Something for the weekend…
Employers are always looking for the next big thing to help them recruit, engage and retain the best talent. So could giving staff time during the working day to book a holiday be the next big craze inbenefits?
Well, it would seem that some employees are already enjoying this benefit, even without their boss’s say so.
A fifth of survey respondents who had been on holiday in the past six months booked their trip during working hours, according to research by Sunshine.co.uk.
The independent travel agency polled 2,107 UK adults after it noticed an increase in bookings between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. The survey found that the average time taken to book a holiday during working hours was two hours, and only 4% of respondents said their manager was aware of what they were doing.
Chris Clarkson, co-founder at Sunshine.co.uk, said: “To see that a fifth of holidays are booked in the workplace was a big surprise.
“Clearly, employees in the UK are taking liberties when it comes to their working hours and the access they have to the internet.
“My advice is to always book holidays in your own time, or else your boss might not let you go.”
Alternatively, the savvy boss might forego traditional smoking or coffee breaks and introduce a new benefit: the holiday-booking break.
The Sunshine.co.uk research just goes to show how important holidays are to employees and employers’ should sit up and take notice.
Imagine how motivated staff would be if holidays were on offer as a reward for a positive performance at work. Or how engaged they would be if they had access to benefits such as a holiday discount club, which would allow them to save money on their holiday booking and get more ‘bang for their buck’, or how loyal they would be if a holiday or weekend break was the reward for long service.
Employers that utilise the power of holidays via a professional reward provider will reap the benefits in enhanced employee performance and less time wasting during office hours.
Simon White
Business Development Director
Protravel