You're hired! Now go on a vacation!

This definitely is the ultimate perk, if you are lucky enough to find a place that offers it. Pre-cation, which essentially means taking a holiday before you join, is a trend that most job seekers would love to encourage. However, as on now it's something that only a few companies in the US are warming up to. You could just take a break somewhere close to home or go on that dream vacation that has been on your bucket list for the longest time. But this fantastic trend has yet to find it's way to Indian shore. Meanwhile here's what it entails....

Who's doing it
Jason Freedman, co-founder and CEO of 42Floors, a real estate start up, doesn't hestiate to offer his new hires a two-week vacation. Instead of asking 'how soon can you join?', he asks them to take a break for two weeks. It all began when Freedman wanted to hire a candidate whose last job has beft him burt-out and exhausted. Every new company wanted him to join at the earliest, but Freedman took a different approach. He offered the job on one condition, that the employee takes a twoo-week paid vacay before joining week. Of course, the candidate accepted. Since then it has been a rule with the company to send it's new hired employees on a holiday.
Software company Atlassian too offers its employees a vacation before the are seen at their desks. Not just that the company also offers unlimited vacation once the employe returns from the pre-cation. The other perks offered by the company include giving an employee, who has complete five years, another break and $3,000 for a vacation of their dreams. No wonder the attrition rates at the company are limited to single digits. In a survey that the company carried out, over 90 per cent respondents said they hoped to remain with Atlassian for a long time.

Is it to good to be true?
Skeptics say that though it may look like the ideal perks, an employee needs to be careful. He/she should check whether the vacation will be a part of the leaves that they are granted when they join work. They should also check whether they will be expected to work longer hours and be available at all times.

Why companies offer pre-cations:
Instead of hiring an employee who probably has had lots on his mind while changing jobs, you now have a person who has come back from a break. Companies that offer such perks say that the environment at workplace is much happier. Also the attrition rates is much lower. In an interview Freedman said he is convinced the policy boosts his bottom line. He added, "The number one thing employers need to do if they want to get the most out of their workers is to get across that we care about their well-being. When they go home for Thanksgiving, we want their mom to say they've never looked so healthy. That's why they stay in the job—and they'll reward you with their passion and hustle."

Unlimited vacation
Netflix decided to not have a holiday policy as it did not have a 9 to 5 policy. This means employees can take vacation whenever they want and for as long as they want. Sir Richard Branson felt this was a great concept and has decided to remove limits on the amount of holiday his employees can take each year. He hope that this will boost the morale of the employees and lead to higher productivity. He believes that the long-term benefits of this policy will be beneficial to his company. Writing on his Virgin blog, Branson, 64, said: "The 'policy that isn't' permits all salaried staff to take off whenever they want for as long as they want. There is no need to ask for prior approval and neither the employees themselves nor their managers are asked or expected to keep track of their days away from the office.
"It is left to the employee alone to decide if and when he or she feels like taking a few hours, a day, a week or a month off, the assumption being that they are only going to do it when they feel a 100 per cent comfortable that they and their team are up to date on every project and that their absence will not in any way damage the business - or, for that matter, their careers."