USAirtours is giving staff £1,200 as an annual working from home allowance to help them cope with the rising cost of living.
The new benefit, to be introduced from October 1 this year, is in recognition that bills are going up and to help the tour operator recruit new staff.
It will be split into monthly payments of £100 as a separate benefit in employees’ pay packets.
Chief executive Guy Novik said: “We are introducing it at the start of the colder months when heating bills will increase. We have brought it in as a contractual benefit.
“The cost of living is going up and we feel we have to help existing staff, it’s the right thing to do, and it helps with retention. It should also give us the edge when we recruit.”
He added: “We not only want to retain the amazing staff who got us through the toughest trading period I’ve experienced but also attract further talented and experienced individuals to join our team. Introducing this new allowance will help us achieve that.”
Pre-Covid the operator had 82 employees but the company was forced to reduced its headcount to 32 during the pandemic as a result of the closure of the US borders for 20 months.
Since Covid the US specialist has recruited more staff. It currently has a workforce of 50. In the last recruitment batch of ten staff, half were employees returning to work for the company.
Novik added: “I am delighted to see so many of our staff re-join us, particularly as the current skills-shortage meant they had many other job options but they still chose to return to us which is much appreciated.
“Despite the gloomy economic forecast predicting that the size of outbound travel market will shrink next year, we will continue to find ways to grow our small slice of the pie.
“Trading through another recession will be like a walk in the park compared to the recent Covid challenge.”
Novik said the operator may not return the workforce to the size it was pre-Covid due to changes introduced to ensure the company “works smarter” but said it already plans to take on a further five sales staff between now and the end of the year.
All the company’s staff now work remotely and the benefit will be issued on a pro-rata basis depending on the hours worked by the employee.