ReadMe Employee Handbook

(No, really—read me!)

How did it all begin?
One of my first projects at a programmer in San Francisco was
to build an API and embeddable widget for the startup I was at.
Building the tech was the easy part. After I finished that, it came
time to build some sort of developer hub—document it so any-
one could understand, distribute developer keys, provide support,
and more. It took longer than the API, and didn’t do a great job
of making things easier to use. Ever since then, it’s bothered me
how little attention is paid to “documentation,” despite the fact
developers spend most of the day reading, writing, or cursing it.

When people think of documentation, they think paragraphs

of static text that drone on. It should be more than that, though—
it’s the entire user experience for an API or code library. Docu-
mentation is core to how we build software, yet it’s relegated to
an afterthought. When we built websites, we make them intui-
tive, well-designed, and tailored to the user. When we build APIs,
for some reason we’re content with spitting out a few convolut-
ed paragraphs of text and calling it a day. We can do better!

We’re building developer experiences that just work. It’s more

than just Computer Science grads that are writing code now:
millions of tech-literate people are eager to become makers.
Our mission at ReadMe is to empower anyone to build some-
thing cool.

Greg
FOUNDER & CEO
Looking for something specific?
We’ve got you covered.
Introduction

Welcome ................................................................................................. 06

Mission and Values ............................................................................07

Onboarding

Structure ...................................................................................................08

Internal Transparency ..................................................................... 09

Objectives and Key Results ......................................................... 10

First Day Items ........................................................................................11

General Ops

Communication .....................................................................................12

Coworker Etiquette .............................................................................13

One-on-Ones ..........................................................................................14

Standup ......................................................................................................15

Lunches ......................................................................................................16

Working Remotely............................................................................... 17

Offsites ........................................................................................................18

Happy Hour ..............................................................................................19

Shared Files ............................................................................................20

Equity Guide

Our Pledge................................................................................................21

Stock Options ........................................................................................22

Vesting and Cliffs ................................................................................ 23

Benefits and Perks

Health Coverage.................................................................................. 24

OneMedical Membership..............................................................26

Holidays ..................................................................................................... 27

Vacation and Leave ........................................................................... 28

Continuing Education .......................................................................30

401(k) ............................................................................................................31

Employment Policies

Equal Opportunity Employment ............................................... 32

At-will Employment ........................................................................... 33

Community Code of Conduct .................................................... 34

Complaint Policy .................................................................................36

Employee Privacy ...............................................................................38

Drug and Alcohol Policy.................................................................40

Let’s get acquainted
Welcome to the ReadMe handbook! We’re so excited to
have you on board! This handbook contains everything you
need to know about ReadMe policies, perks and benefits, and
what to expect as in our day-to-day. We’re small, so things
change quickly. We’ll keep updating this as we grow; you can
update it too!

This is Owlbert.
He's our Mascot.

06
Mission and values
ReadMe is on a mission to make documentation magical. We’re
changing the way people communicate and share, opening up
new opportunities for innovation.

Err on the side of whimsy

Life is too short to not use puns and owl doodles everywhere

Make things that just *work*

We do the heavy lifting so our users don’t have to

Be the change you seek

If you think something could be better, make it so!

Polish the product

Just because we’re a small team doesn’t mean it should show

Strive for simplicity

We want things easy to understand and easy on the eyes

Do what's right
Whether it's for the user, product, or each other

07
How we stack up
ReadMe has a flat structure for now. Mostly because there’s no
good way to make a pyramid with such a small team. Everyone
is important, and we value your opinions. This means reach out
and talk to anyone you want. We’re building this together! Unfor-
tunately, Owlbert only takes appointments 6 months out.

08
Let’s be real
We talk a lot and see each other every day, so it’s pretty hard to
think there’s any undercover sneakiness going on. At least that’s
what Owlbert wants you to think.

09
Objectives and key results
We’ll set up quarterly goals as a team. Usually at an offsite, but
always over food. Individually we’ll set quarterly goals with our-
selves, and talk about them if we want. At 1-on-1's we’ll decide
what needs to get done for the week. Objective #1 is always to
figure out where to eat lunch.

