Innovation: it’s been the core of who we are and what we do since we were founded in 2009. So much so it’s even a part of our mission statement. Our mission: “We believe in the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to drive meaningful change in our community. Through unparalleled access to exceptional web engineering, design, and content strategy, we amplify the impact innovators have on our world.”
With innovation so deeply ingrained in us, we’re constantly looking for ways to express it – to be on the edge of a new idea, to try something different, and to look for new and exciting ways to work with both our clients and our employees.
Recently, we’ve been focusing on two innovations.
One is already fairly obvious to us. Did you know that back in 2009, we were actually founded as Buckeye Innovation, not Buckeye Interactive? That change came later, but as we said, innovation has always been who we are. Our company has changed over the years with new employees, new clients, and new services. But that philosophy of innovation remained true. And so, we’ve decided to get back to our roots with a rebranding, returning to the name Buckeye Innovation. Over the next few months, you’re going to see new copy reflecting that change on our website, an updated logo, and even a refreshed look to our site’s design. We’re excited, and it feels good to get back to the fundamentals from our company’s founding.
The second innovation is even more exciting for our team and our clients. Over the years, we’ve been reading different studies and keeping an eye on companies who have a different approach to the work-life balance for their employees. We’ve been talking with colleagues in our community, we’ve been learning, and we’ve been listening. And we realized that in order to be the innovative company we pride ourselves on being, we needed to make a shift. We’ve come to recognize and believe that rest plays an important role in driving creativity and productivity. So we have a new approach in how we’re going to help our employees find fulfillment in both their work and home lives.
With this, we’re excited to announce that we are shifting to a four-day workweek. In fact, we’ve already started making the change, and our team members are currently working half-days on Fridays. The goal is to be fully transitioned to a four-day workweek by May 1 of this year, which is our company anniversary.
So what does this mean for our employees?
More time with their families and friends. An extra day to do what they want to do. A chance to reflect, to do professional development, to travel, to rest, to work out, to read, to write…anything! Research has found that intentional rest is incredibly beneficial personally and professionally. In the end, we want them to just focus on themselves and do what they need to do to be the happiest, healthiest, versions of themselves they can be. In fact, in a few weeks, we’re going to ask what they’ve been doing, and how their lives have changed. We’re excited to hear and share the results in a follow-up blog.
But what does this mean for our clients?
It’s likely you haven’t noticed this change yet even though it’s underway. We are working hard to maintain responsiveness and productivity while reducing work hours. If anything, you may have noticed that our productivity has been up significantly–by 40% since October, in fact. We’ve achieved that increase through more efficient time management tools to make sure your projects stay on track. We would love to show you what we built to achieve those gains–just ask us for a demo.
The next change you’ll see is a shift in how we structure and schedule meetings, ensuring both efficient and productive work time. We set dedicated focus hours each day for all team members starting a few months ago. This has reduced task switching inefficiencies. We get work done more quickly by consolidating meetings into consistent time blocks on the calendar rather than scattering them throughout the day.
Additionally, we do want to reassure you that we will still have team members on call to address urgent issues. This includes support for those clients whose agreements include around the clock monitoring. And ultimately, you’ll have a happier, healthier, more creative team focused on your projects, making room for even more innovative ideas as we continue to work with you.
There’s a lot of innovation happening here, and we’re excited. Thanks for participating in our innovation efforts with us. We can’t wait to see what happens next and where all this innovation will lead us.
