Bad Day At Beach Better Than Good Day In Town?
Article from MediaPost – My agency just sent out the annual summer Friday schedule. But who are they kidding? I still barely keep up with what I'm working on Monday through Thursday. And the economy is still pretty bad. I'm afraid not to be seen at my desk working. Are summer Fridays still a part of the advertising business? Should I be worried if I'm actually taking them?Amy says: Summer Fridays are a lovely tradition, likely started in the “Mad Men” days, just like the 4:30 pm beer trolley. Summer weekends are for traveling to the beach and Friday afternoon is the best time to leave to beat the traffic. Amazingly, summer Fridays are still around, though the beer trolley is not.As an agency employee, part of your compensation package includes time off like holidays and vacation time. Summer Fridays do fall into this bucket, although this time off tends to be a bit more controversial. Agency management allows this privilege as long as client needs are met. And teams have to make sure that there is at least some coverage when folks are absent. So my advice is, take it when you can, but don't count on it. There is nothing more disappointing to be walking out the door to the train station only to see a client email that requires immediate attention.Instead, use Fridays as way to get ahead. Catch up on email. Spend some time with key vendors and get to know them. Do some research and track down some articles to share with your clients and management to show them how smart and proactive you are. Overall, not much business is going to get done on a Friday in the summer — but that doesn't mean you can't be taking care of business.
via MediaPost Publications Summer Fridays — Bad Day At Beach Better Than Good Day In Town? 06/03/2010.