10
What to bring your first day
Onboarding paperwork requires photocopies of acceptable
documents for the I-9 worksheet. The easiest way to do this is
a passport (List A), but you can also use a license and social
security card or birth certificate (List B + List C), or anything else
on those lists!

11
Chatting it up
Most of our communication at ReadMe occurs over Slack. When
we need someone’s attention, we usually just mention them on
there (or take a page out of Owlbert's book with a hoot and a
holler). Emails are generally saved for outside communication or
more in-depth discussions. Obviously, we also talk in person in
our regular inside voices.

12
A bit of etiquette
We assume that coworkers share the same goals, but may work
best in different conditions. To help everyone be their most pro-
ductive, we observe these guidelines for respecting each other’s
work and time:

HEADPHONE POLICY
If a co-worker is wearing headphones, assume that they are in
THE ZONE. Science says that it usually takes people 20+ minutes
to get focused so this time is very valuable. If what you need is
extremely urgent, yell loudly so that we can all handle the emer-
gency situation. If not, shoot them a message on Slack and they
can respond when they are no longer focused anyway.

MEETINGS
Since we’re so small, internal meetings are also a small thing at
ReadMe. A lot of meetings happen over lunch. If you do have a
meeting, keep it short (<30 minutes) and be on time! If you can’t
make it let everyone know as early as possible.

FOOD
No one likes a moldy office. Eat as much as you want (we defi-
nitely do), just make sure to wash your dishes. House clean-
ers come approximately every other Monday. But still, plenty
of mold can grow in two weeks, and no one likes fuzzy green
growth in their tea.

13
One-on-ones
Employees are encouraged to have regular meetings as needed
throughout the team. Whether it's a quick check-in over coffee, a
daily brainstorm by the beanbags, or an empathetic /giphy DM,
it's unfacilitated and up to you.

14
Standup
ReadMe does Standup everyday at 11am. Everyone should say
big things they accomplished the day before, and what they plan
to do that day. It's always in #standup on Slack.

On Mondays we also do Growth Standup where we calculate our

percentage of MRR growth from the week before. We aim for
5%, and if it’s less we do one minute planks for each percentage
that we miss. Let’s hope our abs don’t get too strong!

15
Did someone say free lunch?
Yep, every Tuesday/Thursday—Owlbert’s treat!

On Tuesdays we generally strive for alliteration, so that we can

have (some place that starts with a T) Tuesdays. In reality it often
becomes Citizen’s Band Tuesdays, which is arguably less poetic,
but just as tasty.

Everyone provides (read: orders) their own lunches on other days.

But we have bottles of Soylent if you're feeling particularly lazy!

16
Work from home days
We work from home on Wednesdays! Get up late, get some
chores done, stay in your pajamas all day—just don’t come in to
the office. Unless you really want to. But you’ll probably be alone.

On Wednesdays we stay in touch via Slack and give ourselves

time to work on big projects without distractions. For instance,
writing this handbook.

You are also welcome to work from home as need be on other

days, as long as you’re not missing anything really big. Just let us
know ahead of time if possible!

17
Offsites
ReadMe goes on an offsite each quarter! ReadMe covers the
cost of flights/drives, accommodation, and company meals. It’s
a great way to get to know your coworkers better, and usually
where we do high-level planning for the upcoming months. Past
offsites have been to Austin and Sonoma. We all like to explore
new places, so if there’s somewhere you’d love to go, just let
us know!

18
Happy hour
ReadMe hosts a happy hour once a month! Mostly because
every time we host an event we over-order owlcohol. But we’ll
go to bars if we run out/the roof is taken that day. Employees
and part-time contractors are encouraged to come hang out and
catch up with the rest of the team. Everyone is encouraged to
bring 1–2 people to spice up the night!

19
File sharing is caring
Files are currently shared on Slack (yay, good search!), Google
drive (boo, bad search), or Dropbox (mostly designs).

20
Our equity pledge
If the company does well, we want you to do well. We pledge
that the option to exercise your stock options will always be
available. Even if you are no longer with the company, we want
anyone who contributed to our success to benefit from it.

21
Understanding stock options
There are a number of ways that early-stage startups offer
equity. While this will change as we grow and upfront costs
to employees become prohibitive, we currently issue
Restricted Stock.

