A Welsh production company that often requires its employees to work long hours to meet tight deadlines has decided to reward their dedication by giving them unlimited yearly leave and “treat them like grownups.”
EatSleep Media, located in Cardiff, is following the lead of internet behemoths LinkedIn, Netflix, and Dropbox, all of which provide employees with “unlimited vacation.”
The idea permits workers to take as much or as little vacation time as they choose and is considered radical in the US, where holiday entitlement is normally less generous than in the UK.
One of the first companies to give unlimited vacation to employees as a new policy in 2005 was Netflix, which Forbes lists as one of the greatest employers in the world. Employees are equally expected to provide outcomes or risk being let go.
According to Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, “If your staff choose to misuse the freedom you provide them, you need to fire them and fire them publicly.”
The 13-person team of EatSleep Media works frequently unsociable hours in the evenings, on weekends, and overseas.
Alex Feeney, co-founder and head of operations, acknowledged that keeping track of yearly leave “may be complex” and that “really having people take time off” may be challenging.
The idea of a limitless vacation has been around for a long, so trying it is nothing new, he added. There have been many before us. Others have concluded it’s not for them, while others are content with it. The need for simplicity led us to decide to have a look at it.
“No one needs to worry about how many days they have left or if they need to save a few extra for emergencies anymore,” said the author.
Nobody should be concerned about scheduling a doctor’s or dentist’s appointment.
The company’s website has a bubble-blowing photo of Mr. Feeney and his own biography, which reads: “He pores over every detail, every shot change, every spelling, and every sound mix to ensure your work is of the best quality before it leaves us.”
“Alex is very finicky and would be utterly despised at ESM if he didn’t make such a great coffee!”
Keeping track of who worked when and what we owe them in terms of time off in lieu may be challenging, Mr. Feeney said. Additionally, there are a tonne of additional factors that might mislead us.
This becomes everything irrelevant. When necessary, our staff members take the time they need. We have a solid crew. They’re really gifted, very interested in what we do, and we like to believe they appreciate being here.
We thus have faith in them to make wise choices. Making them take time off might sometimes be more challenging.
However, the major focus here is upholding our beliefs. We want to provide our employees the tools they need to manage their time with us and plan their vacations around the needs of the business.
After a job is over, they may sometimes simply need to take a day or two to unwind. Only just. Midway through the project, they may also need to take a day off to relax. And that’s all right too.
The new unrestricted yearly leave policy includes a minimum amount of vacation days.
Over the next 12 months, the business said it will assess yearly leave and how the policy is doing and make improvements as necessary.