You Do Not Need to Be in the Office 5 Days a Week

Over the past year-plus, it’s become clear that many of corporate America’s conventional work habits are painfully outdated. The worst offender? Commuting to and from the office five days a week. 

At GYK Antler, like many other companies, we’ve proven we can work differently and not only be productive, but more successful. Working remotely offers employees time to think, find creative inspiration, write in peace, and minimize other office distractions. Beyond that, removing commuting from the equation leaves room for hopping on the Peloton, catching up on industry news, enjoying breakfast with the family, or anything else that helps our people find balance.

After experiencing firsthand the benefits (and challenges) of working remotely, my team began developing an innovative new approach to our creative work environment. We took input from our team, conducted research, and spoke with clients to concept a new philosophy—not just policy—that’s all about people, productivity and finding the perfect balance of in-person and remote work practices for our company. And while we believe in-person collaboration helps fuel creativity and innovation, and is key to building culture, we don’t believe it requires being in the office every single workday.

As creative marketing leaders continue to plan new post-pandemic work practices, it’s valuable to know how other companies are evolving and taking action. For GYK Antler, it’s our 3-2-1 Hybrid Work Approach—designed to build a more modern, connected company that offers employees a consistent schedule and thriving creative community and culture.

Here’s how it works: 

3 — Employees work in the office three days each week, Tuesday to Thursday, with everyone gathering at our HQ on Tuesdays to connect, collaborate and build community.

2 — Employees work remotely two days each week, Monday and Friday, enjoying extra time to think, focus and find inspiration.

1 — Our approach is implemented in the spirit of #OneGYKAntler and fostering a unified creative culture across our offices.

While we announced this new work approach to our team last fall, it’ll officially roll out after Labor Day when statewide restrictions allow us to safely return at full capacity. After 18 months of working remotely, we understand returning to the office in one day would be a shock to the system. So to help ease back in, we’ve developed a multi-phased reopening strategy. Phase 1 kicks off after our company’s week-long July 4 shutdown, when we’ll begin offering structured programming and allowing limited numbers of people into our offices on different days each week, leading up to our Phase 2 full reopening with our 3-2-1 Hybrid Work Approach in September. 

Although so much in the past year has been out of our control, we can always control how we respond, making decisions that are right for our company and our people. For this reason and many others, I’m so glad I made the decision to join an independent agency like GYK Antler, which can quickly flex and evolve to ensure our people, our partners, and our business are able to perform at their peak.