Travel Deals And Articles
Develop Your Domain Names
Fast-Growing HomeAway, Inc. Learns Lesson from Europe, Encourages Travel with Unprecedented Vacation Policy
Austin, TX (PRWeb) March 9, 2007 -- Designed to buck national trends of overworked, stressed-out and vacation-starved employees, two-year-old HomeAway, Inc. today announced a forward-thinking vacation policy that gives its 100 U.S. employees four weeks of vacation a year, regardless of employee tenure.
As the world leader in online vacation rentals and with three international offices, Austin-based HomeAway now provides full-time U.S. employees 27 days of paid vacation and holidays and addresses the disparity between U.S. and global vacation plans. Surveys show American workers average 14 days of vacation per year, compared to 39 in France, 27 in Germany, 24 in Great Britain and 19 in Canada.
"HomeAway has offices in the UK and Germany, but our recent acquisition of Abritel.fr, a vacation rental site in France, made the inconsistency of the vacation policies glaringly apparent," says Brian Sharples, founder and CEO of the online travel company that has 186 employees worldwide.
"Vacations and travel are at the core of HomeAway's business. This policy has the extra benefit of allowing all our employees to get closer to our customers and the product and service we provide," he says.
Whether employees have worked at the company for one month or 15 months, all now receive 20 days of paid vacation and seven paid holidays. While employees earn vacation monthly, they can take more days than accrued, resulting in a "negative balance" that is paid back over time.
"As a young and fast-paced company, we know we place significant demands on our team," Sharples says. "The stress of a high-growth environment can take a toll on employees so it's critical they have the time off to get away and recharge."
Research shows regular vacations are preventive medicine, cutting down on stress-related illness, reducing health care costs, and improving worker productivity.
"Given that most employees must work five to 10 years at a company to earn 20 vacation days, this is clearly a very generous U.S. vacation policy," says Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies Americans' use of time. "Vacation is an important, hard-earned commodity. This policy contributes to the recognition of the health and mental benefits employees derive from a work-life balance."
With two children, ages 13 and 15, Software Engineer Anita Dodia says HomeAway's vacation policy is a huge benefit for her and her family. "For the first time, I have enough vacation that I can take time off during my children's school breaks instead of hoarding all of my vacation for the holidays," she says. "We can enjoy the week-long Spring Break and take an extended vacation during the summer when the kids are out of school - and I will still have time left over for the holidays and for those times you just need to take a day off to manage errands."
Sharples hopes HomeAway's innovative vacation policy inspires other U.S. companies to design similar plans that aid in recruitment, retention and general workplace happiness and productivity.
In November 2006, HomeAway announced $160 million in financing to fund global expansion initiatives, including the acquisition of VRBO.com, the leading for-rent-by-owner Web site. With its recent acquisitions, HomeAway's portfolio of sites now lists more than 180,000 homes across 100 countries. The company will attract more than 100 million unique visitors to its sites in 2007.
About HomeAway,Inc.:
HomeAway, Inc. is the worldwide leader for vacation rentals on the Internet. Each year, more than 100 million travelers visit the HomeAway global marketplace that represents more than 170,000 vacation rental homes across 100 countries. The HomeAway portfolio of vacation rental sites includes HomeAway.com, as well as VRBO.com, CyberRentals.com, A1Vacations.com, GreatRentals.com, TripHomes.com, Holiday-Rentals.co.uk (UK), HolidayRentals.fr, Abritel.fr (France), FeWo-direkt.de (Germany) and HomeAway.es.
Led by an experienced team of online and travel industry experts, HomeAway is based in Austin, Texas and is funded by leading venture capital firms Austin Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, American Capital, Institutional Venture Partners and Trident Capital.
Media Contact:
Eileen Buesing
(512) 493-0375
www.homeaway.com
###
Other Article Sites
findabook.com moneycd.info a-mortgage.info
about-lemon-laws.info aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info auctions-articles.info bestcollege-university.com bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com blogger-website.com books-used.info brokers-guide.info buywindows.info cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com carpel-tunnel.info cashinaflash.info cashloanreviews.info casinobell.com chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info collegeloantips.info crones.info depression-articles.info
dirnic.net dishguides.info
divers-below.com expodog.info
financewizz.com fire-insurance.info getgood.info handleit.net
it-idea.info
health-supplies.info hosting-right.com insidealert.com insurance-facts.info jobs-employment.info
justgood.info lookgold.net
lowcost-travel.info money-source.info myhostzone.info numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info pr-articles.info realeas.com
refinancing-guides.info spyware-remove.info
telelot.info the-law.info
toppaid.info travel-deals.info travelcorrect.com wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info your-credit.info
MORE ARTICLES:
We Need to Remain in Touch while we Travel?
