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Judith Mair, 30 and considered "Germany's toughest woman boss" has outlawed any fun at her advertising company. She insists on uniforms for all, has banned words like "team spirit" and "flexitime", doesn't allow any private phone calls ("Reading this bit, Maria?" -sarcastic Ed) and strictly enforces business hours during which chats about private matters are not allowed. |
Her new book "Scluss mit Lustig" ("End the Fun" - cosmopolitan Ed) attacks the American-inspired "work is fun" approach as work has nothing to do with fun at all ("No arguments from this quarter" - Moaning Mooners). Her theory is that fashionable stuff like company get togethers have eroded the boundaries between work and home life, so crippling efficiency. Thus no posters on the wall (a distraction), strict 9 am till 6 pm, no work to be taken home, 30 minute compulsory lunch breaks and a motto that "those who think good work is the only work that is fun do not belong here".
Interestingly, when she started out, she used the cool, e-economy approach - starting work at midday and drinking beer at work. She ended up working most weekends and nights to catch up, resulting in exhaustion and a lousy product. Now she has booted out all management twaddle with words like brainstorming, deadline and workflow also banned from her office (interestingly, clients who want to use these terms have to pay extra).
And she is doing really well.