This means you will pre-purchase your options and file a 83(b)
election. This will cost a few hundred dollars at most, and we
will buy back any unvested shares if you leave before you vest.
There is no need to “exercise options” or worry about an “exer-
cise window”. You own the stock once it vests (more on that on
the next page).

When you file an 83(b) election with the IRS, you start the clock
instantly on the long term capital gains holding period rather
than waiting until it vests. Since long term capital gains are taxed
at a lower rate, you’ll pay less in taxes.

22
Vesting and cliffs
Vesting means that instead of getting your equity all at one
time, it’s given to you in small amounts over a designated period
of time. In general, stock fully vests after four years. So if an
employee quits after two years, they only receive 50% of their
equity, but if they stay the full four they get it all!

Because accounting can get really confusing when everyone

owns only a tiny amount of the company, a cliff exists to make
sure that it’s a good fit for the long term before stock is vested.
In general, companies have a 1 year cliff. This means for a year
from the start date, no stock is vested, but on your anniversary
you get a full ¼ of your equity! After that equity is vested on a
monthly basis.

23
Let’s cover your health
We offer medical, dental, and vision coverage at ReadMe for
employees and their dependents. Several plans are available
to all employees. ReadMe will contribute 100% of the cost for
all employees and 50% for dependents. Coverage begins on
the first of the month following hire date. All employees are
eligible for coverage on the first of the month following their
hire date. These policies are all managed through Zenefits.
You can find full details about the plans, costs, and coverage
at rdme.io/plans.

MEDICAL
Gold Select PPO
Gold Select HMO

DENTAL
Cisc PPO A 1000 NW

VISION
Sig. C 10-10

24
WHAT'S AN HMO?
You must select an in-network primary care physician (PCP) to
coordinate all of your medical care. If you feel sick, you must
visit your PCP first, unless it’s an emergency. Your PCP will then
determine whether you need to see a specialist. HMO plans tend
to have much lower consumer costs than a PPO, they often have
no deductible and low co-payments. However, HMO plans limit
your care to in-network physicians.

WHAT'S A PPO?
A PPO plan generally offers a much broader network of doc-
tors, a PPO allows you to see almost any doctor of their choice,
as long as they are part of the network. Patients aren’t tied to
a single primary care physician and a referral is not required to
see a specialist. In-network care is encouraged through lower
co-pays and more comprehensive benefits, but out of network
care may still be partially covered. However, premiums for PPOs
are typically higher than HMOs, and deductibles typically range
from $500 up to $2000.

CHOOSING ONE
A PPO might be worth considering if you can afford higher
premiums, want the freedom to choose from a wide network,
or frequently visit specialists. HMO may be best if you don’t
mind being restricted to a limited number of doctors, need
to keep out-of-pocket costs at a minimum, or can’t afford a
high deductible.

25
OneMedical Membership
OneMedical is a group of doctors with offices throughout San
Francisco, where patients can easily make appointments and
access their doctors online or through an app. ReadMe covers
the $150 annual fee, so all you have to do is show up and
stay healthy!

26
Holidays
We observe the holidays listed below, as well as your birthday.
Don’t you dare come in on your birthday! If one of these holidays
falls on a Saturday, we will observe it the Friday before. If it falls
on a Sunday, we will observe it the Monday following.

New Year’s Day Veteran’s Day

Martin Luther King Day Thanksgiving Day

President’s Day Black Friday

Memorial Day Christmas Eve

Independence Day Christmas Day

Labor Day New Year’s Eve

Your Birthday

27
Vacation
ReadMe offers employees an unlimited paid vacation policy.
Since vacation is not limited, sick days are counted within this
vacation policy. We believe that spending time away from work
will help employees do better work, and thus encourage all
employees to take at least two weeks of vacation. Vacation days
are not formally recorded.

Employees should let their manager know as early as possible,

at a minimum one week in advance, of any vacation lasting more
than two days. Days out of the office should also be recorded in
the ReadMe shared calendar.

28
New parent leave
ReadMe offers 12 weeks of paid leave for all full time employees,
regardless of gender or sexual identity, after the birth or adop-
tion of a child. This time is for the new parent to welcome the
newborn or newly adopted child or children into their home and
family. The leave should be taken within a year after the birth or
adoption of the child.

