#workfromhomefridays

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About a year ago, we decided to let everyone at Bovitz work from home on Fridays if they wanted to. It was a decision that had our employees’ whole selves in mind—both the professional and personal sides. Professionally, it gives everyone a dedicated day to focus on the more intense, attention-consuming parts of our work, while also changing up their environment to spur new creative thinking. Personally, it simply gives everyone time back in their day that they can spend however they want— creating new experiences, connecting with others, getting stuff done, or even the classic: sleeping.

 It’s a day in the week unlike any other. It’s a day to be thankful for.

We all spend our work-from-home Fridays differently from each other, in ways that fit our own unique needs. But we have to work together to truly make it a successful experience. Through trust, communication, and dedication, we’ve turned this benefit from just an idea into a living, breathing testimonial to how we continuously strive to put people first.

So, this year, we’re giving our collective thanks to our company benefit of getting to work from home on Fridays. Here’s what it means to each of us:

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Why are you thankful for work-from-home Fridays?

 “There are the practical reasons—not having to commute and easy scheduling of home repairs/deliveries. There are the productivity-related reasons—a day to put my head down and catch up on things. But most importantly for me are the personal reasons—going to lunch with my husband and working next to my kitty. And let’s not forget seeing friends raise their eyebrows in surprise and jealousy when I tell them we can work from home on Fridays!”

 “For me, work-from-home Fridays symbolize how much the company cares for and respects its people. I’m thankful that I get to work for a company that values its employees and backs up its words (i.e., People First). This not only empowers employees but also emboldens them to reciprocate that care and value toward the company and others. And it’s pretty cool to be able to see my kids at 3pm after school, compared to 6, 7, 8pm on a Friday night!

 “I can spend more time with my daughter. Commuting is a terrible waste of time and eliminating it from my day allows more time both for work and for family.”

 “It’s one less day I need to put real pants on.”

 “Working from home makes me more productive for the types of work where I need to really concentrate: proposal writing and editing reports.  And, it makes me feel I am using my normal downtime more effectively.  For instance, instead of staring out the window in the office, I can get up, wash the dishes, and feel I accomplished something—and then get back to work!”

  “Many reasons: I replace the usual morning commute with an exercise walk with my wife; it’s a highlight of our week and a great break from the normal workday routine.  It’s also pretty great to experience seeing the kids come home from school at the end of the day.  I hadn’t realized before that this was something I was completely missing out on.  Then, getting to take conference calls in shorts and a t-shirt is a game changer. And 52 days per year of convenient lunch at home adds up to a big, big savings over the usual to-go options by the office.  Finally, creating some dedicated space during the week for more focused ‘deep work’ is great for me—and for our whole company.”

 “My new Friday rituals: Nutella lattes from my neighborhood coffeeshop and extra snuggles with my dog.  Oh, and most of all, I’m thankful for no commutes and an extra 30 minutes of snoozing in the morning!”

 “I love that I have the flexibility to run errands, clean the house, or catch up with old friends on my lunch hour. I have also really enjoyed improving how our team communicates while apart since I think those skills can be valuable when talking to clients.”

 “It gives me a chance to have the ‘me’ time that I otherwise struggle to establish at any other point of the week. I’m a social butterfly, both with my significant other and my friends, but that can often result in long stretches of time where I don’t have any significant amount of time to myself to mentally regroup and recharge. It’s so important to take time to yourself, but I can struggle with feeling guilty over it. WFH Fridays is a time that I can be OK with not socializing; it’s acceptable to sit in silence and just work. It’s refreshing. Especially since I can do it in my pajamas.”

 “WFH Fridays give me a break from the standard workday after a long week. It’s an opportunity to hang out in comfortable clothes and maybe do some laundry while you work, sure, but importantly helps me feel like I have a bit more control over my schedule and, therefore, my life. Sometimes, going into an office at the same time for five days straight is a bit grueling, so having a day a week that switches it up is really refreshing and keeps me motivated!”

 “Spending more time at home allows me to connect more closely with my local community. Being new to my community, I am eager to get to spend more time getting to know the area that I now call home.”

 “It gives me back time (which I feel like I’m always short on): 1 hour for getting ready for work, 2 hours for commuting, and another hour at lunch time. That’s 4 hours that I can use to go to doctor’s appointments, do laundry, clean, spend time with my family/friends, or even just sleep. Not to mention, working in sweats is much more comfortable than ’work’ clothes!”

 “I can get an early start on the projects and work straight through without having to ‘wrap things up’ and make the journey in, or have to fight traffic on the way home. So, I can generally get in an additional couple hours of work on Fridays. It also gives the advantage of having a couple of work environments—changing up the scenery so it’s not always the same thing.”

 “I enjoy working in my kitchen and cooking new complex recipes, but it’s hard to fit a gourmet meal into the day when you’re rushing to get out the door in the morning and exhausted at night. WFH Fridays have allowed me to become a better cook.”

 “Eliminating 3 hours in the car!  Not to mention the extra time to sleep in, work out a little longer in the morning, catch up on housework, run quick errands, hang out with my cats, and all-around luxuriate in being home for more than a few waking hours on a weekday.  The long, quiet, uninterrupted stretches of time are awesome for focusing and getting work done, too.”

 “Work-from-home Fridays are my time to breathe after 4 days of hard work. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have more control and flexibility in my schedule (and spend some extra hours in my PJs). It’s definitely made me happier in the long run, and has made me value the times that my coworkers and I do spend together that much more.”

  “First, it lets me spend some time with my kids as I get them ready and then take them to school (something I normally do not have time for). Second, there is nothing better than zero commute!!!”

 “Sometimes you just need a block of hours without distraction.  That can be hard in a stimulating, collaborative environment like our office. Work-from-home Fridays ensures that I'll have at least one day per week that I know I can do have a big block of time if I need it.  I'm most thankful for this. On a more personal level, being a newish homeowner, I'm frequently having people come by the house to do estimates, work, etc. Friday has become a perfect day to get these little things done that I can't do on the weekend, but avoids me having to leave the office.  It's just super convenient!”

 “I’m very thankful to have one day where I don’t commute!  I can get more work done when I’m not spending 1.5–2 hours in the car!”

 “Many reasons: one less day of sitting in traffic, an extra two hours to get work done in busier times, longer and more focused early morning workouts, Larchmont Village Wine and Cheese Sandwiches for lunch, and probably most importantly, the extra day to hang out with my best friend: my dog.”

 “I’m one of the few people that doesn’t take advantage of the policy.  My commute isn’t so bad, so it’s just as easy to take advantage of ‘Friday light’ traffic and not have to deal with maintaining a quiet environment once my kids get home from school.  I can adjust the in-office thermostat where I like it, I can turn my speakers up a little, and nobody judges me when I take my fifth trip to the Diet Coke refrigerator.  There’s even a small group of us that come in that usually go to lunch together; it’s like the Breakfast Club but for work.”

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 TL; DR:

 FADE IN:

EXT CITY STREETS – FRIDAY MORNING

Barren, windswept trees sway in the gusts of wind, periodically dropping what remains of their leaves. CITY RESIDENTS fight the wind as they pull their hats and hoods over their heads. Their grimaced faces sharpen into scowls as they schlep through their morning commutes on the first freezing day of the fall.

 CUT TO:

 INT APARTMENT LIVING ROOM

 RICK sits on sofa, mug in hand, and takes a sip of his visibly steaming beverage.

 RICK

Ahhhh (content sigh)