So, with an unemployment rate still hovering close to 10% and a growing number of employees feeling detached from their jobs, I’d suspect Digital Insurance is getting a lot of interested applicants these days.

Even if you’re among the workers who are satisfied with the job you have, thank you very much, you may reconsider when I tell you that salaried workers at the Atlanta-based benefits agency don’t have a designated or restricted number of vacation days. That’s right, people. Digital employees can take off as much time as they like, provided they meet their job responsibilities and obtain permission from managers.

That sound you hear is hundreds of resumes being printed en masse.
 
“This new policy creates flexibility that plays well into a culture promoting a better work-life balance during an era where technology has employees working around the clock,” says John Short, VP of HR at Digital.  “While this practice might not be right for every industry or organization, our company has progressive leaders who don’t always take the expected approach.” 
 
Digital believes it among the first businesses in Atlanta to institute such a policy, although companies in other areas have pioneered this strategy. Best Buy has a similar practice at the corporate level, as do NetFlix and Aquent.
 
“The American workplace has changed. Technology extends the workday, and has people engaged from home during evenings and weekends,” Short acknowledges. 

I’m happy to see such clear understanding of how our digitally driven culture can throw the work-life balance out of whack, and applaud Digital and other companies who are taking progressive strides to help employees reclaim their downtime – not to mention increase job satisfaction and employee retention. It does my hopeful heart good on a Friday.

Of course, I want to hear your stories on how your company is helping employees better achieve work-life balance, even if it’s not as far-reaching as unlimited vacation time. So, toot your horn in the comments.

And since I’d like some fun Friday comments as well: If you had unlimited vacation time, where would you go/what would you do, and for how long?