Surely, we are tired of hearing and reading the word pandemic, and few things born from the global wide epidemic contributed positively to our work-life balance. Work and home blurred together, time zone changes contributed to meetings scheduled outside work hours, and around-the-clock notifications buzzed in our ears as we tried to find ways to live in a new normal.
However, as work-life balance seemed nonexistent, many companies tried to find ways to provide much-needed time off for employees to separate their work and home lives. From that, the company-wide vacation was introduced. We planned the first Nitro Recharge Week in July 2021, and after its success have now introduced bi-annual Recharge Weeks in the first week of July and January.
Recharge Week is a time dedicated to logging off and unplugging together as a company. Without emails or meetings with colleagues, our employees can step away from their desks and go offline entirely. The value of this company-wide paid leave is the real time off they realize.
Logging off is essential for mental health and preventing burnout; however a recent Korn Ferry survey states 63% of professionals say they will be taking a shorter vacation this year, and 58% say being away from the office stresses them out more now than in the past. We wanted to find a solution to the stress associated with taking time away from work and provide our employees with multiple options to encourage time off from work. From our Flex Time Off policy to our 90-Day Away program, Recharge Weeks are an additional way for our company to signal how important we believe time away from work is and to encourage it across every department and role.
During the Winter Recharge Week (January 1-7), we will have a skeleton team online to address any urgent customer issues or inquiries. The rest of the company will be back on January 9th to get started on the exciting work to come in 2023.