'TAKE ALL THE TIME YOU NEED...'

WITH BURNOUT RATES ON THE RISE, SOME CEOS ARE TAKING MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS TO IMPROVE THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE OF THEIR TEAMS. BUT IS INTRODUCING UNLIMITED ANNUAL LEAVE A RISKY MOVE?

- JESSICA MUDDITT

When the Founder and CEO of Rise Consulting emailed his accountant at the start of 2018 to say he would be introducing unlimited annual leave, the reply came swiftly.

“He wrote back saying, ‘I think there’s been a typo. Surely you don’t mean unlimited paid leave.’ He had a fit when I told him I meant it,” says Ross Reekie.

Reekie was unable to convince his accountant that having a fixed number of holiday days was “old-fashioned”, and that an unlimited number was a better alternative for today’s workforce.

“He worked in big consulting firms where you bill for every minute and the more minutes you work, the more money you make. He just fundamentally didn’t understand that there was a different model out there based on results.”

While the policy at Rise Consulting may be unusual, it isn’t unique. Some of the world’s high-profile multinationals offer unlimited annual leave, including Netflix, IBM, Virgin Group, HubSpot and LinkedIn.

Anthony Mitchell, Co-Founder and Chief Potential Officer of Sydney-based management consultancy Bendelta, believes that offering unlimited leave can be a powerful way to attract and retain talent in a competitive marketplace.

“The employee experience is of major importance when it comes to attracting people,” he says.

“If you create an attractive experience that includes a consideration for people’s wellbeing and their ability to have some autonomy over how they manage their work and life, it is incredibly appealing.”