Lends Florida vacation house to employees

Published: 12.07.11

Elin B. Øvrebø, Haugesunds Avis

Many companies offer employees cabins for rent. Omega in Ølen however, takes it one step further.

Four houses in Gran Canaria, one house in Southern France, apartments in Spain and Bulgaria, a house in Thailand and one in Orlando USA, plus several cabins in Norway. Omega employees can pick and choose among all this in their paradise of vacation houses.

Saves points

"Cabin": The Orlando house has got five bedrooms, ten beds, four bathrooms and a jacuzzi.

Employees may book the houses by saving up points through the welfare program Advantage. All employees automatically receive points to their Advantage account every month. They can also receive extra points for exercising and participating in HSE courses. Aslaug Ø. Nesheim is Omega`s Service Centre Manager.

“Employees can exchange their points into either teambuildings with the company or use them as rent for our houses in Norway or abroad. Employees only cover the trip to and from the destination themselves, says Nesheim, and adds that most employees use their points.

For example, the Orlando house requires 12 000 points per night. The Thailand house requires 10 000 points per night, the same amount that every employee receives each month. The amount of points also vary depending on the season.

- A competitive advantage

Aslaug Ø. Nesheim says the vacation house offer is positive for the company.

“Why is it important for you to offer employees vacation houses?”

“We want to be an attractive workplace for our employees, and have a competitive advantage when recruiting new employees. Advantage is also a positive measure for our employees. Many of them spend a lot of time away from their families, and hopefully they get to recover with a vacation like this.”

Omega has a strong focus on networking, well-being, health and being an inclusive workplace, says Nesheim, who herself has visited the houses on Gran Canaria and in Bulgaria.

Worth the money

The vacation houses are booked almost through the entire year. The most popular vacation spots are Hovden, Vågslid, Voss, Gran Canaria and Orlando. The Advantage offer has grown parallel with the company. The selection has changed during the last five years, according to Nesheim.

“How much money do you spend on this program?”
“Omega has grown, and with the number of team members, the cost per employee is not that high. The resources we put in Advantage gives so much back to our employees. With the program all employees have the same opportunity to use the same welfare offers,” says Nesheim.

Omega has got 802 employees. Between 70 and 80 of them works in Ølen.