Work-life balance – a concept settling down in #brnoregion

Why is it that employers want (or need) to attend to the balance between work and the personal lives of their employees? Let’s be honest here. In a lot of cases, this is purely pragmatic: overworked people with no time for themselves or their families get frustrated, don’t perform well at work and tend to burn out. After that, it's usually only a matter of time before they start looking for work elsewhere.

This increases employee turnover and consequently the costs of training new people. An empathetic (or at least pragmatically-minded) employer takes the initiative to ensure their people come to work satisfied. There are several approaches to finding the balance between work and personal life, so let’s take a look at which of them are offered by employers from #brnoregion.

Work the way you wanna live 

A simple motto of Purple Technology which provides its employees with a lot of freedom and flexibility. “If I want to take a bicycle ride for three hours during the day and don’t have any meetings, it’s not a problem. I can finish my work easily in the evening from home,” explains Martin Bolek, HR specialist at Purple Technology. The places and times people work aren’t important.

Equally unimportant is the way they do their work. “We give our people only rough assignments, and they choose their own way to complete them. This lets them provide the best they have to reach achieve they want and need,” continues Bolek. Our employees greatly value this approach, since it lets them enjoy their work much more. And our turnover is a lot lower, too. Around one tenth of our employees work on a part-time basis, mainly students and parents on/after maternity leave. “It felt great to come back from maternity leave at any time and adjust my working hours as needed,” explains Tereza Brezanská from the HR department at Purple Technology.

 

Sabbatical

No, this term has nothing to do with witchcraft or Satan, and asking for it definitely won't lead to being burned at the stake! Sabbatical isn’t time off for those who have burnt out (although it could well be). In some companies, such as Kentico, this is a reward for loyalty for people who have been working there for over ten years. A month of paid time off that you can use whenever and however you'd like – travelling, studying, getting fit, reading, or simply staring off into space.

Unlimited vacation time

Twenty days off not enough? Some companies, such as Direct pojišťovna insurance company or software company Artin, offer their employees vacation without any time limits. “We’d like our people to feel good here, as only satisfied, relaxed employees can do great things. This is about trust, and – of course – nobody can just disappear for six months. That's not how it works,” explains Jan Najvárek, one of the Artin founders.

 

 
This much freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility, though. “Nobody checks when you go home. The important thing is that we deliver on our values – top-quality products for our clients that we can be proud of. And the unlimited number of days off is related to that,“ confirms Nela Maťašeje, the spokesperson for Direct pojišťovna. The company is not afraid of employees abusing this system. “It can happen, of course, but it would only show us that there’s somebody who isn't a good fit,” concludes Nela Maťašeje with a smile.

Four-day work weeks

Critics often argue that employees will be too shy to take this much time off. Phonexia, a developer of speech technologies, combatted this by conducting a test and ordering their employees to take every Friday off. The company tried this four-day week for five months, while the salaries and eight-hour working days remained unchanged. The volume of work stayed the same as well, though. “Our business is about creating value, not working a certain number hours. The key is to arrange the work properly before starting,“ explains Zuzana Roznosová, director for strategy.

The company's management believes that the test, which will be evaluated through anonymous questionnaires, will be well received by the employees. The free Fridays are especially valuable for parents who get a workday to spend on themselves while their children are at school. And for any of you parents who just started daydreaming about the possibilities, don’t lose hope! Phonexia is sure to be the first of many companies to offer something like this in #brnoregion.
 

 

Looking for a brilliant place to work and rest?

You've come to the right place! As the people from Brno as well as local expats can confirm, #brnoregion is the best place strike a balance between work and life. Lots of technology companies will welcome you into their friendly families, and Brno with its surroundings will embrace you and your family so you can all rest and relax here.
 

Go see an opera, have a great dinner at various famous places, or hop on your bicycle to explore the woods around the city. “This is a perfect place to get reenergized in parks, nature, or the nightlife downtown," says Miroslav Molinek, appreciating the magic of #brnoregion. “Brno is the ideal place to raise your kids; I have two beautiful daughters and I love all the local options to spend time with my family,” adds Adriana Banica, one of the many expats living in Brno.