9 Days Away From Keyboard in Canada

At Intrust IT, we deeply value the importance of recharging and rejuvenating. In 2023, we placed a paramount focus on the well-being of our exceptional team. Recognizing that many of our employees were caught in the whirlwind of a repetitive routine, we devised a solution: introducing the “9 Days Away From Keyboard” initiative.

Let us break it down for you: We now require all our team members to take a minimum of nine consecutive days off from work. During this time, we insist on a complete hiatus from work-related emails, voicemails, chats or any communication channels associated with work. 

It’s all about unplugging and indulging in some much-deserved time off.

But that’s not the end of the story. We’ve also taken significant steps to enhance our paid time off allowances for every one of our employees. Why? Because we genuinely care about their well-being and want to provide them with even more opportunities to prioritize self-care.

At Intrust IT, we’re more than just a managed service provider. We’re dedicated to ensuring that our employees are content and maintain a healthy work-life balance. We’ve observed that when our team members return from these rejuvenating breaks, they do so with a newfound vigor to better serve our clients and customers.

Now, you might be wondering, what’s it really like to have nine days away? 

Well, to offer some insight, here’s a firsthand account from David Owens, one of our Intrust business development managers. He recently embarked on a journey to some of Canada’s most breathtaking locales, including Calgary, Banff National Park and Lake Louise.

What were some of your vacation highlights?

David Owens: “The highlight was Banff National Park, the Canadian Rockies are pretty spectacular. On the first part of our trip, we spent a couple of days in Calgary. It was neat to see the town, which was kind of urban. After a day and a half in that urban setting, we headed out to Lake Louise, went to Banff itself and took a number of side trips.

“There’s really spectacular scenery and great hiking. Even when there’s a bit of a crowd there you can get away from them. All the tour buses drop people off at the lake. Everybody goes and sees the lake but they don’t walk around the lake, so if you do that, you can get away from the crowds.”

Did the 9 Days Away From Keyboard initiative make a difference?

“I think it’s really a neat thing. It gets into that ’sharpen your saw’ approach from Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Just to get away, to clear your mind.

“This was the first trip my wife and I had taken together with just ourselves in years. No kids, no other family members, it was just the two of us. That was wonderful but also the fact that I didn’t have to worry about business.

“You really can recharge and reset, it’s great for your energy moving forward. My wife works for a larger company, and she had to check in and make sure things were moving along, and that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about.”

“By unplugging, you can recharge.”

How do you feel about coming back to work after the break?

“The team kept things moving along in my absence, and when I came back, I was fresh and ready to go. It’s a little overwhelming when you come back, but since the team was taking care of things, it wasn’t terrible.

“In my situation in sales, not coming back to tickets and clients needing things, it’s my job to get things moving again. It was not a big deal, because of the team we have, people will take up the slack. People internally know you’re away, and if you effectively communicate that in your out-of-office and with key clients, they know who to contact. It all works really wonderfully.”

Enjoy Your Nine Days Away to the Fullest

Here at Intrust IT, we recognize the absolute necessity of extended, uninterrupted breaks for both our employees and the overall success of our company. We’re truly excited to witness the positive impact this new initiative will have on all of us.

Stay tuned for more updates on the “9 Days Away From Keyboard” initiative. Plus, don’t miss the opportunity to follow along with another one of our team members who described his nine blissful days in Whitefish, Montana.

And for those of you who might be thinking, “Could this be the workplace for me?” We invite you to explore the possibility of joining our team of employee-owners, where a nine-day break is ingrained right into your job description. 

Explore our current job openings and envision yourself being a part of our team!