Why This CEO Is Giving Staff The Entire Month Of August Off

Some leaders have turned to Summer Fridays to give employees a chance to have more time off, but one CEO is taking this concept even further.

Workers at social enterprise 64 Million Artists will receive the entire month of August off, on top of their 25 days of annual PTO, with full pay. 

“After the pandemic, everyone’s been struggling on and, although they’ve had little bits of leave, people haven’t had a chance to properly reset,” said Jo Hunter, CEO of 64 Million Artists. “We needed a month to do it.”    

Taking inspiration from social psychologist and author Brené Brown, whose organization receives four weeks of paid vacation in addition to their normal vacation time, Hunter decided that her company could use the same break.   

August is a slow period for the company as it typically works with universities that are still on summer break during this time.  

“My instinct is that we wouldn’t have won any new business in August and I don’t expect it to have a major impact on our income,” said Hunter. “The only cost is the £35,000 of salaries that we’re spending that month, without any return in terms of work.”    

In addition to this month-long break, the firm recently transitioned to a four-day work week, leading its productivity to improve and returns to grow by £200,000. 

“It’s an investment in our people,” said Hunter. “I think they’ll be more productive and focused when they come back. It’s also helped us concentrate on the work we need to complete before the end of July. The time off means we’re just more targeted about what we’re doing.”