London-based company gives employees unlimited paid leave to prevent burnout

We recently heard of Japan and Iceland adapting to a four-day work week and Portugal making it illegal for bosses to contact employees after work hours. Now, a company in London makes an even bolder move after declaring that they will be giving their employees unlimited paid holiday or leave in 2022.

FinnCap, a financial services company based in London, will be requiring their 155 employees to take a minimum of four weeks and two or three days paid leave every quarter, hoping this will prevent burnout among their staff.

Chief Executive Sam Smith told BBC in an interview that the company made the decision after noticing how the “exceptionally busy” time at work has taken a toll on their employees' mental health.

Like many companies all over the world, remote working has led their employees to toil for very long hours, and "lines between work and life became blurred."

FinnCap will give employees unlimited paid leave to employees to combat burnout / Source: Pexels

Around June, they saw how the mental health pressures have affected the physical health of most of their employees, with many of them taking time off.

Moreover, Smith said they also observed some of their staff getting frustrated and not wanting to communicate during Zoom calls.

"People were fed up and had no resilience left because of having been in the pandemic for a long time," Smith said "There were no boundaries, no respite, it was just constant," she added.

So, to combat burnout, they're allowing their staff to take as much break as they need. Offering them a generous number of allowed paid leave.

Next year, they will require employees to take at least four weeks and two or three days paid leave every quarter, which excludes time off to look after sick parents, children or pets, or other household emergencies.

It's not usual for financial services companies to offer unlimited paid leave, but it is a common incentive in US tech firms, with some companies attesting that it increased productivity.

What do you think of having unlimited paid leave at work? Do you think this will work in the Philippines? Sound off in the comments section.