We’ve Implemented “Half Day Fridays.” Here’s Why They Work.

As working Americans, it seems as though it’s been ingrained into our DNA to grind 40+ hours five days a week, every week. 

According to reports from the OECD, Americans work roughly 1,811 hours a year, which is more than Italy (1,694 hours), the U.K. (1,532 hours), Switzerland (1,529 hours), France (1,511 hours), Sweden (1,440 hours), and Germany (1,341 hours). So with long weeks and hours, what are we missing out on? Are we sacrificing family time? How does a healthy work-life balance fit in? These are all questions that we’ve pondered over, and as we’ve looked at improving the way we operate, one thing has continuously rung true —with everything, we choose to put the well-being of our team first, always.

In an intentional decision to prioritize family life and our team’s well-being, we made a big shift and implemented “Half Day Fridays” in June of 2023, and we can’t tell you what a difference they’ve made to our team! So, here’s a look at how they’re going and the different ways our crew is spending this sweet time. 

Why They Work

We say that we put our people first, and we do. As a company, we’re laser focused on sustainable operations and planning, taking care of our team members every step of the way. 

By being proactive and putting practices in place that support our team, we’re able to better plan and protect the preciousness of our Half day Fridays. Some of these practices are not having campaign launches on Fridays because of all the unforeseen technical troubleshooting that’s inevitably involved. Instead, we create timelines for deliverables to have deadlines for Thursday or Monday, so nothing can interrupt our team from logging off at noon on Friday.

We’re also constantly striving to find ways for improvement. Our ops team meets biweekly and monthly to analyze how things are going and look for ways we can continue to optimize our workflow so that everyone gets a beautiful, flexible work life. 

More Time with Family

From our kiddos to our pups and our loved ones, nothing beats time away from the screen and with the ones we love. The four extra hours on Friday afternoon has meant more time just being present. For Casey and Yumi who have little ones, this has been a huge benefit. 

Casey says, “For me, Friday afternoon is guilt-free family time. I don’t have full-time childcare for my two and four year old, so in the afternoons, I utilize a babysitter just to get work done while one naps and one needs a very active, engaged friend. The half day Friday practice has been a game changer for my family, as I know I can just close my laptop after lunch and put aside everything else until Monday.

I use this time to be fully present with my little ones, take them for ice cream, play with a dollhouse (without my phone), take them to the library or bookstore, or wherever they want to go, because I know I can be logged off with them.”

Yumi says, “I love half-day Fridays! I feel like they give me permission to enter into the weekend slowly with a hot cup of coffee. I even get a few hours before preschool pick-up to spend however I want, which as a working-mom, a few hours to myself is a huge blessing!”

An Opportunity to Focus on Hobbies & Volunteering

With juggling so many different commitments and responsibilities, it’s easy for the things that bring us joy to fall by the wayside. We often find ourselves saying “Well, I’ll get to that later”, but the thing is, do we ever? Half day Fridays have given our team an opportunity to carve out time for the passions and joys in life that often take a backseat when we get busy.

Kirsten says, “The newfound freedom of our half day Fridays has given me the opportunity to focus on passions outside of work, and to give back to my community in a meaningful way. Each Friday, I devote time as volunteer box turtle care taker with the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rehabilitating WNC wildlife. I help with food prep, soaking, feeding, and monitoring over 50 turtles a week! It has been such a rewarding experience witnessing these amazing little turtles fully recover and return back to their natural habitats.”

Check out our instagram to see more of these little cuties

For Ben, this added time means a chance to opt outside or to just sit back and relax. He says, “I love knowing that after I bust my butt during the week, that on Friday there is some breathing room built into the process, and I have a half day waiting for me. It’s wonderful having this time to garden, hit up Falls Lake with my dog, run errands that otherwise are annoying to run on the weekends, or start my weekend early, kick back, and relax!”

Karolina, our tennis champion, loves getting to spend a little more time on the court: “I personally have used this time for various things. I catch up with family and friends in Poland who are 6 hours ahead, which makes it harder for me to connect with them throughout the week. I take my dog for extra long walks, enjoy a midday yoga class or squeeze in some extra tennis practice.”

See Karolina double as director and tennis champion

A Chance to Celebrate Hard Work & Team Wins

As a small but mighty team, hard work and dedication are two things we pride ourselves on and celebrate. Half day Fridays have given us a chance to cheer on the wins we’ve made throughout the week, and they push our team to work harder, because we know we have a reward waiting for us on Friday. Here’s what our team has to say:

Karolina — “I feel these half Fridays are extra empowering and motivating for our team, because we are allowed flexibility that defines mature and trusting relationships, and it just feels so good to be a part of such a working environment. I know we all work hard the rest of the week to make it happen to be able to log off feeling everyone has been taken care of.”

Jenny — “We work really hard, and I love half day Fridays to just slow down and take a breath from the whirlwind of the week. Fridays have taken on newfound enjoyment and they’re something that I look forward to after grinding through the week - to have time in the afternoon to get outside, enjoy the day, get personal things done, or just take some time to myself.”

Yumi — “I think these half-day Fridays have also been so beneficial to our team’s productivity. We work hard Monday-Thursday to meet deadlines and hop on client calls, and then we have a day to relax and enjoy the slow casual working day.”

Casey — “Professionally, I really appreciate having Friday mornings to focus on complex client solutions. This gives me space to work through technical problems knowing I can rest my mind in the afternoon.  

I love leading this initiative, because I see the grace it gives our team to ease out of the week and into the weekend. This half day Friday practice has made us stronger and even more focused on the things that matter.”

Where We’re Going

Even though it was a little scary to implement something new to our company operations, we can’t believe the impact just a year of Half day Fridays has had on our team. We’re stronger, more empowered, more focused, and more at ease during the week. 

Half day Fridays have been exactly what we needed, and we’re not looking back.