In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Flywire’s leadership team decided to create a new type of paid time off for FlyMates. They created Digital Disconnect Days (known as DDD at Flywire).
A DDD is the opportunity for each FlyMate to take an entire day to spend time away from Flywire (i.e, disconnect and ‘unplug’ from devices) and to enjoy time alone or with family and friends. We encourage each FlyMate to be diligent about disconnecting as best you can when taking a DDD. For example, we encourage FlyMates to spend the time on self-care, hobbies, or anything you enjoy that recharges you.
We caught up with some FlyMates and asked them how they spent their DDD and here’s what they had to say.
“Here in Spain we had some days off because of the Easter holidays. I was surfing in the south of Spain with my campervan so I spent my day to have one more day and to avoid the day where everybody returned. But, usually, all my disconnecting days are spent to travel with my campervan to some place around Valencia (a forest, mountain, the sea or in the middle of nowhere). I’m absolutely so thankful Flywire considers some days for our mental health .” -Vicente Dominguez (he/his), SRE, Valencia
“The Digital Disconnect Day was one of many great initiatives implemented by Flywire and has been instrumental to me and to my family to detox and recharge and navigate through tough times. We have used the opportunity to explore new activities, usually in the countryside of Brazil.
As a result of last year's disconnect day my kids embraced horse hiding as a sport and this has brought many benefits to them in discipline, commitment and self-confidence.
I am very thankful for this opportunity and the incentive of the company to look for things that can make you feel alive, live new experiences and discover new interests without being behind a device." -Flavia Romani (she/her), Sr. Relationship Manager, LATAM, Brazil
“On the day, I had a little tour by train, and it is pleasing to admire the view along the way in early Spring. Digital Disconnect Days can be a special time for us to release from technology and focus on ourselves.” -Antonia Pei, Partner Relations Consultant Associate, Shanghai
“During my Digital Disconnect day off that I took earlier this year in April, not only me but even my daughter and wife disconnected completely from all their gadgets and gizmos so we could all spend the quality time together outdoors. We visited a water park and enjoyed roller coaster rides, it was fun and totally rejuvenating. Digital Disconnect days off is an excellent initiative by Flywire, it’s essential because detoxing from digital devices is a way to focus on real-life social interactions without distractions.” -Mohammed Adnan, Payment Experience Associate, India-Bangalore
“I had the opportunity to use my Digital Disconnect Day to visit my brother in San Diego, along with my other brother and 5 friends we all grew up with since grade school, to play golf at the renowned Torrey Pines. I am the youngest of the three boys in my family and we are 1 and 2 years apart... so competition can get fierce, but mostly with a ton of laughs. So, no better way to spend a Digital Disconnect Day, than to forget about work for a while, have no-one ask you about it, and laugh enough for a good core workout! For those that have been there La Jolla is a beautiful place to visit and get your mental state recalibrated!! Thanks Flywire!! Be sure to use your DDD and use it for what it is intended... to disconnect and turn off the noise that we are inundated with daily. ” -John Talaga (he/him), EVP & GM Healthcare, Chicago