By Allison McNeely
Some companies have started offering new hires paid time-off before their start date to attract talent in a competitive job market.
SevenRooms, a software company for the hospitality industry, recently started offering two weeks paid vacation before a new hire’s start date, Paul McCarthy, the company’s chief people officer, said in a LinkedIn post.
“We want people to be able to take the time they need before embarking on a new journey with us — if that means self-care to reset, spending time with family and friends, or reconnecting with those who have influenced their lives for the better,” McCarthy wrote.
While it’s not uncommon for people to take time off between jobs, they’re usually reliant on vacation from their last role or going a few weeks without pay. And hiring bonuses are a common practice to attract employees, but they’re not necessarily paid right away.
After two years of a global pandemic, people are reassessing their relationship with work and quitting their jobs by the millions as companies try to figure out how to keep their talent. U.S. job openings hit 10.9 million in December, suggesting that the job market is much tighter than the 4% unemployment rate, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
While many in the comments section of the LinkedIn post cheered the idea of paid vacation before starting your new job, some recruiting specialists expressed concern that new hires would take advantage of the benefit.
“At the rate at which candidates are reneging on offers and accepting counter-offers and the like, I wouldn’t recommend it,” according to one comment.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com.
