All expenses paid

Do you offer paid leave to your employees? How about paying for their vacations? A trend sweeping through the business world is doing just that. Companies are rolling vacation time, sick leave, and any other time off into one plan and offering their employees unlimited time off. While the concept is trending, the Society for Human Resource Management says that only 1% of U.S. employers are offering unlimited time off. Others are offering stipends, free adventure trips, and use of company properties to encourage employees to take a break. The consensus of all the new thinking being that happier employees are easier to retain and are more productive.

Abuse? There’s not that much. Companies that offer unlimited vacation tend to be invested in hiring responsible employees who can balance taking time off with getting their work done. While unlimited vacation can be hard for managers to implement, most employees aren’t taking advantage of the perk. They get overwhelmed by the possibilities or can’t find the right amount that they feel is a fair amount to take. Employees still feel that their reputation will be damaged if they are away from the office too much.

Americans only take about half of their earned vacation days adding up to some $50 billion in lost paid vacation. A study conducted by the U.S. Travel Association found that American workers averaged 16 days leave in 2013; down from 20 in 2000. While most companies praise workaholics, people that don’t ever take off may being harming themselves and the office culture. It’s been well proven that not being able to disconnect from work can be unhealthy, but those individuals may cause resentment and guilt among their coworkers. Oxford Economics conducted a survey that found that 13 percent of managers were less likely to promote employees who took all of their allotted vacation. The DIW Economic Bulletin published a German study in 2012 that indicated employees who took fewer days off earned almost three percent more than those who took all their vacation time. 

           

Too offer even more encouragement companies are giving cash or other incentives to use vacation days. Some are also experimenting with paying employees to take vacation by offering a percentage of their salaries as a stipend or bonuses to help pay for the vacation, with stipulations that they actually take a trip of at least five days and not just stay home. Companies that aren’t offering the time off or stipends are paying for Caribbean getaways or adventure type vacations. Again, the idea being that a company that is a great place to work will have higher employee retention. 

           

Those working at more traditional minded companies have countered with a plan of their own. Employees request what are becoming known as “workcations”. This is where the employee is granted leave (time away from the office) but they agree to telecommute while they are away. The employee pays for the trip, but the leave is not charged against their vacation days.

Critics wonder how much work is actually being completed while at the beach with your family. Some employers or tasks just aren’t logistically equipped to handle telecommuting. Those concerned for employee health question if employees are really benefitting from being out of the office. Workers like the idea of a change of environment and feel that more can be accomplished without the constant interruptions present in the office. Further they can get away while saving their leave for life’s emergency that pop up. Kenneth Matos, senior director of research at the Families and Work Institute, says: “Is the workcation detracting from the vacation you were going to have, or is it enabling the vacation you otherwise wouldn’t have had?”

Either way, both companies and employees are getting creative with their use of paid leave. Traditional time off is definitely changing.

Mazzella Investigative Solutions

Taking your identity on vacation

Summer is here and the travel season is gearing up. Whether you’re goin’ down the ocean or staying in a five star European hotel identity theft and security should be on your mind. You want to enjoy your travel but have to keep your guard up. Sadly, unwinding and relaxing may make you vulnerable. Your habits about purse snatchers, pick pockets, and how you handle your money will stay with you on vacation. However, we tend to get complacent about unpacking everything and locking the room when we leave, thinking everything is secure. Remember that you are not the only one with access to your room. If someone doesn’t have a key, the digital locks can be easier to “pick” than mechanical locks.

Depending on how and where you travel you may have any combination of electronics, jewelry, cash, credit cards, and personal documents. Common thieves as well as identity thieves are looking for anything they can get their hands on. The trick is not making it easy. Although, even your best intentions can be thwarted by tenacious thieves and lack of security options.

During some recent travel I had the opportunity to stay at five different brands of midrange hotels. There was one common observation made in all five hotels-The room safes are disappearing. Research did not reveal any reason why hotels are removing room safes. The places I stayed were all new or fairly new builds. So, this appears to be a new trend. Maybe not as secure as the hotel safe, room safes do offer a higher level of security than leaving items in your luggage.

A friend reported staying at a nice, but off brand motel. They left the room and stored electronic devices in their suitcases, under clothes. Those suitcases were then put in a closet under other suitcases. After returning to the room they discovered that the electronics had been stolen. Thieves know we hide valuables in the room. Not only did they feel the victimization of the theft but also that someone had gone through their room and luggage.

Time and opportunity are part of any successful crime. If someone has access to your room, with a good idea that you’re gone for several hours, they can thoroughly go through your room and take anything they want. The more time a thief has the higher percentage they will be successful. Suffice it to say that nothing is totally secure. If someone wants in bad enough, they’ll get in.  

Travelers have to make themselves uninviting or bothersome targets. If a thief feels that it would take too much time and effort to attempt the theft or notes nothing valuable, they’ll move on.

Some simple things you can do to help make yourself less vulnerable to theft or identity theft.

•        Don't carry all of your credit cards on you
•    Notify CC companies of extended travel
•    Make copies of licenses/passports. Leave a copy at home and take one with you
•    Use hotel safes, don't leave documents or valuables in your roomUse bank ATM's, not independent machines
•    Secure your smart phone against unwanted access
•        Install an app that allows you to track/shut down/erase your phone, laptop, and tablet
•       Think twice before using credit cards in unfamiliar businesses, use cash when you can.
•        If you have to leave valuables in the room make it difficult as possible by hiding what you can and locking luggage.

 www.mazzellainvestigations.com