Perks: Travel

Many companies are now offering travel perks as part of an employees’ benefits program. Airlines and Travel Agencies specifically have begun offering these kinds of programs. Travelzoo, for example, offers any employee who has worked for the company for over a year between $1500-$2000 as well as an extra three days’ vacation to take advantage of any travel deal they find. In return, all the employees need to do is write up their experience for Travelzoo’s subscriber newsletter and take pictures. In this way, Travelzoo is able to enhance their company by sending their employees to various parts of the world and getting work out of them while they are on vacation. Travel perks are not just for top performers, either; some companies offer employees the trip of their choice after 5 and 8 years of work.

Advantages to Employees

Travel perks offer many advantages to employees, regardless of how they are distributed. They reward longevity and commitment to a company. Some companies offer employees a trip if they have worked at the company for a certain number of years. By remaining at the same company for an extended period of time, the employee is rewarded with a free vacation. Other companies may offer travel perks to employees who have reached certain incentives. In this scenario, employees who work hard are granted free vacations, thus rewarding their hard work and making them feel appreciated. Employees who have the opportunity to earn travel perks know their companies are invested in them, and thus feel wanted by their employers while knowing their work is scrutinized but appreciated. Travel incentives can cause some problems; it can discourage teamwork, especially if it is only available to one person. There may also be built in inequity, due to some employees not receiving the same opportunities as others, thus diminishing their chances of meeting the required incentives. That is why many companies offer a longevity travel program, which makes it available to any employee who meets the necessary requirements.

Advantages to Employers

Travel perks are a way for employers to retain top-performing employees, who may think there are better opportunities available to them at another company. Airlines and Travel Agencies are two of the companies offering travel perks. For travel agencies, travel perks are a win-win situation: it gives their employees a bonus while at the same time broadening and deepening their value to its customers. By sending their employees on free vacations, but having them take pictures and write about it, employers are essentially getting free information and scouting on potential vacation spots for customers, enhancing their overall knowledge and ability to sell a package deal to the customer. Employers also hope travel perks will motivate their employees, especially the ones that are incentive based. For the longevity based travel perks, employers hope to retain employees and create a sense of loyalty and commitment to the company by employees. It also helps draw in new employees, who may be enticed by the travel perks to apply for a position at the company. Better employee retention, production, and opportunity to recruit new, skilled employees are just some of the benefits travel perks offer to employers.