Markforged is shutting down — for a week.
The company issued this statement to the public:
“We want to give you a heads up because next week, Markforged is taking the week off.
That’s right. We’ve given Markforged employees a week to rest, recharge and take care of themselves — whatever that looks like for them and their families.
It’s been a long, difficult year and a half since the pandemic began. Through it all, the Markforged team has shown incredible resilience, giving 110% to our customers, our products and their teammates. Thanks to their hard work, we’ve continued to grow and support our customers as they tackle challenges in their own manufacturing and supply chain operations. Now, we want to give back to the team that has been working so hard.
Starting August 23, Markforged employees will be off hiking, swimming, eating, hanging out with family, sleeping, reading books, watching movies — everything but showing up to work. Some of our teams will be on call to support customer needs, and we are very thankful for them for keeping the lights on!
And on August 30, we’ll be back rested, recharged and ready to continue reinventing manufacturing.”
This is an incredible move, one rarely seen in any industry, let alone additive manufacturing.
I have little doubt it will be welcomed with open arms across Markforged, and indeed, it’s likely their clients will also understand this move — and be a bit jealous, too.
Markforged has certainly been busy this year. They’ve grown significantly, as their equipment is being used by manufacturers turning their supply chains upside down due to the pandemic. One of the more complex moves they made this year was to begin trading publicly on the NYSE.
That move alone would certainly generate immense amounts of work for top management, which no doubt contributed to their decision on taking a week off. It was a good move, however, as the company now occupies fifth place on our leaderboard of the biggest 3D printing companies.
While this is good news for Markforged staff, I’m wondering whether this will set a precedent among other major 3D printing companies that have certainly undergone very similar circumstances. With the announcement by Markforged, there are no doubt discussions taking place in many executive offices.
A week off is fine, but what could be even more important is simply that Markforged actually did this. It’s a massive vote of confidence for the staff, demonstrating that the company does care for them. That’s something of a rarity these days, where staff are often pushed to the limit.
This move could also make Markforged a more attractive company for jobseekers, as their reputation for having good relations with staff could increase.
Finally, as Markforged staff book holidays, which other AM companies will make a similar move?
Via Markforged
