June 21, 2022
During the week of July 4th – 8th, we will be piloting a new concept called a “Rest Week”. The idea is that our entire staff will be off, giving us all a chance to recharge at the same time. Our ultimate goal will be to do this two to four times per year, and this first Rest Week is a step in that direction.
The Rest Week fills the gap in a couple problems with company PTO. We’ve always tried to be as flexible as possible with time off, typically giving 4 weeks in addition to holidays and sick time. However, problems arise when that time is either not taken, or is not able to scheduled in advance in a way that aligns with workloads, company projects or deadlines.
For instance, you schedule a trip for May 30th – June 3rd six months in advance, but have no idea what kind of projects or deadlines you might face that week. You spend the week or two in advance preparing to be gone, and the week after playing catch up. Your team members have to fill in and do extra work, and you might even have to take an email or call (or actually work) during the trip because projects are still progressing in your absence.
The Rest Week allows us all to sync our schedules and our projects to align with our time off. It allows us all to run at the same pace throughout the year.
Our goal as a company has always been to keep work and rest in proper balance. We believe that it’s vital to have time to refresh, think about goals, and think about what we are thankful for. To be able to do that at the same time allows us all to come back ready to charge into our projects together.
We feel this is a positive step towards stewarding the flexibility we’ve been given as a company. We will do our best to schedule around it, but of course there may be an urgent need during that week. We will have coverage just in case there is an emergency, and will take what we learn from this experience and apply it to the next one.
Thanks for partnering with us in work (and rest).
-The team at Bistro