On Friday’s we switch off…
As more and more businesses shift towards remote and flexible work, the traditional 9-5 work week is becoming questioned. And in case you haven’t already realised, we’ve ditched it here at Double Tap!
I began my career in the corporate environment where the days were long, the workload endless, the deadlines firm, the revenue targets huge and the expectations to always deliver bigger again. And to be honest, if it wasn't for the incredible people I worked alongside, I wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did in the corporate world. Eventually that job wore me down.
I made the shift to another role in marketing run by one of the most creative, multitasking, vibrant, driven minds I have ever worked with, she is the reason I had the courage to start Double Tap. From the day Double Tap was born, I had the vision to create an agency that was not only a one-stop-shop for all things digital marketing, but one that allowed for myself (and eventually my staff) to have the work-life balance I craved. Initially it was rough, I worked long into the night only to be up early back at my desk, I wore all the hats, I managed all the channels, my personal life suffered. I was a slave to my business, yes I had some wins & there were many good times, but I lost sight of what my number one goal was and that was to create a lifestyle & business I was proud of.
I knew this wasn’t sustainable and slowly began outsourcing, employing and handing over parts of the business that weren’t my strong suits. Fast forward to now, heading into the 6th year of DTA, I am so proud of what we are about & the lifestyle I have created for not only myself, but for my team. As a conscious agency we believe in people first. A part of that is putting the needs of my team first. There are numerous benefits to implementing a 4 day work week, such as improved work-life balance, increased productivity, and reduced stress. With an extra day off each week, our gang can have more time to pursue hobbies and personal interests, which we’ve found leads to increased productivity, satisfaction and motivation.
Over the years of working for myself, I’ve been lucky enough to understand how and when I work best. I’ve learnt that what works for me isn’t the typical 9-5, and this allowed me to realise that there are probably many other people like me - my employees included. I wanted to incorporate a holistic approach to work ethic, create a positive and supportive work culture that benefits both the employees and Double Tap as a whole. This includes things like offering flexible work arrangements, promoting work-life balance, and supporting employee well-being.
This drove me to implement the flexible 4 day work week for the Double Tap team. The idea behind the 4 day work week is simple: instead of working 5 days a week, our team works 4 days but still receives the same pay. The team is allocated hours a week that they are required to fulfill, how they execute that time is up to them as long as the hours and workload are met.
On Fridays (preferred, but always flexible) we switch off, we take the day to do the things that light us up. Since implementing our way of working my business has thrived, my team are happy, productive, motivated, inspired and creative, our clients respect & encourage our philosophy, and most of all I love my job more now than I ever have before. It took me a minute to get to this place, and now that I’m here I want to harness that work-life balance we all deserve.