Part 5: Day-to-Day Stuff

The practical bits. How expenses work, how to take time off, what happens with equipment.

Expenses

The Principle

Use good judgment. Spend money like it's your own, but don't be stingy when spending helps you do better work.

A note on frugality: As a startup, our philosophy is to be careful with money. Cash is king in the early years. We won't cut corners on things that matter—your equipment, your learning, the tools you need to do great work. But we expect everyone to be responsible stewards of company resources. Every pound we spend wisely is a pound we can invest in building something that lasts.

What's Covered

Always fine (no approval needed):

Books related to your work
Software subscriptions under £20/month that help you work
Coffee or lunch when meeting a customer or colleague in person
Reasonable travel costs for work (standard class, not first)

Ask first:

Conference tickets
Courses or training over £200
Equipment beyond standard setup
Anything over £200

We'll cover:

Travel and accommodation for company gatherings
Home office basics (desk, chair, monitor)
Anything you need to do your job well

We won't cover:

Your home internet or phone (unless there's a specific work need)
Co-working space memberships (unless agreed in advance)
Commuting costs (there's no office to commute to)

Spending Thresholds

Amount	What to do
Under £200	Just buy it. Submit the expense.
£200 - £1,000	Ask the founder first. Usually a quick Slack message.
Over £1,000	Discuss properly before spending.

How to Submit Expenses

Pay for it yourself (company card for larger regular expenses if needed)
Submit through Deel with receipt
Get reimbursed in the next payroll run

Keep receipts. Take photos of paper receipts immediately. Lost receipt = headache for everyone.

Travel

When travelling for work:

Trains: Standard class. Book in advance when possible.
Flights: Economy. Book reasonable times, not the 5am flight to save £30.
Hotels: Mid-range. Clean, comfortable, convenient location. Not luxury, not the cheapest option on the page.
Meals: Reasonable. You don't need to eat at the hotel restaurant, but you also don't need to survive on meal deals.
Taxis/Ubers: When it makes sense (late night, heavy luggage, tight timing). Not for every journey.

Use judgment. If you'd feel uncomfortable explaining an expense, it's probably too much.

Time Off

How to Book Time Off

Check the calendar. Make sure you're not leaving a critical gap.
Tell your team in Slack. Give reasonable notice (two weeks for a week off, more for longer).
Submit in Deel. This is the official record.
Block your calendar. So no one books meetings with you.
Update Linear. Make sure your work is covered or paused.

Notice Periods

Time off	Notice
1-2 days	A few days is fine
1 week	2 weeks notice
2+ weeks	4+ weeks notice
Extended leave	As much notice as possible

These aren't hard rules. Life happens. But more notice = easier for everyone.

While You're Away

Set up an out-of-office reply
Make sure someone knows about anything urgent
Actually disconnect. Don't check Slack "just in case."

Sick Days

If you wake up ill:

Message the team in Slack (a simple "I'm unwell, taking today off" is fine)
Log it in Deel when you're feeling better
Rest and recover

You don't need to prove you're sick. You don't need a doctor's note for a few days off. We trust you.

If you're going to be out for more than a few days, keep us updated so we can plan around it.

Appointments

Doctor, dentist, therapist, whatever. You don't need to take a full day off for a two-hour appointment. Just block your calendar and let people know you'll be unavailable.

Public Holidays

You get the public holidays for your country. If you want to swap one for a day that matters more to you, just let us know.

Public holidays don't count against your time off allowance.

Equipment

What We Provide

Standard setup:

Laptop (MacBook Pro or equivalent, your preference)
External monitor (27" or similar)
Keyboard and mouse/trackpad
Webcam and headset for calls

Home office support:

Desk (if you need one)
Chair (a proper one, not a dining chair)
Any reasonable ergonomic accessories

How to Get Equipment

When you join: We'll ask your preferences and order everything before your start date.

After you've started: If you need something, ask. Most requests are straightforward. For anything unusual or expensive, we'll discuss it first.

Repairs and Replacements

If something breaks:

Tell us
We'll fix or replace it
Don't suffer with a broken keyboard for three weeks

If something's wearing out or not working well enough, same thing. We'd rather replace your monitor than have you squinting at a dying screen.

Personal Use

Your work laptop is for work. Some personal use is fine (checking personal email, occasional browsing), but don't install software we wouldn't want on company equipment, and don't use it as your primary personal machine.

