In recognition of the importance of employees taking leave to support their health and wellbeing, we recently launched a fresh approach to employee engagement with QA Life.  

What is QA Life?

Rolled out late last year, QA Life gives employees ownership of their time by providing total flexibility with their breaks from work.  There is no limit to the amount of time that can be taken off or when it can be taken. 

QA Life is more than unlimited leave; it also encourages employees to bring their whole self to work and share their personal interests and experiences with the team and clients.  This supports the aim of creating a culture of honesty, trust, respect and accountability. 

Why does it exist?

Sophie Schaedel, Managing Partner said: "As we all know, work is generally a large part of our lives.  With research showing more employees are feeling stressed and disconnected at work, we wanted to empower our people to really engage with the work they do by taking back control of what we value most - time.  

"Life is busy.  We have commitments at work and at home, and sometimes we need to take some time off to find inspiration or recharge our batteries, focus on relationships with friends and family, or attend our child's school concert.  These are important parts of our lives and who we are, and we shouldn't have to worry about counting hours and leave accruals when we need some extra time off.

"QA Life provides employees with the freedom to take the time they need to invest in who they are while managing their work commitments.  Our employees are specialists in what they do and we trust them to deliver exceptional results for our clients.  Why shouldn't we treat them in the same way with their personal time and interests?" Sophie added. 

How is it going so far?

All employees across our Sydney and Melbourne offices have embraced the initiative since its launch late last year.  Employees have balanced their work commitments with taking time off over the festive season to catch up with family and friends without feeling they needed to save this leave for later in the year.  Our Office Manager was able to take a few days off to move house, which would have otherwise cut into her designated leave days.  

Sergio Floyd, Managing Director, added: "We've been really pleased with how quickly our people have embraced QA Life.  While we're a small team, it has brought a new openness to the business which in turn has made the team closer.  People are proud to share what they are doing with their time, posting photos on Instagram tagging #QALife, and inviting colleagues to join them in shared interests".  

The positive response has also extended beyond our team, with families of employees in particular being very appreciative of the flexibility QA Life provides.  Our recent QA candidate satisfaction survey also delivered a great result, with 93% saying the manner in which they were engaged with by Quinton Anthony employees was excellent.  

"Importantly, QA Life is a two-way commitment - we're investing in our employees and they are investing in us as a business.  We're already seeing the results, with greater focus, accountability and performance across the team and a renewed sense of loyalty and pride in who we are and what we stand for," Mr Floyd added.

What's next?

QA Life complements a number of our initiatives introduced over the past year including a profit share scheme, an Employee Assistance Program and providing financial support for employees to use for learning and professional development.  Stay tuned for more exciting initiatives from the QA time in the future!

A personal view: Adam Clarke, Executive Consultant, Property

QA Life was definitely a selling point for me when deciding to join the team a few months ago.  The sense of community here is real, and QA Life is further evidence of the trust, respect and commitment across the team.