According to a recent survey apparently one in five of us take our Laptop Computers with us when we go on holiday. The umbilical chord that some of us feel with the Office nowadays is so much that the stress drives the remaining four in five people out there to take their mobile phones with them when they go on holiday indicating that extensive periods away from the office and not in touch are a little bit much for some people.
How To Add Comfort To Your Trip By Using An Auto Navigation System
Looking back at the pages of history, one can barely picture how greatly different life now is specially in terms of traveling Just imagine how people in the past were hassled with bulk of road maps yet still got lost along the way
Sundance Vacations Donates Security System to Lancaster Day Care Center
Sundance Vacations has donated $1500 to Tick Tock Early Learning Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the purchase of a security door for their facility.
Air Travel, Kids And Carry-Ons
After a week in the bush we were ill prepared for the long lines and heightened security that awaited us at the airport in Mombasa, Kenya. We had too much hand luggage and it was packed completely wrong. And if it weren't for a delay, we would have missed our flight home.
First Time Travel to Europe – Your Six Month Planning Guide
So, you've decided that you want to travel to Europe within the next year. Fantastic! Your trip is sure to be an exciting learning experience.
Planning A Trip To Spain
If you?re traveling to Spain and looking for a vacation spot in which to relax and unwind, consider Altea. North of Benidorm, you?ll find an unspoiled fishing village that has kept its small-town charm and natural beauty.
The Allure Of Jamaican Vacations
Are you interested in taking a family vacation, a romantic getaway, or a honeymoon in the near future? If you are, have you already decided where you would like to travel to? If this is a decision that you have yet to make, you may want to the time to examine Jamaica. Jamaican vacations, romantic getaways, and honeymoons come highly rated and recommended and there are good reasons for that, a few of which are outlined below.
When In The UK Visit The Old City Of Birmingham - Best Way To Travel Through Car Hire Birmingham
When you travel to the UK one of the towns you surely will want to pay a visit s Birmingham Birmingham is home to two airports, and the Birmingham International is the most utilized by business travelers outside if London
Last Minute Ski Vacations Are Becoming More Popular
With the rapid climate changes that we are all experiencing, last minute ski vacations are becoming more popular than ever before. It is impossible to know in advance of time whether or not a ski resort will actually have snow when the season starts, so planning a ski vacation way ahead of time makes less sense nowadays. Nonetheless, you can still find ski vacation packages at the last minute. In fact, ski vacations are more affordable than ever before check it yourself in holidayhomes.ca , with global warming scaring many people away from risking taking a ski trip and finding it ruined by unseasonably warm temperatures.
Cruise Travel Deals - The Way To Travel!
Cruising gives you an entirely different experience in traveling The vast sea can guarantee a worthwhile encounter between you and nature
Fort Wayne Hotels And Vacations
Fort Wayne has almost everything you would possibly expect from any tourist destination Whether you love chocolates or love wildlife, this place has something new to offer
Read What Florida Travel Expert & Author Has To Say About Her Favorite Florida Getaways
Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel & Bookpleasures is pleased to have as our guest, travel writer and author, Chelle Koster Walton.Chelle is an expert on Florida, particularly the West Coast of Florida, and she has contributed articles to the Miami Herald, National Geographic Traveler, Caribbean Travel & Life, FamilyFun, Fodor's Healthy Escapes, Fodor's Gold Guides: Florida and Bahamas.
Tips For Taking Your Kids On A Fishing Trip
Taking kids fishing is one of the best family outings you can plan. These trips may be as simple as gathering together the fishing poles with a picnic lunch, and heading down to the nearest lake. Some families try deep sea fishing on the deep blue waters, and others like to take the whole family out for several days on a boat. But you can just as easily head to a local farm pond for the afternoon. No matter what type of fishing trip you decide on, there are some helpful tips for taking the kids fishing.
Travel – The New Incentive To Get More Business
How do you get prospects to become clients? What extra can you add to your presentation to make the sale? Why not try an incentive? The three top incentives to get people to do anything is cash, products and travel. Cash incentives cost the most and believe it or not are the least effective.
Travel: The Best Home Based Business For Minorities
The minority travel market is booming and owning an online travel business is a cost effective and easy was to earn travel dollars
