Redefining Culture in IT Companies: Nine Days Away on an American River Cruise

What would you do with nine days away from your keyboard? Would you take a relaxing vacation? Or spend time with family? Culture in IT companies plays a significant role in making time off meaningful and recharging, encouraging employees to balance work and personal life effectively.

Stress has too long been a part of IT company employee culture. At Intrust, one of our values is ensuring our people are cared for. Recharging and rejuvenating are great ways to ensure our employees’ well-being. In 2023, it became clear that our dedicated employees were caught up in the whirlwind of their working and personal lives, so we developed the “Nine Days Away From Keyboard” initiative.  

We’ve noticed how well this program works. Our employees come back renewed and have a new sense of purpose when helping our clients and customers. 

For his nine days away, David Owens, a business development manager at Intrust, boarded a river cruise with his family.

What Were Some of the Highlights of Your Trip?

David and his family discovered a lot of history along the way as they cruised from Memphis, Tennessee, to New Orleans, Louisiana. David’s favorite part of the trip was learning more about music history, from the King himself at Graceland to Mississippi Delta music from Muddy Waters and BB King. He also learned much about the country’s darker history with a visit to the Civil War battle site in Vicksburg. 

One of the best things about vacation? The food, of course. David said there was not one bad meal during the whole trip.  

Did the 9 Days Away From Keyboard Initiative Make a Difference?

“This is one of the greatest ideas Tim, Intrust’s CEO and founder, has ever had,” David says. As a technology company, it can be hard to untangle and unplug. He was able to enjoy the moment with his family and felt refreshed coming back. 

After Nine Days Away, How Did It Feel To Come Back?

His teammates were able to take on any extra work, as they all do for each other during their Nine Days Away. Being able to unplug fully, David returned feeling refreshed and ready to jump back into work. There was no expectation to work or check his email. It’s against the initiative’s rules and something he probably wouldn’t usually find part of the culture in IT companies.  

Enjoying Life’s Moments 

Our Nine Days Away Initiative helps our success. How does not working keep the business successful? Taking an extended, uninterrupted break greatly benefits an employee’s well-being. A happy, well-rested, and productive employee only helps with that. 

Want to take a break to enjoy life more? Check out our open positions to join our team of employee-owners.