The Valve Employee Handbook: A Must Read

(Via)

Having had the chance to be friends with a few people who developed a game called Narbacular Drop, the student game that went on to become that obscure series called Portal, I've been no stranger to hearing stories about what an awesome company Valve is. Within the gaming community as a whole, its rare to see people speaking negatively about the company, due to their very pro-consumer, avant garde approach to making games and experimenting with new models for older games (Team Fortress 2 free to play comes to mind).

I have no idea how this handbook ended up online, but what I learned via this 56 page pamphlet for new employees solidified why most people consider Valve one of the best gaming companies to work at, period. Just like their approach to gaming, the way they run the company is unorthodox at best, empowering their employees to reach their maximum potential. From stressing the fact that working too much overtime is the result of a failure in planning, to giving employees the freedom to work on any projects that they believe they'd be best at, this handbook should be a bible of sorts for most new gaming companies. If there's one thing that's definitely wrong with the game industry right now, its that there is no clear cut system or standard as to how to run them. This typically ends up resulting in creative, and often disastrous approaches to management, resulting in horror stories and scandals that often pop up on gaming blogs.

Take some time and read through the PDF, as it is nothing short of a fascinating and intimate read detailing their fascinating approach to keeping employees happy and putting out fantastic games.