BRINGING IN BIG GUNS OF RESPITE TO BEAT BURNOUT
A FREE day off every two weeks and a meeting-free Wednesday have been introduced by a Queensland-based company in a revolutionary new working model sparked by the Covid pandemic and the emerging epidemic of burnout.
In a targeted move to cultivate innovative and creative thinking, employees at Entain Australia will be handed back a Monday each fortnight, without any impact on their pay packet and every hump day they will be able to focus on getting tasks done without interruption and endless meetings.
“An employee will not work at their best if they feel burnt out,” Entain Australia’s chief people officer Jessica Sharpe said.
“We have looked into all the research and the brain science and sometimes people need to clear the decks. Covid has brought mental health right to the fore and we feel that we must make the move to pioneer change. We have a lot of parents in our workforce and it will be a big boost for them to have these long weekends at home.”
The new work cycle will begin in November and will add to Entain Australia’s already established hybrid model, where all employees have the option to work from home two or three days a week.
Entain is one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups operating in the online and retail sector. Their brands are Ladbrokes, Coral, BETMGM, bwin, Sportingbet, Eurobet, partypoker, partycasino, Gala and Foxy Bingo.
The company has 420 staff in Queensland with plans to grow.
Ms Sharpe, said the changes were in recognition of an increasingly boundaryless world between home and work and the onset of rapid change, which risked more fatigue and exhaustion in the workplace.
“Our experience through shifting rapidly to remote and hybrid work models has shown us that we can radically rethink the way we do work, try new things, and adapt at pace,” she said. “We have a once in-ageneration opportunity to be among the pioneering businesses who are redefining the social contract and exploring new and better ways of creating sustainable value.”