Closed for burnout. The seven hundred employees around the world of Bumble, the dating application on which women choose whether or not to make the first move, are on “forced” vacation for a week. Bullying or the reorganization of shifts of a layoff, nor those of smart working have to do with it: the company has chosen to combat work stress (burnout, in fact) by giving those who work a respite after at least a demanding year.
Bumble, the social media for women. “Let’s take the first step”
by BENEDETTA PERILLI
After an initial period of disorientation at the arrival of the first lockdown of 2020, dating applications have experienced a flourishing period, and Bumble has not been outdone, bringing home an important step such as the listing on the stock exchange. The founder – already behind the birth of Tinder, then left with accusations of discrimination and harassment – was the youngest woman in history (31 years old) to debut a company in the United States on the stock market, with the aim of making ” Internet a kinder and more responsible place “. Whitney Wolfe Herd, this is his name, he would therefore have sensed, according to his own collaborators, a climate of “collective exhaustion”, and had already announced in April that in June they would have deserved a paid week, completely offline. Those who remain committed to customer assistance will have free time at their disposal so that the fateful week off is still guaranteed.
According to what is reported by the Bbc, in the Bumble headquarters in Texas, where yellow and encouraging phrases dominate the walls, people work from 9 to 17, but employees can choose the hours they prefer, as long as the work is done (which then, this would be the real management of smart working, agile work, not to be confused with remote work). In those spaces there is also the “Mommy Bar”, for private breastfeeding and fortnightly beauty treatments.
Women who are trying to save the Internet
The pace of party dating apps in 2020 does not seem to suffer setbacks: the number of paid users on Bumble and Badoo (which Bumble owns) increased by 30% in the three months to March 31, compared to the same period. of last year. And over this long period, many new features have been introduced (see video calls, both for Tinder and Meetic, just to name two).
The last year and a half has been a fundamental testing ground for the tech sector, as well as a period of economic satisfaction: not surprisingly among large companies that will respond to the global minimum rate of 15% applied country by country and decided by ministers of finance during the last G7, there are the giants of the sector. However, the accounts are also made at home, and the choice of Bumble is only the most recent chapter of a very complex issue such as the management of the work of those who allow those companies to grind profits.
While everyone is wondering how strong and lasting the emotional impacts of this pandemic will be, it is already time not to lose sight of what the emergency has taught (perhaps) about human resource management. Although the CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey had said that its employees could work from home “forever”, now the microblog has stated that it expects most of its staff to opt for a “mix” model (some remotely, some in the office ). Google has started its program to bring people back to work and so from September 1st, employees who want to work from home for more than 14 days a year will have to apply to do so. Apple employees have launched a campaign to stem the plans Tim Cook which would include a large return to the office (now it seems that they must be at least three days a week in office by September).
Stress management in the workplace – leaving aside for a moment the enormous difficulties of those involved in logistics related to services – will be a very broad matter of a week’s vacation and an “out of office” message that many would like to write .
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