Richard Branson apparently allows staff at his headquarters to take unlimited holidays. Sounds amazing but could this really work for a “normal” company? He introduced the policy after reading about Netflix who operate without tracking annual leave for their staff.
Many of us might love the idea of unlimited holidays but would the reality be as appealing? On his website Richard Branson says, “It is left to the employee alone to decide if and when he or she feels like taking a few hours, a day, a week or a month off, the assumption being that they are only going to do it when they feel a hundred per cent comfortable that they and their team are up to date on every project and that their absence will not in any way damage the business “
Forgive me if I sound sceptical but I’m not convinced! Maybe this would work in an organisation where everyone is passionate about what they do, dedicated and works brilliantly together as a team but let’s be honest, not every work place is like that. Depending on workflow, work colleagues and the nature of your business I can see this being a recipe for disaster. Can you imagine telling a client who rings that you have no idea when a colleague will be back in work and that they are free to take as much time off as they like? What would they think?
Flexible working is definitely on the increase and I think most people agree that as it is a good idea. Flexi-time, unpaid leave, the flexibility to work remotely are all growing in popularity and generally improve staff morale and employee loyalty. So maybe Richard Branson is on the right track, he says if it works he will role the scheme out to his other subsidiaries. It will certainly be interesting to see if this happens.
