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Vacation Slide Shows in the Conference Room
September 26, 2000

LEXINGTON, Mass. -- Roger Greene, the 42-year-old founder of Massachusetts-based Ipswitch Software, Inc., is growing his company by making great products (goodthings.com uses Ipswitch's WS_ FTP Pro to produce this Web site) and, just as importantly, treating his employees well.

He actually advocates long vacations and serious leisure time. And nobody wins any brownie points for logging long weekends in the office.

Is this unusual executive just slouching his way toward the depths of corporate mediocrity and dragging his employees down with him? That’s where the story really gets good. Having landed lucrative licensing agreements with such heavy hitters as Cisco Systems, Ipswitch is no lightweight. The company projects an annual revenue increase this year of 33%, to $22 million, with profits approaching $5 million. The company has built a software product that facilitates the movement of large files across varied operating systems.

Significantly, these are profits that employees can get their hands on in ways that have measurable effects on their quality of life. Profits factor into increased employee compensation and generous benefits packages. Motivated by his own rejuvenation after long trips abroad, Greene and his management team advocate personal days and true vacations, actually requiring a minimum of five leisure weeks per year of all employees. Nothing like having a steady stream of slide shows from all corners of the globe in the conference room every Friday to foster a good vibe in the workplace.

Ipswitch expanded beyond the 100-employee threshold this year and sees increased growth on the horizon. The privately held company has no wild dreams of an IPO or attracting the deep pockets of venture capitalists. The company plans to keep on keeping on, determined to prove that the lesson we all learned as kids – that the tortoise can in fact beat the hare – is true.

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