Class Ltd announces company-wide time off to support employee mental health

Australian wealth accounting technology business Class Limited (ASX:CL1) has announced that it is introducing paid leave days for its staff to provide time for them to recharge away from work and avoid burnout.

Class puts its employees’ mental health first, recognising the role it plays in personal well-being. As part of that effort, Class will close its offices for a day at a time, so employees can rest, recover, and recharge. These collective days off will help ensure staff are in the best possible place to continue to deliver exceptional services and support for Class customers.

In 2019, the World Health Organization recognised workplace burnout as an “occupational phenomenon”. It was the first time the global health agency directly listed burnout among its classifications, stating that although burnout was not a medical condition, it was “a reason for which people contact medical services”.

Burnout has been a growing issue for employees after a year of pandemic-related anxiety and isolation, heavier workloads and little to no time off. McKinsey’s Reimagine Work survey (2021) indicated 61% of Australian workers reported being at least somewhat burned out – “and that’s likely an underrepresentation of the real number”.

The recharge days will apply to the global workforce at Class, and the first one will take place on Friday, October 1, allowing staff to enjoy an extended October long weekend. A second recharge day will be on Friday, November 12.

Having nearly all staff off at the same time is meant to ensure employees aren’t inundated by emails and work requests that pile up in their absence.

Customer and employee wellbeing are top priorities for Class and have been a particular focus since the coronavirus crisis hit last year. The collective days off are just the latest initiative the company has rolled out to help staff through this trying time.

Other initiatives at Class are designed to give employees time to focus, think, and balance. This includes limiting meetings to 25 minutes or 45 minutes, encouraging teams to turn their camera off on Fridays and finish work at 3pm, and a ban on internal meetings between 10.30am and 12 noon on Mondays and Fridays.

“Class recognises the mental fatigue most employees face at this time. We also want to recognise the phenomenal year we’ve had as the organisation has continued to grow, and that our team members are the reason for that growth,” Class CEO, Andrew Russell, said. “We want our team to take the time to unwind, de-stress and recharge.”

Class will ensure there is critical customer support available for urgent incidents during the 24-hour closures.