Listen Now: The Barefoot Business: Silicon Valley Embraces Shoeless Offices
Silicon Valley is kicking off its shoes and making business casual… extra casual.
The tech world’s wardrobe primarily consists of jeans, sneakers and hoodies. Now some startups are taking casual to the next level, inviting workers to remove their shoes and walk around in slippers, socks and even bare feet.
The companies baring everything below the ankle are Gusto and Notion, both software startups. The CEOs say they grew up in households with a no shoe policy and wanted that level of comfort at their work site.
For Gusto, the CEO said the company started in a room in his house where people would come in, remove their shoes and settle in for the day. So when they moved into an office he installed cubbies for people to store their shoes.
Both companies say their offices have heated floors to make sure no one’s tootsies get chilly. And the local health department says there are no regulations on the books about being barefoot at work. Both companies are ranked as some of the best places to work… unless you’re afraid of feet.
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CBS News Radio national business journalist Brian Banmiller has spent more than 40 years in the news industry, covering business, politics and the economy on television, radio and in print. Currently, his “Banmiller on Business” reports are delivered to an audience of millions nationwide.
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