Are summer breaks only for the young? GBL’s Associate Director & Chief of Staff Lavanya Garg takes a very different view and makes a compelling case for the restorative powers of pressing pause.

What does summer mean to me?

Summer breaks hold a special place in my heart. It was during one of them that I first developed the habit of journaling. I was ten. My school teacher had assigned journaling as our “homework.” I was forced to write at least a page every day. I wrote diligently about what I did, how I felt, what I liked, what I did not like, who I met, and where I went.

Ten-year-old me saw this as an unnecessary chore. Adult-me is grateful for being initiated into a nourishing habit that has served me well across different phases of life.

It’s not just journaling. Over the years, summer breaks have offered new hobbies, friendships, and experiences.

It was during a summer break after my tenth standard Board exams that I tried learning French and was terrible at it. After graduating twelfth standard, I lay in my pajamas during another summer break, and re-read the entire Harry Potter series, and found unparalleled joy. In another blistering college summer break, I first encountered the development sector through work in rural Rajasthan — a satisfying experience that shaped key career decisions.

Why should organizations mandate summer breaks?

When I started working full-time, I was mentally prepared to leave this annual ritual behind. After all, none of the adults I’d interacted with ever spoke of a break, let alone one in the summer. If anything, most of them seemed burnt out.

Now, imagine my delight when we at Good Business Lab (GBL) collectively made the decision to institute an organization-wide (applicable to all verticals across the company) annual summer break! Albeit much shorter than the two months ten-year-old me was used to, this week-long break has become one of my favorite employee wellness policies at GBL.

I am proud that we have been able to sustain it even as we grow rapidly. Our first summer break happened when we were 50 people. Today we are 90 and still continuing this wonderful ritual — with some adaptations for our scale. This year, we ensured team members had the flexibility to choose any week between June and August. This meant work was not drastically disrupted and also people could factor in their personal preferences. As I am writing this, most team members have already returned from their chosen summer break!

What does the GBL summer break mean to us?

A team member excitedly told me that she was able to venture on her first solo trip thanks to the summer break. Another was happy that this overlapped with her son’s summer break and they got some quality time together. Someone else tried pottery, while others just caught up on their reading lists. Some just slept! All activities crucial to each person’s joy, recuperation, and growth.

Time away from work is essential for our health and productivity. Time away can help us recover from the challenges of work or life and realign with innovative ideas, fresh perspectives, and new energy.

At an organizational level, time away from work and the ability to switch off, can mean the difference between an employee who is engaged and motivated, and an employee who exits.

The work we do at GBL requires immense commitment and incredible resilience. We enable businesses in low-income contexts to invest in worker well-being. Our motto is, after all, worker well-being is good business! So how can Good Business Lab not lead by example? Internal employee well-being is a critical value here. The annual summer break is one initiative through which we strive to inculcate this value.

There is always more to do, always scope to be better as an organization. We are constantly learning and evolving. Investing in employee well-being will never be a “done once done forever” task for us. It is a choice we make every day through our words and actions.

And of course, we are always open to figuring out what we can do better. So, if you have any ideas — reach out at lavanya.g@goodbusinesslab.org.

Banner Image by Muskaan Gupta.