When You Leave

Company equipment comes back to us. We'll arrange collection or provide a prepaid shipping label. Make sure you've transferred any personal files before your last day.

Working From Somewhere Else

Working From Home

This is the default. No explanation needed.

Working From a Coffee Shop / Library / Wherever

Fine. Just make sure you can take calls without background noise and handle anything confidential appropriately (no sensitive data on public wifi without VPN, no visible screens with customer information).

Working From Another Location Temporarily

Visiting family? Taking a workcation? Working from another city for a few weeks?

Fine, as long as:

You can still do your job effectively
Time zone differences don't make collaboration impossible
You let the team know where you are

Working From Another Country Long-Term

This is more complicated (tax, employment law, right to work). If you want to relocate permanently or work from another country for an extended period, let's talk about it first.

Security Basics

Passwords

Use 1Password (our company password manager)
Unique password for every service
Never share passwords, not even with colleagues

Two-Factor Authentication

Enable 2FA on everything that supports it. Especially:

Email
Slack
GitHub
Any service with customer data

Devices

Lock your screen when you step away
Enable full-disk encryption
Keep software updated
Don't leave devices unattended in public places

If Something Goes Wrong

Lost a device? Clicked a suspicious link? Think you might have been compromised?

Tell us immediately. No judgment. The faster we know, the faster we can respond. Hiding a potential security issue is far worse than reporting one.

We handle customer data. That's a privilege and a responsibility. Here's what you need to know.

What Data You Can Access

You'll have access to customer data necessary to do your job. This includes:

Customer account information
Usage data and analytics
Support conversations and feedback
Any data visible in the product

You won't have access to everything. Access is granted based on role and need. If you need access to something you can't see, ask.

Handling Customer Data Responsibly

Do:

Access customer data only when you have a legitimate work reason
Use the minimum data necessary to complete your task
Keep customer data within approved company systems
Delete or anonymise data when it's no longer needed
Ask if you're unsure whether something is appropriate

Don't:

Export customer data to personal devices or accounts
Share customer data externally (including with other customers)
Access customer accounts out of curiosity
Take screenshots of customer data unless necessary
Use real customer data for testing when anonymised data would work

Customer Data Requests

Customers have rights under GDPR: access, correction, deletion, portability. If a customer asks about their data:

Don't promise anything specific
Direct them to support or the founder
We'll handle it properly and within legal timeframes

Data Questions

Not sure if something's okay? Ask the founder. There are no stupid questions when it comes to data protection. It's better to check than to guess wrong.

Reporting a Data Breach

A breach is any unauthorised access to, or loss of, personal data. This includes:

Sending data to the wrong person
Losing a device with customer data
Discovering unauthorised access
Accidental deletion of data

If you think there's been a breach:

Tell the founder immediately — within hours, not days
Don't try to fix it yourself or cover it up
Document what happened and when
We may need to report to the ICO within 72 hours

Speed matters. A delayed report can turn a minor incident into a major problem.

We encourage you to share that you work at thredspan. Update your LinkedIn, mention us on Twitter, talk about what you're building. We're proud of what we're creating and want people to know about it.

What's Fine

Saying you work at thredspan
Sharing your job title and general role
Talking about remote work, the 4-day week, our culture
Celebrating launches or milestones we've announced publicly

What's Off Limits

Customer names, logos, or details (unless they've publicly agreed)
Unreleased features or product plans
Internal discussions, decisions, or disagreements
Financial information
Anything from the Company shared drive marked confidential

Opinions and Industry Topics

You're free to have opinions on professional topics—consultancy challenges, product management, industry trends. But think before posting. Once it's public, it's public.

Consider: would this reflect poorly on thredspan if it went viral? Could it upset a customer or partner? If you're unsure, that uncertainty is a signal to pause.

You don't need to add "views are my own" disclaimers, but remember that people will associate what you say with where you work.

Use Your Judgment

We're not going to pre-approve your tweets. You're an adult. If something feels risky or you're genuinely unsure, ask a colleague or the founder. But most of the time, common sense is enough.

Admin Stuff

Payroll

Paid monthly, on the last working day of the month
Salary goes directly to your bank account
Payslips available in Deel

Changing Your Details

Bank account, address, emergency contact, whatever. Update it in Deel and let us know if anything affects payroll or tax.

References

If you need a reference (for a mortgage, rental, whatever), ask us. We're happy to confirm employment.

This is Part 5 of the thredspan handbook. Next: Part 6: Being Part of the Team