Introducing Recharge Week
At Ausmed, the well-being of our team is at the heart of everything we do. We understand that to bring our best to work, we need to feel our best. That's why, from July 8th to July 12th, 2024, we're introducing Recharge Week—a dedicated week off for all our employees. We recognise that simply shutting down for a week is not possible in healthcare services, but we wanted to share our thoughts on this initiative regardless.
Rest assured that we are taking all necessary steps to ensure customers are not disadvantaged during this downtime. However, we are proud of the work we do at Ausmed, and we are excited about this initiative!
Where Did We Get the Idea From?
We observed companies prioritising staff well-being and combating burnout. Inspired by HubSpot's Global Week of Rest, which maintained support without impacting customer service, we adopted a similar strategy at Ausmed.
Benefits of Synchronising Leave
At Ausmed, we work hard and care deeply about our work. As we grow, intensive work can take a toll. Synchronising leave during Recharge Week allows everyone to take a proper break without worrying about backlog or blocking co-workers' progress. This provides a genuine respite and avoids the productivity slowdown we saw last year when ≈20% of our team took staggered holidays throughout Winter (July to September). We hope that taking time off in unison will prevent such productivity loss.
Keeping the Lights On
We understand the critical nature of our products and services and the importance of supporting our customers who rely on us daily. This is a permanent requirement at Ausmed and is very much part of our “business as usual” planning and approach to service reliability.
To ensure uninterrupted support, our Customer Support Specialists have flexible options to schedule their leave, and an urgent response team will be operational for immediate needs during the week, ensuring continuity and reliability. These are the same systems, risk management and resilient planning processes we rely upon during Easter, Christmas or other extended breaks throughout the year.
Continuity of Service
Over the past six months, our executive and senior leadership teams have carefully planned each aspect of this initiative's rollout to ensure its success. Each department has undertaken detailed contingency planning to address potential risks or issues that could arise during Recharge Week, focusing on continuity of service.
Ausmed already has extensive resilience planning in place, which is how we consistently deliver service uptime above 99.95% (less than 20 minutes of downtime per month or less than 45 seconds per day).
We Appreciate Your Support
Thank you for your support. This initiative invests in the people at Ausmed, who work tirelessly to support you, our customers. We appreciate your patience and support during Recharge Week so that our team can rest, recharge, and return to work ready to serve you better. We won’t let you down!
Author
Tanya Large
Tanya Large, Head of People and Culture at Ausmed, brings over 20 years of diverse people and culture leadership experience across the community sector, not-for-profit, health, education and commercial industries. Passionate about creating an impactful work environment, Tanya believes that true success comes from creating a company culture that people want to be part of. With a natural care for people and a strong focus on employee wellbeing, Tanya has led several initiatives that enhance work-life balance, promote mental health and foster a supportive and engaging workplace.
