9 Operational Changes, Tweaks, and Eliminations Team Boss Project Will See in 2023
Episode 701: Show Notes
As we look ahead to the new year, we’re evaluating what we want to take forward with us, what we’ll discontinue in the new year, and what we’d like to tentatively start investigating. Here at Boss Project, we’ve been in the throes of planning for 2023 and have settled on some decisions which we share with you in this episode! Tune in to find out what we’re carrying forward with us and why, what we’ve decided to drop, and three potential additions that we’re contemplating bringing into the mix.
Listen on your favorite podcast player
Five Things We’re Continuing in 2023
The first thing we’ve decided to keep in place in 2023 is the flexible stipend we offer our team members. Health insurance only covers so much, so we decided to provide a stipend that covers a wide variety of buckets, such as alternative medicine, coworking spaces, childcare, gym memberships, additional technology, etc.
The second fixture is unlimited PTO (personal time off). This may not work for every business, but it works for us due to the way it’s structured, communicated, and utilized. Perhaps surprisingly, it makes things easier from a management perspective, and fortunately, our team has never abused the opportunity. We choose to support our team through life’s unpredictability while trusting their dedication.
The third thing we’ve decided to keep in place is our management accelerator program for employees. This provides them with an external, unbiased coach who facilitates training, coaching, and safe spaces for them to learn how to step into their roles as leaders.
Number four on the list of things that aren’t going anywhere is our team playbook. Our team playbook is designed to provide our team with a true representation of the vision and values of our company, how we show up, what our culture looks like, and how they can show up best to match our expectations. This is super helpful for team integration. The only updates we’ll make to the playbook will be logistical, never foundational.
The fifth and final thing we’re continuing is our MVP collaborative mindset. Being collaborative is an internal value at Boss Project. We’re a small team and each person brings a unique set of skills. We’ve found that input from multiple team members makes the outcome uniquely Boss Project. We ask team members to take something as far as they can, get feedback, and get someone else to finish it. Doing things in a silo inhibits productivity and you run the risk of being your own bottleneck, and if each team member works alone, everything will move slower.
What We’re Discontinuing in 2023 and Why
This time last year, we altered our time-off structure to include two longer company-wide breaks, as we found it hard to fully step away without dedicated office closures, and, as a consequence of our unlimited PTO policy, our team tended not to take the time off that they deserved. We found that everyone came back to work frazzled after the two-week July break, so we conducted a survey. The majority of our team felt that it was too long a break at that specific time of year so, for 2023, we spread out office closures with the same number of days off, but with shorter, more frequent breaks.
Three New Things We Want to Try in 2023
There are three things we’re eager to look into for 2023. The first being some version of the four-day workweek. For three years, we had Mondays off, but we reverted to five days a week as our business grew. Now we’re tentatively thinking about reintroducing the four-day work week, but a hybrid version of it, as we don’t want to put pressure on our team to have to hustle to get everything done over a shorter time frame. We’d like to tease a four-day workweek with the fifth day dedicated to creative work.
The next is our team retreat. We are adamant about making it happen as in-person connections are irreplaceable. We want to give our team opportunities to bond without putting pressure on getting too much done.
Finally, we want to look at restructuring our department meetings (and meetings in general). Meetings impact the energy and productivity level of people differently and we want to make sure we’re using our time effectively. We have impactful, actionable meetings, yet they are still draining for a lot of our team. We want to honor everyone’s energy and find the balance of what supports both us and our team.
Quote This
Our team playbook is designed to serve our team as a true representation of the vision and values of our company, how we show up, what our culture looks like, and how they can show up best to really match our expectations.
Highlights
Five Things We’re Continuing in 2023. [0:08:50]
What We’re Discontinuing in 2023 and Why. [0:25:45]
Three New Things We Want to Try in 2023. [0:30:12]
Today’s Guest:
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
The Strategy Hour Podcast is a twice weekly show hosted by Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams, the founders of Boss Project. Join us for semi-ranty biz conversations for service providers looking to ethically grow their agency businesses. Episodes cover everything from lead generation to leadership mindset to team culture and beyond.
Key Topics:
Company playbook, Restructuring, Four-day workweek, Meetings, Unlimited PTO, Collaboration, Team retreats
