Travel Village Group has unveiled a new initiative giving staff the opportunity to work overseas, but warned “there must be a business case for it”.
Under the new scheme, agents in retail roles may put forward an argument to work remotely to make scheduling holidays with their families and partners easier.
Chief executive Phil Nuttall unveiled the scheme during the company’s annual conference onboard MSC Virtuosa, where he acknowledged it can be difficult for families to align their holidays.
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He explained staff would be invited to approach the senior team with a proposal detailing the dates they would be abroad and when they would be working.
In an interview with Travel Weekly, he said: “In general, I need staff in the office, but we appreciate that people have partners and families and cannot always get the same weeks off work together.
“To that end, we are giving people the opportunity to put a business case forward to explain why they should be allowed to work overseas so they can spend time with their family without taking annual leave.”
Nuttall previously warned staff who are given more freedom could have the “temptation” to be less productive, meaning business owners need to “have their eyes open” to ensure productivity is consistent.
He continued: “Anyone that wants to take up the offer must recognise that permission will only be granted if it works for the business because that is what this is, it’s not a jolly. If they put forward a good enough case then we are open to people working overseas for short periods.”
Managing director John Warr added: “I think businesses need to get away from measuring input because output is far more important. If people can work overseas and still have the same output, then we should acknowledge that.”