In this age of decreasing perks, it’s semi-refreshing, semi-enraging to discover that Netflix salaried employees get unlimited vacation. Workers can fly the coop for more than a month at a time without checking in.

This isn’t a new development by any means — Netflix has had the policy since early this decade and the Oakland Tribune did a story on the phenomenon back in 2007 — but the revelation is more resounding in today’s economic climate, with its increasingly harried workforce. Those lucky enough to have a job today are afraid bosses will be all too happy to grant permanent vacations if they ask for excessive time off.

Netflix’s time off rules – or lack thereof – are part of a broad culture of employee autonomy instilled in the company when Hastings founded it a decade ago. The executives trust staffers to make their own decisions on everything – from whether to bring their dog to the office to how much of their salary they want in cash and how much in stock options. Workers are treated, as Chief Talent Officer Patty McCord likes to say, as adults.

One problem with the seemingly dream setup: Employees sometimes return all scratched up and unplayable.

Vacation policy at Netflix: Take as much as you want [BNet]
(Photo:Marike 79)

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