At Focus BC and Mapify we don’t work Friday afternoons

For us Focus BC and Mapify, TGIF arrives a little earlier than usual. Every Focus BC employee has Friday afternoons for themselves, kickstarting their weekend during lunchtime.

It all started way before the pandemic. We took the initiative to reduce working hours to 7 hours a day. Contrary to what one might think, this change brought more productivity to the team as time began to be better managed by everyone.

When COVID-19 hit, we started to notice the fatigue of employees due to the fact that we were all in a remote environment and adapting to back-to-back meetings. That was when we decided to offer Friday afternoons off so people would have a bigger weekend, thus making it easier to disconnect.

The impact of this policy is enormous and no other corporate benefits can replace it. I dare to say that the best we can offer someone who works in an area like ours and is devoted to the company, is quality time to be disconnected.

When I spoke to the team, they told me they spend this time with their family, working out, developing hobbies, or taking care of personal errands. Perhaps some of them are building the next big startup and just haven’t told me!

These afternoons are also remarkable for me since I have time to prepare for the following week, pick up my kids earlier, or ride my Vespa in the mystic Sintra, Portugal.

A 4 and a half day workweek is major for the people working at Focus BC and that makes it important for me.