Why We’re Bringing Spring Break to Roblox Employees

“What’s your Spring Recharge plan?” That’s the question that kicks off most of my meetings this week at Roblox, with team members excitedly discussing their plans for our version of Spring Break, which starts for all Roblox employees this week on Thursday, April 1.

At Roblox, we’ve seen a wide range in how people have experienced working from home this past year, and we care a great deal for every employee’s well-being. We designed our Spring Recharge as time for the entire Roblox team to take a moment to breathe and recharge. No deliverables, no meetings, and a quiet inbox.

One of our company values is “Take the Long View,” and we know that building the Metaverse requires the type of creative and innovative thinking that only comes when you’re firing on all cylinders. Because of this, as shelter-in-place went from weeks to months, we began offering mental well-being days, including multiple long weekends and a two-week shutdown over the winter holidays. We also increased our touchpoints with our teams, through weekly town halls, ask-me-anything Q&A sessions, and some truly amazing virtual celebrations.

Within our values-focused culture, we know that employees need time to focus on themselves and family, and we know that taking time off work can be particularly challenging during the pandemic. Unlike prior years where you could get a change of scenery during your vacations, these days the lure of work is strong when your home has become your office. So, we decided that we would allocate time for all employees to recharge together and get a real break. Our Spring Recharge will run through April 6, and we’ve also planned a Summer Recharge for July.

Spring and Summer Recharges are just one example of our overall philosophy in developing bespoke programs for Roblox employees, based on our mission, values, and principles. Last November, we laid out the foundation of the future of the Roblox workplace in a program we call Roflex. We designed it around principles including:

• Building a flexible workforce and workplace – We wanted to enable significant flexibility for everyone and give employees more control in their work and personal lives.
• Building strong relationships – We know that sometimes the trust and personal relationships that you need to build a world-class organization are best developed through in-person or real-time interactions — and we’ve also heard from many of our employees that they missed the in-person interaction, team building, and teamwork.

With Roflex, we leaned into flexibility, with most employees returning partially remote and some fully remote, as we redesign the future of the office model. We also decided to enable synchronous working times, so Tuesday through Thursday are our core in-office days in our San Mateo headquarters. Monday has been designated a “no meeting” day to allow for extended time to think and get work done uninterrupted.

We also created Roflex Away, letting all employees have the opportunity to work anywhere that they legally can, up to two months a year. Over this past year we know that our employees have enjoyed extended visits with family, or working from the mountains or the beach, so Roflex Away lets these new traditions continue for employees.

That’s our plan for the physical office, but over this past year we’ve been connecting in our virtual office, an immersive 3D experience recreating our San Mateo headquarters. Every week there are new spaces and features to explore and try out together, and in the future we envision that these virtual town halls on the Roblox platform will become the new norm for workplaces around the world. Remote work was increasing before the pandemic and will be an integral part of business moving forward. It’s imperative for companies to find engaging ways to collaborate in virtual spaces, and we know that the Metaverse we are building will be part of that.

Roblox employees gather for a Town Hall in the company’s Virtual HQ space, currently decorated in honor of Women’s History Month.

Through experiences like our virtual town halls, Roblox employees are at the forefront of the way people will play, work, learn, or simply socialize in the Metaverse.

People are excited for our Spring Recharge – some are ready to hang out with their family at home, while others are taking that long-delayed road trip. Is this the Spring Break of the past? Definitely not. But we know this Spring Recharge will help keep our inventor culture thriving as we continue to build the future in the Metaverse.