Tony Hsieh had a two-word employment policy at Zappos, and he was an absolute genius

There are many good reasons to remember Tony Hsieh, but I keep thinking of one in particular: an unusual employment policy at Zappos, where Hsieh was CEO for two decades.

It’s even more poignant after Hsieh died on Friday at the far too young age of 46.

Zappos has twice built businesses from scratch and found great exits: Zappos to Amazon for $ 1.2 billion, and before that, LinkExchange, which Microsoft acquired for $ 265 million before Hsieh was 25. .

He has also been an accelerator for the city of Las Vegas, where Zappos is headquartered, and a thought leader in entrepreneurship and business, starting with the publication of his book, Deliver Happiness..

But I would like to remember him for something else.

Not just the quirk he was known for – a near billionaire who lived in an Airstream trailer because, as he once explained, he valued experiences over things – but rather for the two-word politics that Zappos did. had for new employees.

I’m talking about “the offer,” a policy that is now an even bigger reminder that life is short and that we are only so likely to find our real calls.

The program worked like this: After about a week of work, some new Zappos employees were told they had a choice.

They could continue the journey they had started – or they could give up. If they chose to “quit,” the company would pay them to go.

“Why?” asked Bill Taylor Harvard business review in 2008, when the maximum “bid” was $ 1,000. “Because if you are ready to involve the company in the Offer, you obviously do not have the sense of the commitment they are looking for.”

It was not altruism; Zappos was better off without employees who didn’t want to be there. But I can’t help but think it was a real favor for the people who took a job at Zappos only to find it was not the right solution.

After Amazon acquired Zappos – and allowed it to remain an independent division, under the leadership of Hsieh – “big Amazon” also adopted a version of the idea.

the The Amazon iteration involves giving Amazon fulfillment center employees $ 1,000 per year that they worked for at Amazon, up to $ 5,000.

Hsieh sold Zappos to Amazon in 2009, and I guess the reason “The Offer” resonated so strongly with me when I first heard about it is because of exactly what I was doing at the time. -the.

Short Version: I started a new six-figure job as a lawyer, only to realize from day one that I had made a big mistake in accepting it. I quit immediately – there was no offer of $ 1,000 or $ 5,000 – and the situation set fire to me to quickly start a business that could support a family.

A little later when I wrote about it, I got my 15 minutes of fame from the whole experience. But the real benefit was to reaffirm that life was too fleeting to spend more than a day at a job I knew wouldn’t be for me.

Reports say Hsieh was injured in a house fire in New London, Connecticut on Nov. 18, before succumbing to Friday. The story of what happened is still developing; According to local reports, fire officials called it an “active investigation.”

So rest in peace Tony Hsieh. I hope and pray that his family will find comfort. Others will share their tributes: Jeff Bezos, Chris Bag, and Tony Hawk, for example.

But I will also remember him for the lesson in “The Offer”.