Evolving past the traditional nine-to-five work hours has seen businesses move to four day work weeks. Next in line, unlimited paid annual leave has been discussed. And, independent media agency Half Dome, is dipping its toes in the water.

Flexible working practices have become common. Learning how to navigate a post-lockdown world with their employees, businesses have started to experiment with non-traditional nine-to-five practices. Although already operating with flexible working hours, Half Dome has brought on another element of trust-based working approach.

What is unlimited paid annual leave?

Experimenting with how much annual leave someone needs to take, the independent agency has adopted a new approach. Half Dome employees are encouraged to take as much as they see fit. It’s about maintaining a balance between work and life. Staff at Half Dome have contributed to the rollout of the plan and creating guidelines for success. 

Born of the idea that it will help people feel genuine control and freedom, it’s a first of its kind.

The plan will be for staff benefiting from increased energy and a focus on wellbeing. This allows employees to be more engaged and effective when at work.

Half Dome head of people & culture, Lisa Lie, spoke about the experiment. “Flexibility practices are a key differentiator of workplace cultures. They reflect the level of trust a business has in its people. Understanding that autonomy and choice are major intrinsic motivators for people. We reward our people for their efforts with benefits they genuinely value. Our industry asks a lot of people. We’re ensuring we can offset peak periods with the right amount of time to recharge and reset. 

Continuing on with the agency’s flexible culture, this isn’t its first initiative. Already in 2022, any existing public holiday can be changed to celebrate another significant day for the employees at Half Dome. It’s also first independent media agency to receive the Gold Mental Health First Aid Skilled Workplace. More than 80 percent of its employees now trained in Mental Health First Aid. 

The Unlimited Leave experiment launches on 1 July and will be in place for 12 months. It will become part of the business if it is deemed successful.