“Well, this is certainly out of the box.”
That was what was going through my head when Paul Giobbi, our President, shared his vision for giving employees an opportunity to travel abroad.
It was 2010, and like virtually every company, Zumasys was working through the challenges of a depressed economy. Everyone we knew was affected by the recession in some meaningful way. With so much bad news out there, we wanted an opportunity to give employees good news and, more importantly, something to look forward to. The International Travel Incentive was born.
The concept was simple: In order of tenure, give one employee per quarter $3,000 and five days of additional paid time off to travel somewhere outside of North America. No strings attached. All that was asked was that employees share their experiences with the company at the next meeting. Since that time, we have had employees travel to Australia, Italy, Thailand, France, England, Ireland, China, Bali, Spain, and Peru. When I explain this program to my friends and family, their jaws drop.
I’m writing now because I’m up next! After passing up my turn a few times until my “baby” was a little older, I am finally taking advantage of this gift. I have never traveled abroad. In fact, I have traveled very little, and to say that I am excited is an understatement. For one glorious week in March, my husband and I are leaving the kids at home with their grandparents and traveling to London, England. It will be an adventure of a lifetime and something that I will always remember.
As part of our 2012 holiday party we selected a fifth traveler for 2013—a person from the group that has already traveled. Ken McGarrity, Cloud Services Storage Engineer and my very first Zumasys hire, won the coveted prize. Having previously traveled to Barcelona, Spain, he’s now planning his next adventure.
In the meantime, I am so excited for my trip. Stay tuned for updates from London!
Cheerio!