Sofokus – Lifesaver Vacation
Sofokus Lifesaver is a paid one-week vacation to boost the energy levels and work-life balance of our employees. The vacation is part of our Better Monday® concept and is still in its piloting stage, but great results can already be reported.
Purpose
The past year amidst Covid has taken its toll on each of us, and working solely from home might have shifted our work-life balance somewhat off track. To fight the pandemic fatigue and boost our energy levels, we at Sofokus decided to grant every employee an additional paid one-week vacation.
Results
The Sofokus Lifesaver vacation is still at its pilot stage, but great results can already be reported. Employees who have taken their Lifesaver vacation tell they have returned to work feeling a lot more energised and recharged. Even the awareness of having the opportunity to take a week long break if needed has reduced the feeling of stress and tiredness. These types of acts reduce significantly the risk of burnouts and sick leaves, enable our employees to enjoy what they do, and help them stay healthily in work-life for as long as they want.
Implementation
The Sofokus Lifesaver vacation can be spent whenever one feels like it. The only rule is that the week needs to be strictly used on fun and relaxation, not for renovating, studying, or anything stressful.
The Sofokus Lifesaver vacation is still at its pilot stage, but great results can already be reported. Employees who have taken their Lifesaver vacation tell they have returned to work feeling a lot more energised and recharged. Even the awareness of having the opportunity to take a week long break if needed has reduced the feeling of stress and tiredness. These types of acts reduce significantly the risk of burnouts and sick leaves, enable our employees to enjoy what they do, and help them stay healthily in work-life for as long as they want.
I believe this is a great support to the employees in these hard times due to the pandemics. It's mostly a goodwill gesture that shows that the company's management really cares about its employees.
The impact foreseen is great but I must consider replicability as a challenge especially for other companies who have not adopted procedures for the well-being of their employees, yet. Once they have it, it would be easier to replicate.
Offering an additional paid vacation week that is directed to increase employee well-being and relaxation is an easy and fast way to support employee work-life balance. This planet act is highly scalable to all types of organizations but requires top leadership support and human resources expertise.
This is a great gesture during the stressful times of Covid