No Turning Back The dotcoms may be dying off, but their corporate culture is here to stay.

We just can't stop talking about how those damned dotcomsfailed. But were they failures at everything? Wag a finger atquestionable start-up ideas and business practices all you want,but the mind-set at those same companies changed the workplace inways that will matter for years to come.

Affecting everything from how chatty the CEO is to whatemployees wear to work, the easy-going, free-thinking mentality ofthe dotcom workplace has crept into even the stodgiest offices. Andeven though the Foosball tables and Friday-afternoon keggers may bedisappearing as businesses tighten their budgets, the relaxedcorporate culture those trappings reflected isn't goinganywhere.

In the mid-'90s, employees-especially those with techsavvy-could pick and choose jobs, using the bargaining power of atight labor market to get anything they wanted from their workenvironment. "For many employees, the criteria [were] basicstuff like, 'Am I treated with respect?' 'Do I have theopportunity to exercise my creativity?' and 'If the firmdoes well, do I benefit from that success?'" says PhilipRomero, dean of Lundquist College of Business at the University ofOregon in Eugene and overseer of the Lundquist Center forEntrepreneurship. Though the boom is over, job seekers still feelentitled to a stimulating, rewarding atmosphere.

"I think employees will continue to see themselves as freeagents and have a much lower tolerance for dysfunctional workenvironments than they had 10 years ago," says Romero.

That's exactly why Service Net, a Jeffersonville,Indiana-based company that creates, markets and administerswarranty and service-contract programs for manufacturers, retailersand distributors, employs Michael Neumann in the position ofmanager of communication and culture.

"[The position was created] because we're a companythat touts its culture as the big draw," says Neumann."We don't want to get into a bidding war for talentedemployees, and by focusing on the culture, hopefully you can [avoidhiring] people who are only focused on the money."

Service Net has built an environment that stresses employeeempowerment and career longevity. "We reward people for takinginitiative," says Neumann. If employees manage to cut costs orgenerate revenue in a new way, they're rewarded with $500 to$5,000. There are also $250 "fun money" rewards for thosewho've made it to the six-month mark. Plus, last year'sprofit-sharing payout totaled about $560,000. And if employees staywith Service Net for seven years, they get a five-week paidsabbatical in addition to their regular vacation time.

Enabling decision-making at all ranks and not punishing peoplefor their occasional mistakes are also integral parts of theegalitarian atmosphere the dotcoms engendered. "What makes theidea of being an American work is the freedom to make your mark onthe world," says Kent Plunkett, 38, founder of Salary.com."There's no class system that prevents anyone from makingan impact. Everybody can be a hero in their own way."

The trend toward democratic office culture is a logicalextension of Plunkett's perspective. His Wellesley,Massachusetts, company, which provides compensation data online,solicits reviews from its 30-plus employees every six months."It's fairly painful for management," he quips,"but it makes us keep current with where people are and wherethey should be."

If any of Service Net's 110 employees has a beef with theway the company's run, Neumann says, they can take advantage of35-year-old CEO Lansdon Robbins' open-door policy. "[Thehierarchy] is very flat," says Neumann. "We have very fewforms, checks and balances where you need them, and people are verywelcome to walk into the CEO's office and say, 'You'refull of crap, and this will never fly.'"

However you choose to create a mood that will impress employeeswho've been there, done that and liked it, you'd best getused to the fact that office culture has evolved. Says Romero,"Because the [dotcom] boom lasted so long, I think its'culture overhang' will be with us at least half adecade."

Contact Sources

• Lundquist Center forEntrepreneurship, University of Oregon, (541)346-3420,
• ServiceNet, 650 Missouri Ave., Jeffersonville, IN 47130