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Richard Branson takes his holidays on Necker Island, so he probably will be taking advantage of his policy.
# like a virgin
Richard Branson is giving his staff as much time off as they like
Here’s why.
RICHARD BRANSON IS known for working his own way.
It’s one of the reasons why he’s worth nearly $5 billion and why his book, The Virgin Way, is so popular.
However, his latest suggestion probably won’t go down that well with many bosses here in Ireland.
Branson wants workers to have unlimited holiday days, as long as the workplace isn’t disrupted.
In a blog post on the Virgin website, which is an excerpt from the book, Branson says that he has implemented the “non-policy” in an office with 170 staff, and wants other Virgin companies to follow suit.
“[S]imply stated, the policy-that-isn’t permits all salaried staff to take off whenever they want for as long as they want.
There is no need to ask for prior approval and neither the employees themselves nor their managers are asked or expected to keep track of their days away from the office. It is left to the employee alone to decide if and when he or she feels like taking a few hours, a day, a week or a month off, the assumption being that they are only going to do it when they feel a hundred per cent comfortable that they and their team are up to date on every project and that their absence will not in any way damage the business – or, for that matter, their careers!
Branson says that he is basing the policy on a similar idea piloted by Netflix. Netflix said that because staff work at different times from different locations, it was impossible to calculate working hours.
Companies that use the policy record an increase in productivity, the post says.
Read: The Irish work more hours – and get fewer holidays, survey says
Read: 15 per cent of Irish workers don’t take their allotted holiday allowance