Employees should give the rest of the team as much notice as

possible before they take new parent leave, though there is
no requirement for how far in advance notification needs to be
given. Parenthood can be unexpected and sensitive, but the
more that a team can anticipate the absence, the easier it will be
to handle.

29
Continuing education
We love learning! ReadMe believes that learning new things will
help our employees stay happy and excited about the job. While
we don’t yet have a formal continuing education plan, we con-
sider sponsoring or subsidizing continuing education programs
on a case-by-case basis.

If there’s something new you’re interested in learning, don’t hesi-

tate to talk to your manager about potential programs and how it
could help you grow in your role at ReadMe.

30
The 411 on your 401(k)
ReadMe offers a 401(K) retirement plan starting in Spring of 2016.
Employees are eligible to enroll in the plan once they are 21
years old and are scheduled to work at least 1,000 hours during
a plan year. Employees will receive a comprehensive onboarding
package, but here are the highlights:

ELECTIVE DEFERRAL
Differ up to 100% of compensation pre-tax, or make Roth contri-
butions post-tax up to the federal limit of $18,000/year.

MATCHING
ReadMe does not currently match contributions, but plans to
match as the company grows, and will let all employees know
when matching begins.

VESTING
Employees have a fully vested and nonforfeitable interest in
their Elective Deferral Account.

INVESTMENT
Employees direct the investment of the account into available
Investment Funds. We currently use the company Captain401 as
our plan administrator, which monitors investment restrictions
prescribed by the IRS.

DISTRIBUTIONS
Distributions are allowed if when (1) immediately after employ-
ment terminates (2) Normal retirement age (3) After age 59.5 (4)
From rollover contribution account at any time (5) Death.

31
Equal opportunity employment
ReadMe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The company sup-
ports diversity and inclusion in its core values and does not
discriminate against qualified employees or applicants because
of race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual preference,
sexual identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship,
age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical
condition, military status, religion, or any other characteristic
protected by federal or state law or local ordinance. When
necessary, the company will reasonably accommodate employ-
ees and applicants with disabilities if the person is otherwise
qualified to safely perform all of the essential functions of
the position.

32
At-will employment
Your employment with the ReadMe is at-will. This means that
you are free to terminate your employment at any time, with or
without cause and the company has a right to terminate your
employment at any time as well, with or without cause. No one
in the company other than the CEO has the authority to alter your
at-will status or to enter into any agreement for employment for
a specified period of time or to make any agreement contrary to
this policy. Only the CEO may do so, and only in a written agree-
ment signed by both the CEO and you.

33
Community code of conduct
This code of conduct applies to community members and
ReadMe team members in all ReadMe communities online (in-
cluding but not limited to IRC, support chat, the ReadMe Com-
munity Slack group, Twitter, and Facebook), in the ReadMe office,
and at all events hosted by ReadMe.

Our community is dedicated to creating an inclusive environ-

ment for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality,
religion, color, sex (with or without sexual conduct and including
pregnancy and sexual orientation involving transgender status/
gender identity, and sex-stereotyping), national origin, age, dis-
ability (physical or mental), genetic information, sexual orienta-
tion, gender identity, parental status, marital status, and political
affiliation as well as gender expression, mental illness, socioeco-
nomic status or background, neuro(a)typicality, physical appear-
ance, body size, computing experience, or clothing. Consider
that calling attention to differences can feel alienating.

We do not tolerate harassment of community members in any

form. Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related
to the protected classes above, sexual images in public spaces,
deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, photography or au-
dio/video recording against reasonable consent, sustained dis-
ruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact,
and unwelcome sexual attention. Harassment does not need to
be recognized as unwanted or unwelcome by anyone other than
the person being harassed.

Be careful in the words that you choose. Remember that sexist,

racist, and other exclusionary jokes can be offensive to those

34
around you. Offensive jokes are not appropriate and will not be
tolerated under any circumstance.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected

to comply immediately. Community members violating these
rules may be sanctioned or removed from community spaces.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being
harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact your man-
ager immediately.

Adapted from the Hack Code of Conduct.

35
Complaint policy
ReadMe is committed to creating a safe work environment
that is free of threats to the health, safety, and wellbeing of
the people who work here. That includes (but isn’t limited to)
harassment, discrimination, violation of health and safety rules,
and violence.

