Happy Thursday! Before working at DDA as an advertising Copywriter, I never thought I’d be saying those words. Our 8-6, Monday-Thursday work schedule is something that I’ve come to appreciate more than I ever thought I would. During our work days, all the members of our staff (including programmers, web developers, search engine optimization specialists, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, and more) put in a hard day’s work from addressing client needs as they come up to being exceptionally creative on the spot in the projects with which they are involved.
With this schedule, dinner may not get on the table as early as one’s hunger may like and there are some Pennsylvania winter days that the only sunlight you see is on your lunch break, but having three days to recoup and refocus is a lifestyle that I wouldn’t want to trade. For me, it’s the perfect balance of work and play. Furthermore, in order to generate creative copywriting on a daily basis, one needs to stay fresh and ready to write about any topic at the drop of a hat. I truely feel that I am able to write better as a result of this balance in my life.
When clients first contact us and we explain our schedule, some express their concern (which we are often able to alieviate as we are on call as needed on Fridays and even the weekend in extreme situations), but most say that they wish their employer would implement a similar schedule in their organization. In Europe, this type of schedule is far more common than in the U.S. Try to shop in parts of France during lunch and you may find closed doors, or attempt to do business with a Swedish company in the month of July and you may have trouble getting your objectives accomplished. Why? Because other countries realize that the right balance between work and play is key to sucessful organizations.
Perhaps more businesses in the U.S. should adjust their way of thinking with regards to the work week. They may find, as we have, more productive employees and better quality work.