Team members at Vivun are very excited for the start of our mandatory quiet period during the first week of August. The company will be shutting down to give the team time to recharge, spend time with family and friends, and reflect on a successful first half of 2021 for our company. The quiet period is a critical part of our culture and our leadership’s commitment, under the helm of our CEO Matt Darrow: with one break happening the first week of August and the other at the last week of December for the winter holidays.

“The idea came from a few places,” Darrow says. “First, it was a recognition of how healthy a real break can be from the day-to-day hustle of a startup. Unfortunately, while companies offer unlimited PTO, most folks use that as a way to tack a day onto a long weekend and feel guilty when taking time off. I remember at a prior company after four years of blood, sweat, and tears, I told them, I was going on vacation for two weeks straight and people almost had a heart attack. So the quiet periods are a recognition that folks need some help to feel okay to walk away for a bit.”

Darrow continued, “The second point is about being remote. In that working style, work and life blend together in a magical new way that makes the day-to-day easier but unplugging much harder. For the sake of folks’ mental health, in a remote environment that’s why we also wanted to do the two shutdowns. As for timing, the end of December and the beginning of August are normally very quiet for tech companies, so it’s not disruptive to the business. So instead of just assuming people are off, we decided to make it official.”

And with exciting vacation plans in place for many Vivun Heroes, I interviewed several members about their upcoming trips. 

Claire Bruce, COO, GC & Co-Founder

Claire Bruce and her husband John Bruce, who happens to also be a Co-Founder, are venturing away quite a few miles from their home state of Nevada to Texas to pick up a horse trailer for their beloved horses. This will be Claire’s longest road trip to date, and she’s most looking forward to having the freedom to explore wonderful cities like Las Vegas, Sedona, Santa Fe, Ft. Worth, and the marvelous national park The Grand Canyon.

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James O’Connor, Strategic Account Executive

Outdoors enthusiast James O’Connor will be backpacking for 3-4 days through the Deschutes National Forest in Oregon. It will be his first time camping or backpacking since he moved to Bend last year. The trail he will be following starts only about 15-20 minutes from his house. He will be venturing into the wilderness solo to allow himself time to reflect and reset, and he looks forward to exploring the amazing views, wildlife, and high-altitude lakes. When James arrives home after his solo trip into the wild, he will be patiently waiting for his Mom to arrive after driving cross-country from Maryland with her dog and cat. James says, “She just bought a house 15 minutes from me as she approaches retirement and looks toward the next phase of her life. It will be so great seeing her regularly after the last 8 years on opposite coasts having to juggle time differences to speak on the phone and only seeing each other 2-3 times per year in person.”

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Thomas Anderson, Sales Development Manager

For Thomas’s quiet period, he will be spending time with his lovely wife at an all-inclusive YTS Yucatan Hotel in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. He is looking forward to this time mostly because it helps him not feel guilty for taking time off and forces him to take a break to disconnect and recharge. If you ask him specifically what he is most looking forward to, it’s all-you-can-eat meals and relaxing by the pool with Virgin Pina Coladas.

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Clay Kilgore, Sales Engineer

Clay, a big believer in mental resets, is heading to Nashville to be by the water with his immediate family and newborn niece! An avid fisher and golfer, Clay is hoping for some outside time with his thoughts, fishing pole, and golf clubs. Clay says, “If I do something for too long and too often I often tend to see complacency or begin to lose focus in other areas without having time to think about the process.” He’s hoping that after his week off, he comes back fresher than ever to find new use cases for our Hero product.

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Melody Hauck, Customer Support

Melody will be using the precious pre-baby time she has to nest and set up a nursery with her husband. They both love to travel, but as a baby is soon arriving, they are using the extra quiet time from work to prepare and relax before their daughter arrives. They will be enjoying the downtime, relaxing, decorating, and sleeping in. 

She says, “Having a quiet period is incredible. Knowing that my company cares about my wellbeing enough to give me time off without grief is incredible. It also makes me feel like a kid again having summer break—it makes me love working for Vivun all that more!”

Greg Howard, VP of Marketing

Greg and his wife and their two-year-old son Alex will be venturing south of San Francisco for a beach vacation in Santa Cruz. He is looking forward to not only a week off but one where he really knows the company is shutting down with him. Greg says, “No slacks or emails will pile up while you’re gone; you can truly unplug and unwind.” Greg and his wife are stoked to show Alex the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the toddler rides at the Boardwalk, and allowing him to get his feet wet at the shore.

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We can’t wait to hear about every team member’s vacation and offer them this time to recharge and rejuvenate. The plans, the activities are set! Happy Vacation Vivun! See you all in August!