"Duolingo may be a publicly traded tech company with nearly 1,000 employees, but every winter it does something many corporate leaders would consider unthinkable: it gives staff a two-week break at the same time. This is a policy that has been in place since day one, CEO and cofounder of the language-learning app, Luis von Ahn, said. At a time when many companies are laying off tens of thousands of staff, tightening their budgets, rolling back flexible work arrangements, and scrutinizing productivity, Duolingo's approach stands out."
"Von Ahn's core argument is that most time off isn't designed for real rest. When employees take individual vacations, work continues without them. Slack messages pile up. Emails go unanswered. Even while away, there's a persistent sense of missing out - and an inevitable scramble to catch up afterward, he said. Duolingo avoids that by having everyone step away at the same time. Aside from a small rotating "skeleton" crew that keeps the app running, most work pauses, he added."
Duolingo gives all employees the same two-week winter break each year, pausing most work except for a small rotating skeleton crew that maintains app operations. The synchronized break prevents message and email backlogs, eliminates the scramble to catch up after individual vacations, and enables employees to truly disconnect and spend quality time with family or focus on life outside work. The policy continues despite company growth and public-company status. The break incurs financial cost but functions as an investment in employee rest, focus, morale, and the company’s long-term durability.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]