dxw time

dxw time is what we call the time that our staff spend working on things other than on client work. We expect this will be approx 10% of the hours someone billable works whether you are full-time or part-time.

That 10% is spread over the whole year, and it includes times when you are working but not on a billable project. We also look at utilisation rates across all of our billable staff. As a result, there might be some periods when you need to not take dxw time for us to be able to meet our goals.

What is dxw time? #

dxw time should be used to add value to the company, either by working individually or with colleagues. Some examples are working on an internal project, supporting sales and marketing, attending a conference, or taking part in a team or all staff away-day.

If you are a line manager meeting with people who report to you, this counts as dxw time. If you are the person being managed, this time is billable.

What isn’t dxw time? #

Billed time incorporates overhead activities (see below) as these enable us to deliver well for our clients, and you are still contactable by your project team. This approach is consistent with other agencies and the industries in which we work.

If you have a one-to-one, team meeting, spend time writing a blog post or case study about the project you are on, or catching up with dxw internal news, this counts as billable time. Receiving line manager or peer support, catching up on any challenges you’re facing, and working through development opportunities are all things that are beneficial to our clients.

Everyone has 4 non-billable days ring fenced for learning and development activities in addition to, and separate from, dxw time.

If you are unsure what falls into dxw time please speak to your Head of.

How to use dxw time #

The Operational Leadership Team (OLT) provides a steer on the focus of internal dxw projects and workstreams, which will be driven by the goals in the business plan. This should be reflected in your discussions with your line manager about how to use your dxw time best.

Please approach a member of the OLT for guidance, as needed.

Tracking your time #

You should record your time using Productive. There is a project called ‘dxw internal’ for logging your dxw time, and most people should use the ‘dxw - internal time’ budget.

For any help with Productive, please ask in the #help-productive Slack channel.

Last updated: 19 May 2025 (history)