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This Firm Lets Staff Have Every Second Friday Off Work

This Firm Lets Staff Have Every Second Friday Off Work

Bristol consultancy Edo have brought in a 9-day fortnight, which they say increases productivity and makes workers happier

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

Fridays are rubbish. You might think they're good because they are the closest day to the weekend, but if they weren't there, then it'd already be the weekend.

On Fridays like this one today, when the sun is cracking the flags outside, we could definitely do with a day off rather than another eight hours of drudgery before the weekend gets going.

If you worked for Bristol-based tech consultancy film Edo, you'd already be enjoying your weekend. They've instigated a rule wherein every employee gets every second Friday off, so that they can do...well, whatever they like.

"Time off contributes to a more engaged and productive team," said Claire Moyne, the company's head of people told the Metro.

"We're thrilled to be able to encourage the Edo team to have a better work-life balance with the introduction of a nine-day fortnight."

The move is not a scheme to make workers work harder on the days that they are there, rather a way of allowing employees to relax and therefore become more productive, not to mention happier.

There is a buddy system in effect, which means that workers are paired with each other, so when one is in on a Friday, the other is off, allowing the office to function as normal.

"This made sure I was rested and raring to go on Monday," Ady Harold, Head of Support and Quality Assurance at Edo, told the Metro.

"You know that feeling of joy when a bank holiday rolls around? I totally felt that last week knowing I had Friday off, and I'm looking forward to it again next week."

The nine-day fortnight is an idea that has been spreading through many businesses, with well-known names such as clothing brand Patagonia and publisher Conde Nast - home to titles such as The New Yorker, GQ, Vogue and Glamour - also enacting similar schemes.

It has become quite common in Australia, where firms offered it initially in response to the financial crisis, with workers taking 10 percent pay cuts in return for an extra day at the beach, which has been retained as the economy improved due to a widespread enthusiasm for the scheme among the workforce.

Featured Image Credit: Edo

Topics: Work, Community, UK