I also appreciate the fact that they regularly update their playbook to make it easier and more clear for their employees.
I would definitely recommend having a look at this resource to get some ideas about working in teams. It has given us lots to think about.
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