Libra Europe is delighted to announce a new, modern approach to holiday entitlement, moving away from the traditional ‘allowance’ mechanism to an unrestricted policy for all colleagues.
One constant that has remained with the Libra team throughout the change to our working routines over the last few months is an unrelenting focus on output. This change in policy reflects this whilst also providing a healthy platform for colleagues to support one another in ensuring the whole team lives a balanced lifestyle.
The idea originated from the book Maverick, by Ricardo Semler. Having read the book 18 months ago (whilst on holiday!) Michael Carson, Group Commercial Director, could see the benefits of implementing such an approach with the team.
“We’re an output-focussed team so to constrain ourselves with any arbitrary measures feels counter-intuitive. This change represents a shift away from that inherited norm and provides a platform for the team to manage their workload and time away from their work freely and with flexibility.
This move also opens the door for us to really look after each other’s physical and mental health as a team. Everyone needs a break from work however the onus has always been on the employee to ‘use’ the holiday allowance they have been ‘given’. Now we are free to advise one another when to take a break without fear of unduly pushing a teammate to use up the precious commodity that is their annual leave.
Finally, it symbolises the trust we have in each other as a team. As our owners, Bob Heward and Tim Kershaw said, ‘this is how we manage our holiday and if it’s good enough for us, it’s good enough for everyone else!’.”