210 Zappos Workers Leave Over No-Boss System

Workers may gripe about bosses, but apparently they like having them. More than 200 employees at online retailer Zappos accepted a buyout plan rather than take part in the company's radical dismantling of the traditional management system, reports the Las Vegas Sun. That accounts for about 14% of the company's workforce. CEO Tony Hsieh gave employees an option of leaving with three months' severance if they didn't like the manager-free "Holacracy" system being adopted by the company.

"Some Zapponians took it because they are not in line with the vision of the company, others took it to pursue other passions including starting businesses," says a company exec helping lead the transition. The Washington Post floats a simpler theory: "The high number of departures perhaps shows how hard it is for employees to pass up the chance to receive three months' pay for no work, whether they like the new management system or not." (For those dealing with bad bosses, a study suggests that being passive-aggressive helps.)