Over the years there has been much hand-wringing on the part of accounting firms when it comes to offering perks to retain top talent, a large chunk of which has been documented on these here pages. From flexible vacation to (ugh) ping-pong tables, entire firm departments have wasted countless hours coming up with ideas they think will keep staff content enough not to leave for greener pastures in private. And mostly they’ve failed.
Still, improvements have been made. One area that has been noticeably improved in the 10 years we’ve been at the helm of this rag is parental leave. Note: not maternity leave. Parental leave. Some big brain at some firm realized that it isn’t 1964 anymore and that millennial dads actually — shock — want to be present in their kids’ lives just as much as moms, at a minimum during that crucial infant bonding stage when no one is getting any sleep. Of course, it’s public accounting we’re talking about here so stigma still remains when it comes to actually using the benefits your firm wastes a PR Newswire subscription to talk about at every possible moment.
That’s all well and good for parents, but what about uncoupled youngsters and the child-free among you? Don’t y’all deserve some well-deserved time off? I mean, it’s only fair, right?
Well the BBC wrote an article about just that the other day. Apparently some smart bosses are now allowing for drunk-ass employees to book hangover days.
Ellie is 19 and works as a PR manager for a digital marketing agency. Like a growing number of employers, her boss offers flexible working arrangements, including flexible hours and unlimited holiday.
It also lets employees take “hangover days” where they work from the comfort of their own sofa – or even bed.
“The perk has a lot in it,” Ellie told BBC 5 Live’s Wake Up To Money. “It is about honesty, it’s about people being able to not lie to their managers.
“But also, the idea behind it is that parents have a lot of perks at our business but there are not necessarily any for people who don’t have children.
“So this is a perk for people who don’t have kids.”
On second thought, maybe this isn’t the best idea for accounting firms after all. Because who would be left to do the work? Besides the stubborn dads who are afraid to take their paternity leave, that is.
