Earlier today I was having lunch with an entrepreneur and we were talking about corporate culture when she said something that really stuck with me: the newest generation of employees are best thought of as volunteers like at a non-profit. Now, this isn’t volunteers in the sense of not getting paid but rather volunteers in the way they want to be treated and the way they approach things.
Here are a few reasons why startup employees should be viewed as volunteers:
- Mission and purpose is more important than the money
- The best work is done when you care deeply about something
- Volunteers often need praise and encouragement to feel appreciated
- Length of tenure is shorter
Treating startup employees as volunteers makes sense as the employer is beholden to the creative, mobile, sought-after employee. With the creative class, the volunteer mindset is very prevalent.
What else? What are some other reasons why startup employees should be viewed as volunteers in the non-profit sense?
David Cummings on Startups 
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