ReadMe has an open-door policy, so employees are encouraged

to report work-related concerns. If something about your job is
bothering you, or if you have a question, concern, idea, or prob-
lem related to your work, please discuss it with your manager or
the CEO. If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable discussing
it with them, you may contact ReadMe’s lawyer, Colin Chapman
(cchapman@gunder.com) of Gunderson Dettmer.

Any employee who witnesses or is subject to inappropriate con-

duct in the workplace can report it to the CEO. We encourage
employees to come forward with any workplace complaint, even
if it’s not about something that’s explicitly covered in our writ-
ten policies.

With the employee’s permission, we will conduct a complete

and impartial investigation, which may involve an outside
investigator in serious cases. All complaints will be handled as
confidentially as possible. When the investigation is complete,
the company will take corrective action if appropriate.

We will not engage in or allow retaliation against any employee

who makes a good faith complaint or participates in an investi-
gation. If you believe that you are being subjected to any kind

36
of negative treatment because you made or were questioned
about a complaint, report the conduct immediately to the CEO.

At this time, ReadMe is too small to have an internal group or

department that can independently respond to complaints.
Where appropriate, we will engage a third party to conduct
a thorough investigation and recommend corrective action,
where necessary.

37
Employee Privacy
WORKSPACE PRIVACY
It is ReadMe’s goal to monitor or track our employees in as few
ways as possible. We want ReadMe employees to feel a sense
of ownership towards their personal workspaces and be com-
fortable at the office. However, in order to ensure the safety and
wellbeing of ReadMe employees, company property (e.g. desks,
laptops, and other devices) is subject to search. For instance,
this might be used if management learns that an employee has
brought a gun to work or has stolen company property.

This means that while the company will always try to respect
employee privacy, employees do not have a right to privacy
in their workspaces in any property that belongs to ReadMe.
ReadMe reserves the right to search company property at any
time, without warning, to ensure compliance with our policies,
including those that cover employee safety, workplace violence,
harassment, theft, and possession of prohibited items.

EMAIL AND INTERNET PRIVACY

ReadMe email and Internet are not being actively monitored by
anyone, but because they are company resources that are man-
aged according to company policy, you should not expect pri-
vacy from either. The company has both the ability and the right
to look at employee usage for both in order to protect employee
safety and wellbeing, as well as company property and interests.

38
USE OF THE EMAIL SYSTEM FOR PERSONAL EMAIL
The email system is intended for official Company business.
If you send personal messages through the Company’s email
system, you should exercise discretion as to the type of mes-
sages you send.

ALL CONDUCT RULES APPLY TO EMAIL

All of our policies and rules of conduct apply to employee use of
the email system. This means, for example, that you may not use
the email system to send harassing or discriminatory messages;
to send threatening messages; or to reveal company trade
secrets.

PROFESSIONAL TONE AND CONTENT

When you send email using a ReadMe email address or ReadMe
social account, you are representing ReadMe. Make sure that
your messages are professional and appropriate, in tone and
content. Although email or social media may seem like a private
conversation, they can be printed, saved, and forwarded to un-
intended recipients. You should not send any email/message/
update/etc. that you wouldn’t want our team, your family, or our
competitors to read.

39
Drug and alcohol policy
Our priority at ReadMe is to create a safe, comfortable, and pro-
ductive environment for everyone we work with. We realize that
drugs and alcohol can contribute to a culture of harassment or
one that feels unsafe for some employees, even as it can foster
camaraderie and friendship among others. Above all other con-
siderations, our drug and alcohol policy is intended to preempt
and avoid harassment and make work at ReadMe feel safe.

It is the responsibility of every employee to ensure that their

individual consumption is not making anyone else feel uncom-
fortable or unsafe. Employees who violate this policy may face
disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Alcohol
may occasionally be brought into the office to celebrate an
accomplishment, birthday, or other milestone. Though events
at ReadMe will be presumed dry until otherwise discussed,
there may also be events in the office after work where alcohol
is available.

Illegal drugs should not be used, bought, sold, or distributed

while at work, either in the office or outside of the office while
representing ReadMe.

40
That’s all for now, folks!
Thanks for reading about ReadMe! If you have any questions just
give us a hoot. We can’t wait to start flying with you.
SUMMER 2016, V1.0