At 21, Ricardo Semler became boss of his father’s business in Brazil, Semco, which sold parts for ships. Semler Junior worked like a madman, from 7:30 a. m., until midnight every day. One afternoon, while touring a factory in New York, he collapsed. The doctor who treated him said, “There’s nothing wrong with you. But if you continue like this, you’ll find a new home in our hospital." Semler got the message. He changed the way he worked. In fact, he changed the ways his employees worked too. He let his workers take more responsibility so that they would be the ones worrying when things went wrong. He allowed them to set their own salaries, and he cut all the jobs he thought were unnecessary, like receptionists and secretaries. _____41_____ “Everyone at Semco, even top managers, meets guests in reception, does the photocopying, sends faxes, types letters and dials the phone.” He completely reorganized the office:instead of walls, they have plants at Semco, so bosses can’t shut themselves away from everyone else. _____42_____ As for uniforms, some people wear suits and others wear T-shirts. Semler says, “We have a sales manager named Rubin Agater who sits there reading the newspaper hour after hour. He doesn’t even pretend to be busy. But when a Semco pump on the other side of the world fails millions of gallons of oil are about to spill into the sea. Rubin springs into action _____43_____ That’s when he earns his salary. No one cares if he doesn’t look busy the rest of the time.” Semco has flexible working hours: the employees decide when they need to arrive at work. _____44_____ It sounds perfect, but does it work? The answer is in the numbers: in the last six years, Semco's revenues have gone from $35 million to $212 million. The company has grown from eight hundred employees to 3,000. Why? Semler says it’s because of “peer pressure”. Peer pressure makes employees work hard for everyone else. _____45_____ In other words, Ricardo Semler treats his workers like adults and expects them to act like adults. And they do.