Lessons from Our 7 to 7 Policy.

Our kaupapa is built on the notion that every business has a story to tell (so let’s Sayso). Everything we do is built upon our three key pillars: whanaungatanga (relationships), hauora (health) and whānau (family). These keep us grounded and ensure that we never lose sight of our purpose or our path. Our long-established ‘7 to 7’ policy is just one of the ways that Sayso walks the talk in this regard. 

The policy, outlawing any internal emails before seven am and after seven pm, arose after an analysis of our emails over that time period revealed that 90 percent of them were sent by other team members, and that 99 percent of them would not be considered urgent. Further examination determined that the after-hours communication stemmed from a desire to be efficient and committed to the team and our clients.  

Implementing this simple change resulted in an immediate and significant drop in email traffic, but had zero impact on the Sayso team’s performance. Given the world of PR, events, crisis and risk management in which we operate, there are naturally exceptions that crop up from time to time. However, the policy serves as a gentle but consistent reminder that unless something is truly urgent, seven am is plenty early enough to hear about it. 

When the new policy was first put into place, our team responded with feedback that was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated that it respected their right to enjoy personal and family time, unimpeded by the urge to check and respond to emails – so much so that, in the seven years since we implemented this policy, it has become one of our most sacrosanct golden rules.  

Does that mean we no longer work nights? Not exactly. As with most organisations, we still have times when we are required to operate outside of standard hours.  It’s an arrangement that aligns with our flexible working arrangements – it’s each team member’s prerogative to work at night if that suits the flow of their day better, but it’s understood that they won’t update the crew until the next morning. 

We have also found that clients and media are just as supportive of the concept, and some have even adopted it for their own teams. They understand that our commitment to them remains unwavering, and they know that we are still available to help, regardless of the day or time, should they really need us. After all, if something truly cannot wait, no one is going to send an email in the hopes there are eyes on an inbox – they'll pick up the phone and call.  

More importantly, our team knows that Sayso is committed to living its kaupapa and valuing its people.