Although our team is 100% globally distributed, there are numerous global events, disruptions, news stories, and changes that have been impacting all of us for much of 2020. I’m sure they are affecting you in various ways as well. 💚

We’ve been working extremely hard this year on a variety of important initiatives. Between unveiling Forem, generalizing the platform, building out the systems side for hosting, organizing hackathons, launching podcasts, and everything else we all have going on, we’re a bit exhausted and need a quick rest.

That’s why we decided to plan a company-wide vacation next week (Sep 21-25). Most of the team will be fully offline to recharge, while some of us will continue working to serve the community (including moderation, support, and content distribution).

Here’s some additional context on this team break and why we feel it’s important to share with you.

DEV/Forem Team Mental Health Break

When it became clear that the COVID-19 pandemic was going to grow into a serious and ongoing threat to public health, we knew that we wanted to give the team a chance to unplug and prioritize their mental health during a dedicated break. This is always a goal here (flexible PTO and personal time is very important to us), but sometimes a planned company holiday is necessary -- you know, the kind that isn’t tied to THE Holidays.

The goal of the optional mental health vacation week is not for the team to return and work harder than ever. Instead, Ben, Peter, and I are hoping that the DEV/Forem team will get a chance to reset and meditate on what they need more and less of in their day-to-day lives. It’s a time to get away from the computer, knowing that most of our teammates are doing the same.

What to expect on DEV next week.

Don’t worry! We’ll still be maintaining our focus on moderation and safety, answering support inquiries, sharing the weekly newsletter, announcing the winners of the GitHub Actions Hackathon (on Wednesday, September 23) and delivering most of what you expect from this team.

However, with the company vacation in effect from now until Monday, September 28th, you can expect the following temporary changes:

Fewer outgoing social posts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin
No Top Comments Post on Thursday, September 24th
Our DevDiscuss and DevNews podcast release-schedule will resume the week after next
Slower response times on our GitHub repositories

Building Better Mental Health Habits as a Community

While we can’t demand that every workplace gives you the week off (believe me, if I could, I would!) maybe you can find small ways to join our team in taking next week to improve your work-life balance. In many ways, 2020 has been an extremely taxing year and it’s important to prioritize your own needs and mental health.

In that spirit, the team has selected a few of our favorite work/life balance-focused posts and resources that provide some truly useful tips and practical advice.