How recharging makes employees happier, healthier and more productive

Trying out a new, delicious recipe. Snacking on Purdy’s chocolate hedgehogs while getting lost in an audio book. Applying henna and allowing your hands to be free to absorb the natural dye. Tackling an outdoor DIY project. Participating in an all-day gaming marathon. Working out and indulging in an at-home manicure. Exploring the hidden gems in your city. Spending quality time with loved ones. Snuggling your partner, your kids, your dog.  

For most of us, a Friday morning looks nothing like this. But for the team at Rock & Bloom, where every second Friday is Recharge Day, this is our reality.  

Recharge Day, you ask? Never heard of it. Neither had I until our dynamite duo (aka the people who run the biz) introduced it as part of our company’s core values. It goes something like this… 

Every second Friday our office is closed so that our team can rest, relax, and recharge. It’s an extra day a month to say sayonara to responsibility, and do something soul-filling that’s good for our mental health.  

The purpose of implementing Recharge Days is to promote work-life balance and put our company values into practice. We know that we do better work when we are refueled & recharged. 

With burnout rates at an all-time high, the concept of a recharge day feels refreshing and proactive. COVID-19 has changed the landscape in which businesses operate and it’s clear that employee well-being is becoming top priority for many organizations.  

While support for recharge days, mental health time, or the four-day work week gains momentum, there is still opposition to overcome. Some believe that working less hours equals getting less work done and, in turn, bringing in less profit. However, the evidence says otherwise. 

A Microsoft subsidiary in Japan trialed a 4-day workweek in 2019 and reported that productivity increased by nearly 40 per cent compared to the year prior. A New Zealand firm, Perpetual Guardian, found that employees’ time spent on non-work websites decreased by 35 per cent when working hours were cut by 20 per cent. 

That’s not all. According to Forbes, from a financial perspective, research indicates that moving to a four-day workweek can reduce overhead and other costs to businesses. Employees not only take fewer sick days but are generally more productive. 

Recharge Days offer our team time to spend alone, run errands, get caught up on housework, rest, have fun, or do something that sparks creativity. Our team has been loving the extra days off and making the most of it. Take a look at some of our Recharge Day highlights!

“Recharge Day means an actual commitment to mental health. It feels so good to not only have your employer believe in you as an employee, but fully care about your well-being. It’s a freeing and empowering feeling.” – Matt Horning, UX Strategist & Developer 

“I often find that I make everyone else’s care, except my own, a priority. Recharge day is a day just for me. It’s a day where I can reflect on myself and my needs. By taking care of myself I know I’ll be a better co-worker, friend, and mom. Recharge day helps keep me accountable to refilling my tank. It’s magical. – Valerie Baier, Senior Designer 

“Recharge Day for me is a bonus day where I get to decide what I want to do. Oftentimes, as a parent, my weekends are filled with kid and family things and I often don’t get to recharge myself. It’s nice to save up my appointments for that day so I’m not stressed having to fit them in during the week/weekends or if I’m really burnt out it’s a time for me to do absolutely nothing without feeling like I should be doing something.” – Molly Lux, Account Manager 

“It speaks to the culture and values that permeate throughout everything that is Rock & Bloom. It’s a day to recharge, spend outdoors, with family or friends, accomplishing day–to-day tasks, appointments, etc. It means being more efficient with time and feeling like you are not counting seconds or minutes in the work day.” – Larissa Katsiris, Sales & Marketing Strategist 

“Recharge Day for me has been a day of slow reflection and a day of gratitude. When it was announced in our monthly share session it made me feel seen and heard. I felt like I worked for a company where it wasn’t just the bottom line that mattered. I, we, as employees, mattered. Our mental, physical and emotional health mattered.” – Mona, Project Coordinator 

Interested in implementing your own Recharge Day? Here are a couple of things to consider. 

With your team, your clients, your customers, your followers and fans. Get the word out loud and clear about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Transparency is key to making a big change and will help to ensure the transition is successful. 

Connect and check in with your team to get feedback about what’s working and what’s not. The goal is for employees to feel less stressed, so if there is friction it should be identified and addressed right away. Be prepared to shift and pivot as needed to create what works for your team. 

This is an opportunity to work together as a team to be as efficient as possible. Remember that you’re not alone. Lean on your team mates, ask for what you need, communicate your concerns, and most importantly, share in each other’s joy as you work to become stronger and more collaborative. 

It is said that the greatest asset of any company is its people. So take care of your people, let them recharge, and watch what happens when that goodness trickles back into the work that they do.