Taking Wednesdays Off

Earlier this year, I started taking off one afternoon a week. Why? After 20 years of running this business, which typically means 10-hour-plus days, with little time to stop, I found my spirit, and energy, flagging by Thursday.  That didn’t just have an impact on me; since culture starts at the top, and ‘the boss makes the weather’ – it was apparent to me that sustainability meant finding a way to sustain myself, too.

At first, I felt like a shirker, leaving mid-day. Often, I called in, checked email, let people know they could definitely reach me. Often, I didn’t take the time, and felt perversely proud of it. When I did take it, I sometimes felt squeamish, like I wasn’t using it wisely enough. The Wednesday afternoons I managed to leave though, were all I’d hoped them to be; unstructured, empty, open. The following morning was almost consistently high-energy, and I contributed a buzz that certainly took up the slack for anyone waiting for the weekend.

In truth, I don’t manage to take it every week, and some days, I barely get out an hour early. The guilt persists, too, especially when I see everyone else working so hard.

 It’s not fair, I suppose, when the boss gets bennies that the staff can’t share, especially in a small company. What would happen if we let everyone take an afternoon off? Would clients object? Would the team be more productive? Less? Is it still valuable if you have to get the same amount of work done?

Could we make it elective?

Is anyone else doing this?

   - By Amy Bermar

 

Comments

[jessica]

I think they would appreciate it and continue to work harder just because your treating them so well.

Only way is to try and see