Southern Tapes & Packaging and Down2Earth Materials are delighted to inform our customers that we are embarking on a trial programme of a 32-hour working week for all members of our staff. We will be trialling this new way of working from the 7th of March 2022 and we want to explain what this means for us as a business, and for you, as our valued customer.
This change has been welcomed by staff, as we all believe that a reduced working week will give us more time to spend with our families & friends and to do the things we love. It will allow us to spend time on travel, education, or hobbies. It will improve morale and allow us to have more time to ourselves. It will also provide other benefits such as a positive impact on our environment, reduced employee burnout which allows for greater productivity and efficiency for the company.
Over the previous 2 years, staff across both divisions have worked tirelessly to keep business running throughout the uncertainty of a global Pandemic, and as we begin coming out the other side of this difficult period, we feel that a better work-life balance is needed for our staff as we return to some bit of normality. We have always strived to implement a shorter working week and the last 2 years have proven to us that it is possible.
We believe that by implementing the 100/80/100 rule, we will achieve greater work satisfaction, increase morale, and will create a wide range of benefits for our staff. The 100/80/100 rule is 100% productivity, for 80% of the time, with 100% pay.
Both Southern Tapes & Packaging and Down2Earth Materials will remain open Monday to Friday as normal, with a slight change to opening hours.
Our e-commerce store for STP is live and we are getting great feedback from customers on it, and orders can be made 24/7 on the Unify Ordering App for Down2Earth Materials. We look forward to continuing to provide you with excellent customer service and enhancing the relationships we have built with the customers of both Southern Tapes & Packaging and Down2Earth Materials over the last number of years.
Our new Opening Hours will be as follows:
Monday – 8:00 to 16:30
Tuesday – 8:00 to 16:30
Wednesday – 8:00 to 16:30
Thursday – 8:00 to 16:30
Friday – 8:00 to 15:30
Employee Testimonials:
“What a 32-hour week means to me is a healthier work-life balance. The pandemic brought home how fragile life can be and how we should use every minute of our time wisely and to our benefit and the benefit of others.”
“I moved back to the country at Christmas and now live 5km from the beach and hoping to spend some of my spare hours on it with the doggies”
“What I think it will mean for myself is that it will lead to a better work-life balance, more time for family life, more time home duties, and more time for myself to do my favourite things, such as dog walking, reading more or just having that extra time to recharge.”
“What it means to me – We have a baby on the way hopefully will be able to give my wife a break from minding him/her. Fewer hours mean the potential to upskill and do a few courses whilst still being able to have enough free time to get all the jobs at home done.”
