** #7 You can build a company without working your staff to death: Longtime readers will know we are fans of Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, who run Chicago-based software outfit Basecamp. In their latest book, It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work, the two argue that a company can make profit without driving its employees insane with work. The Economist has taken note, writing in a review that “tired workers will not be productive since creativity, progress and impact do not yield to brute force,” adding that “sleep-deprived managers are likely to be counterproductively impatient.” The pair live by example, with employees working 40 hours per week, except in the summer during which the company runs a four-day, 32-hour week. They’re also entitled to three weeks of vacation per year, a month-long sabbatical every three years and a monthly massage.

Your colleagues are not family and the office isn’t home, no matter how many times your bosses say so: The authors warn against offices who add game rooms or other entertainment facilities, explaining that their intention is to keep employees at the office longer. They also warn against phrases like “we’re all family” explaining that such rhetoric is used to manipulate employees into thinking work is more important than their actual families.

Other helpful tips from the dogmatic duo:

• No one can get any work done in a packed noisy office; a calm environment is essential to maintain a productive workflow;
• Meetings waste everybody’s time; if you can relay your message in an email, please do;
• Keep deadlines realistic;
• Allow workers sufficient time to respond to queries.