Five Reasons We Love Inker Fridays: A Team Q&A

In case you missed it, Corporate Ink has ventured into the 4-day work week. Our Inker Friday program gives our staff every other Friday off, while ensuring clients are 100% covered. The goal is to encourage our team to recharge and be intentional about how we spend our time – professionally, personally, socially, and more.

We asked Inkers to share how they’ve spent their time off and the impact this new program has had on their overall happiness and productivity. Here are the main reasons our team loves Inker Fridays.

1. The freedom to use our ‘off’ Fridays in a way that serves us best that week.

A common benefit our team cited is the flexibility of Inker Fridays. Each team member is empowered to use their ‘off’ Friday in whatever way makes the most sense for them that week, based on what they have going on at work and in their personal lives.

“Inker Fridays have helped me use my time for multiple tasks not only work-related, like pending work, and self-learning but also personally invested time like reading, spending time with friends and family, or just relaxing. It’s on me to use my Inker Friday the way I want, and I am encouraged to use it for investing in myself.”

“I’ve learned how to plan my tasks throughout the work week so I can take as much of my Inker Friday as possible. Making the most of an Inker Friday looks different every week. Some days I sleep in, while on others I get to the gym during a quiet point in the day or spend too much money at Target. I’m in complete control of my extra time – so I spend it doing things that makes me happy.”

2. An extra day to rest and recharge.

The team also values the ability to get appointments, errands and other things done ahead of the weekend, so they have more time to decompress on the weekends.

“I start my Inker Fridays with a 9am Barre class (which has become my favorite class all week!) or a long walk with the dogs. Then I usually use my morning to do a few work-related things that I really enjoy, such as sales or reading the latest industry news. If my accounts are in good shape, I usually run some errands so my weekend can be more relaxing and enjoyable.”

“I spend my time running errands and getting things done that I may not have time for on the weekend. I also love taking my Inker Fridays to have a mental reset before the weekend.”

3. Dedicated time for passion projects and to give back to the community.

Some staff members have used their Inker Fridays to work on personal projects uninterrupted, or volunteer within their communities.

“I was able to complete *most* of my kitchen remodel. I plan to use the rest of my Inker Fridays to completely finish and move on to the next project.”

“I’ve used a few Inker Fridays to volunteer at Bahamas Humane Society. I’m able to spend the morning with dogs and puppies who desperately need love and care. I get to play with them, make sure their water bowls are full, bathe them, etc. It’s been rewarding to spend more time there, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

4. More time to handle exciting life changes.

We’ve had a couple of team members use the extra time off to take care of big and exciting life updates.

“I asked my Fiancé’s parents for their blessing to marry her. My fiancé is a teacher which meant she would come home while I was still working, so I didn’t usually have time during the day to plan engagement stuff. Once Inker Fridays started, I had the ability to step away from work for a few hours, take my future in-laws out for lunch and ask them for their blessing to marry their daughter.”

5. Uninterrupted time for creative and strategic work.

Another top response was the uninterrupted time for deep work and projects – whether it’s agency initiatives that are hard to fit in during the week, or larger client deliverables.

“I love a productive Friday. I find that Inker Fridays enable me to really focus on strategic projects without feeling like I need to respond to email or jump on something new that comes through right away because I know my team members who are ‘on’ that week have everything covered. One of the things I love about my job is being able to make a real impact for my clients and the agency, and the 4-day work week has made that even more possible.”

We knew this was going to be a big change for us and our employees. We’re thrilled to see that the Inkers are seeing a valuable difference in both their work and personal lives because of Inker Fridays.

Accountability to each other and our clients is what makes this program possible. As one team member put it:

“I think the most impactful part of Inker Fridays is the whole team encouraging each other to take full advantage of their Inker Friday. We can trust our team members who are on to respond to client requests, or to step in when they know you’re out.”

And we’re hiring! Whether you’re just launching your career or looking to make a change, check out our LinkedIn for open job opportunities or drop us a line at HR@corporateink.com.