Boss Says She Lets Her Employees Do What They Want And It’s Super Profitable — ‘They Choose When They Work & What They Want To Work On’
Happy employees are more engaged and productive.
Jacob Lund / Shutterstock Most people have experienced a bad boss who either overworked them or made it hard to do their jobs.
Maddy Birdcage, the CEO and founder of Birdcage Marketing, revealed how she is changing the workplace dynamic for her employees, and it's paying off in a big way.
Birdcage allows her employees to do what they want and finds that it's made her business super profitable.
"I let my employees do pretty much whatever they want. I let them choose when they work, what days they work, what time they work, what they wear to work, and even the tasks that they do when they're at work," Birdcage explained.
Her company, an Australian-based marketing business and online school, is extremely accommodating to its staff members. Birdcage herself oversees the operation and ensures everyone is treated fairly and with respect.
Her mission even extends to her employees' personal lives. She allows working parents to bring their children to the office during school holidays. She also ensures that all of her employees are paid well above the usual wages and have a limitless income through an affiliate program. Employees can work anywhere they want in the office, including couches and designated lounge areas, and remote work is also a viable option.
While many are critical of Birdcage's relaxed workplace, she explained that it works for her. She even recently fired a manager who wanted to have complete control over the employees, which has been proven to be unproductive.
In fact, according to a Monster poll of more than 6,000 workers, the biggest red flag of a toxic workplace is a micromanaging boss. Employees don't feel respected or valued by working for a boss who has zero trust in their ability to get work done and constantly hovers and creates strict guidelines that are almost always impossible to follow.
She pointed out that her job doesn't mean holding her employees' hands but letting them do their own thing.
Maddy explained that her role as both a founder and CEO of her company isn't to hover but rather to provide guidance, support, and resources to ensure success.
She wants her employees to build their own careers instead of being forced to conform to someone else's idea of success.
Photo: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock
Birdcage explained that she approaches her students in the online marketing school she founded in the same way she approaches her staff and clients.
"It's not a traditional way of doing business. [It's] not normal for a workplace to have so much flexibility," she said.
While Birdcage does have guidelines and boundaries, for the most part, her employees are allowed to make their own decisions.
Maybe the "traditional" way companies operate needs to change because more and more working-class people have admitted that they're experiencing high levels of burnout. They're unproductive and have lost their passions because of how demanding and oppressive various work environments have become.
Instead of contributing to this, Maddy has chosen to be the kind of leader she would want to follow.
So far, she hasn't received any complaints and has noticed that her business has thrived and become super profitable.
Happy employees mean productive employees, and people who aren't overworked, underpaid, and ignored when they have criticisms or concerns are more likely to stay committed and engaged.
"By letting my staff do whatever they want, my business is more successful," Birdcage proudly stated.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.