Dating app Bumble has announced a new policy meaning its 700 staff can take unlimited paid leave, providing it is approved by their manager.
This follows the company’s decision in June to give all employees a week’s paid leave to combat workplace stress, with Head of Clare O’Conner commenting in a since deleted tweet that the CEO “correctly intuited our collective burnout”.
This decision is not unique to Bumble, with many companies choosing to give staff paid leave in order to allow employees to recharge and avoid burnout.
Beginning 5th April, LinkedIn employees worldwide received a paid week off, with the chief people officer Teuila Hanson commenting:
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We wanted to make sure we could give them something really valuable, and what we think is most valuable right now is time for all of us to collectively walk away
Not only this, but other companies such as KPMG chose to give staff an additional day off in order to protect wellbeing, with just under 20,000 employees given Monday 21st June off.
Bumble has chosen to go a step further, making the plan to close the office for a week a permanent fixture, twice a year.
Their policy announcement also includes 20 days of paid leave for staff who are victims of domestic violence, and a minimum of 15 days bereavement leave for miscarriages.
President of Bumble Tariq Shaukat said:
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the way that we work, and need to work, has changed and our new policies are a reflection of what really matters and how we can best support our teams in both their work and life
However, some have concerns about the concept of unlimited holiday itself, describing it as a situation where “workers stand to lose”.
André Spicer, a professor of organisational behaviour at the Cass Business School at City, University London, claims that whilst unlimited paid leave is supposed to work “wonders”, this is rarely the reality. He stated:
The companies that offer it tend to be demanding and all-consuming workplaces, so taking time off can make employees feel guilty – particularly as it may show their boss and their colleagues that they are not fully committed.
In addition, it means firms do not need to account for holidays they would previously have owed to employees.
Megan McElroy is a second year English Literature student at the University of Warwick. As Editorial Intern for HRreview, her interests include employment law and public policy. In relation to her degree, her favourite areas of study include Small Press Publishing and political poetry.
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