Holiday Experts chief executive Peter Healey has warned it could all end in tears if agents turn to homeworking for the wrong reasons.
Major homeworking firms have targeted staff facing redundancy at Thomas Cook, but Healey said many people don’t appreciate how difficult it is to succeed as a homeworker.
Healey issued the warning as he acquired a majority stake in Holiday Elite, a fellow Freedom Travel Group member.
Holiday Elite and its 16 homeworkers will merge with Holiday Experts, which has 26. Both come under the banner of Yourholidaybooking.com, which incorporates Miss Ellies Travel in Manchester and is headed by Healey – who also owns Vertical Systems, the travel technology provider.
Healey told Travel Weekly: “There are a lot of people in the [homeworking] market and there will be tears when they realise it’s a hard life being a homeworker.”
He expects Holiday Experts and Holiday Elite to reach a maximum of 50 homeworkers each, but said: “I’m not sure people are going into homeworking for the right reasons. A lot of people are doing it out of desperation – they will do it until they get another job.
“We’re not rushing around recruiting people. We are trying to recruit people who are committed to the homeworking market.”
Holiday Experts agents are fed leads, while those at Holiday Elite find their own business. Healey said: “They are very different types of homeworkers and they need different support.”
Healey predicted “a furore” if former Thomas Cook agents try to take customers with them when they leave. “That would be very uncomfortable for the company that employs them,” he said.