By Emily Lowe, Communication Consultant
Weekends can fly by in the blink of an eye.
Long weekends are a blessing every now and then, providing some time and space to actually take a break.
Finding life balance should not be difficult, and for our team, it’s not.
With a four-day work week we can enjoy long weekends every week and contribute to our interests outside of work.
At Urbaine, the true meaning of life balance is about more than flexible working. It’s about complementing career and life for mutually beneficial outcomes.
In 2023, a Senate Committee on Work and Care recommended Australia try a four-day work week. And according to 4 Day Week Global, a not-for-profit putting the reduced hours and same pay theory into practice, 65 per cent of employees participating in an Australian trial were more satisfied with their time while on a four-day work week and 54 per cent reported an increase in work ability.
“At Urbaine, we do agency differently. We set up the week to deliver our work over four days instead of five, giving our team the option to work an extra day if client deliverables call on it, if we are on deadline, or assisting a client with an issue,” said Urbaine Managing Partner, Anita Kharbanda.
“We find that productivity and creativity soar when the team is empowered to manage their week this way, and giving everyone time to thrive in their lives outside work is so important to us.”
Some of our team are parents with young children, some volunteer and others are studying – we all have huge contributions to make to our families, communities and industry, and need to keep connected outside work.
“Culture is everything to us. We’re incredibly proud of the structure we have created at Urbaine that nurtures this approach,” Anita said.
“Our employee reward program also includes five weeks annual leave instead of four, a 7-hour workday, regular strategy sessions and team bonding, and incentives that reward performance and culture.”
It is possible to commit to our clients and our lives outside of work, which is something Urbaine has worked hard to achieve.
The wellbeing of staff is of the upmost importance, and having flexibility makes a difference to their overall happiness and wellbeing.