Reports say one-third of Basecamp employees exit in the wake of new company etiquette | ZDNet

Last Monday, Chicago-based software firm Basecamp issued a statement that said it was making a number of changes, including a ban on political discussions on its company Basecamp account.”Today’s social and political waters are especially choppy. Sensitivities are at 11, and every discussion remotely related to politics, advocacy, or society at large quickly spins away from pleasant,” the company said. “You shouldn’t have to wonder if staying out of it means you’re complicit, or wading into it means you’re a target.”The changes were touted as a “new etiquette regarding societal politics” by company co-founder and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson. They did not prevent employees from having such conversations in a personal capacity.But the internal reception to the more inclusive guidelines was not overly welcome, with reports coming in that a third of the company’s employee base had walked out, accepting severance packages.Heinemeier Hansson had offered the buyout packages as a “no questions asked” option for those not willing to accept the changes.”We offered everyone at Basecamp an option of a severance package worth up to six months salary for those who’ve been with the company over three years, and three months salary for those at the company less than that,” he explained. “No hard feelings, no questions asked. For those who cannot see a future at Basecamp under this new direction, we’ll help them in every which way we can to land somewhere else.”

Source: Reports say one-third of Basecamp employees exit in the wake of new company etiquette | ZDNet