The ultimate ‘millennial’ workplace: Boss reveals why she gives her employees UNLIMITED paid annual leave – and lets them work the hours they ‘feel their best’
- Dr Amantha Imber introduced the lax paid annual leave policy three years ago
- She said the key to keeping employees happy is to have a flexible workplace
- She also encourages her staff to work whenever and wherever they want
A businesswoman has created a workplace of most employees’ dreams with flexible hours, the freedom to work from anywhere in the world and unlimited paid annual leave.
Dr Amantha Imber first introduced the paid annual leave policy three years ago, and said her Melbourne based ‘innovation consultancy firm’ is thriving as a result.
But she said it is just one element of her well-rounded approach to flexible employment that keeps her workers so happy.
In addition to uncapped leave, Dr Imber allows her staff to work whenever they want.
Dr Amantha Imber first introduced the lax paid annual leave policy three years ago, and said her Melbourne innovation consultancy is thriving as a result
A businesswoman has created a workplace of most employees dreams with flexible hours, the freedom to work from anywhere in the world and unlimited paid annual leave
Ideally, she wants everyone working to suit their ‘Chronotype’.
She told FEMAIL while ‘most flexi work policies let staff start an hour early or finish an hour late, few encourage staff to formally assess their natural circadian rhythm and work accordingly’.
A circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep to waking cycle and repeats about every 24 hours.
At Inventium, all staff assess their Chronotype – which highlights when they are at their most energetic and focused – and schedule working routines accordingly.
Most of the 10 strong team are Larks, meaning they do their best work in the morning, she said.
Some staff choose to start their eight hour day at 5am, and she said the office is rarely occupied past 4pm.
In addition to uncapped leave, Dr Imber allows her staff to work whenever they want
In addition to the flexible hours, staff also have the option of never coming into the office at all.
‘Despite the fact we have about 10 workers based in Inventium’s head office in Melbourne, generally only three or four people are there each weekday.
‘Staff are strongly encouraged to work from wherever they get their best work done, which for many means working from home where they can work uninterrupted.
Dr Imber chooses to work from a cafe majority of the time.
She said she likes the white noise of busy cafes but appreciates the lack of interruptions from co-workers.
‘One employee has spent the last six months working part-time from a villa in Italy,’ Dr Imber said.
The policy has boosted office morale and driven down the need for sick and personal leave, she said.
Three years in, staff take an average of five and a half paid weeks of annual leave a year, but only 2.5 days of sick leave a year – far below the Australian average of eight or nine days a year.
In addition to those figures, the average tenure of employees within the company has almost doubled since the policy launched, Dr Imber said.
She said the results speak for themselves, crushing sceptics opinions who suggested the business model would guilt people into working more and holidaying less.
At Inventium, all staff assess their Chronotype – which highlights when they are at their most energetic and focused – and schedule working routines accordingly