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A software company comes up with a brilliant corporate speech policy
American Thinker ^ | 05/03/2021 | Andrea Widburg

Posted on 05/03/2021 9:45:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Basecamp is remote work software that provides a single online environment in which workers on a single project can consolidate everything they do on that project.  No matter where you are, there's a virtual meeting space in cyberspace.  That's pretty cool.  What's really cool about Basecamp, though, is its CEO's new rule: people may not discuss politics at work.  With that single announcement, a third of the workforce quit.  Other American corporations should follow suit.

After "a contentious all-hands meeting," the Basecamp CEO and one of its founders, Jason Fried, posted a lengthy statement online detailing the new policies that he and David Hansson, a Basecamp founder and partner, had reached.  (Note: As private corporation, Basecamp can impose speech policies on its employees.)  Here are the core parts (and except for the first sentence, bolded emphasis is mine):

1. No more societal and political discussions on our 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 pleasantYou shouldn't have to wonder if staying out of it means you're complicit, or wading into it means you're a target. These are difficult enough waters to navigate in life, but significantly more so at work. It's become too much. It's major distraction. It saps our energy, and redirects our dialog towards dark places. It's not healthy, it hasn't served us well. And we're done with it on our company Basecamp account where the work happens. People can take the conversations with willing co-workers to Signal, Whatsapp, or even a personal Basecamp account, but it can't happen where the work happens anymore. Update: David has shared some more details and more of the internal announcement on his HEY World blog.


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: basecamp; companypolicy; speechpolicy

1 posted on 05/03/2021 9:45:18 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Here’s what BASECAMP SOFTWARE tells employees:

Basecamp’s purpose is to make “project management, team communication, and email software. We are not a social impact company. Our impact is contained to what we do and how we do it.”

As far as Basecamp leadership is concerned, “We don’t have to solve deep social problems, chime in publicly whenever the world requests our opinion on the major issues of the day, or get behind one movement or another with time or treasure.”


2 posted on 05/03/2021 9:46:38 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Good for Basecamp! I’ve been a user for 15 years and their product is outstanding and now I see so is their leadership!


3 posted on 05/03/2021 9:50:23 AM PDT by icclearly
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>> With that single announcement, a third of the workforce quit.

Easier than layoffs.


4 posted on 05/03/2021 10:01:18 AM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Gene Eric

The ones that quit were the SJWs that were a drag on the budget. May be the model for all privately held companies.


5 posted on 05/03/2021 10:16:09 AM PDT by Afterguard (Deplorable me! )
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To: SeekAndFind

What’s really cool about Basecamp, though, is its CEO’s new rule: people may not discuss politics at work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sounds good but the reality is that every single thing turns into ‘politics’ and/or connects directly to it... Want to talk about the price of groceries or the price of gas?... Politics. Anything to do with WuFlu?.... Politics. Hiring practices in the company?... Politics. What is going on with the local schools and school board decisions?... Politics. Even the weather quickly gets into ‘climate change policies’ which is all about politics. Taxation?.... forget about it. I recently had a family member say something similar to me about ‘not discussing politics’ and just to make the point (and it wasn’t much of a stretch), I was forever stopping her up short with every single thing after that with a simple statement... “oh, we can’t talk about that. There’s politics involved with that.”


6 posted on 05/03/2021 10:18:40 AM PDT by hecticskeptic
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To: SeekAndFind

Wow, imagine quitting your good salaried job if you aren’t able to dictate and threaten your fellow coworkers! Good Riddance!


7 posted on 05/03/2021 10:18:44 AM PDT by jimmygrace
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To: SeekAndFind

I guess this means they’ll be looking to hire replacement people who are talented and focused on their work.

I bet they’ll be shortly overwhelmed with resumes.

And that’s a good thing for their company, their customers, and their shareholders.


8 posted on 05/03/2021 10:20:44 AM PDT by chrisser
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To: SeekAndFind
This sums it up:

"Scott Adams
@ScottAdamsSays
In one of the greatest management moves of all time, Basecamp's CEO persuaded all of his most grindingly annoying employees to resign at once."

And I would bet many of the same aren't the best producers, either.

9 posted on 05/03/2021 10:35:23 AM PDT by Tench_Coxe
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To: SeekAndFind

Well at least the company knows who the dead weight Leftists were...meaning the potential troublemakers.


10 posted on 05/03/2021 10:37:58 AM PDT by Avalon Memories (Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right...)
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To: SeekAndFind

I really liked Dilbert creator Scot Adams’ tweet on the subject. LOL!

“In one of the greatest management moves of all time, Basecamp’s CEO persuaded all of his most grindingly annoying employees to resign at once.”


11 posted on 05/03/2021 10:39:32 AM PDT by Menehune56 ("Let them hate so long as they fear" (Oderint Dum Metuant), Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC))
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To: SeekAndFind

I just applied for one of the vacant jobs!


12 posted on 05/03/2021 10:57:14 AM PDT by MercyFlush (Senator Joseph McCarthy was right. )
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To: SeekAndFind

>>With that single announcement, a third of the workforce quit.

and likely the remaining 2/3 of the people who just want to work, without being told what they should think all day long, breathed a big sigh of relief and said ‘good riddance’.


13 posted on 05/03/2021 11:06:12 AM PDT by qwerty1234
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To: SeekAndFind

Excellent! Let’s hope more companies follow their lead.


14 posted on 05/03/2021 11:40:01 AM PDT by TBP (Progressives lack compassion and tolerance. Their self-aggrandizement is all that matters. )
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To: SeekAndFind

The not-so-great Roger Goodell might have stopped much of this a long time ago if he had simply stated that nobody has freedom of speech on the job. Your employer is free to fire you if you say things that he finds objectionable. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean you can run your mouth whenever you feel like it and not suffer consequences.


15 posted on 05/03/2021 12:10:53 PM PDT by Pining_4_TX (O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:9)
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To: SeekAndFind

While I think *ALL* companies should take this approach, I think BaseCamp simply found they were in the minority and got shouted out so they want to quit.


16 posted on 05/03/2021 12:37:09 PM PDT by CodeToad (Arm up! They Have!)
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To: MercyFlush

Where did you see the job listed? I haven’t seen anything listed on their own career page yet.


17 posted on 05/03/2021 1:02:20 PM PDT by posterchild
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To: posterchild

It’s an unsolicited application.


18 posted on 05/03/2021 1:20:57 PM PDT by MercyFlush (Senator Joseph McCarthy was right. )
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To: SeekAndFind

Hopefully, management will do the same by avoiding public woke announcements such as Coke & Delta did.


19 posted on 05/03/2021 3:31:57 PM PDT by Mister Da (The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Rd later.


20 posted on 05/03/2021 5:52:24 PM PDT by NetAddicted (Just looking)
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