By editorial@silicon.com, 2 July 2001 18:30
COMMENT Whether you like Cliff Richard or not (and believe it or not this is an argument the Weekly Round-Up has been having of late http://www.silicon.com/a45395 ), the annual summer break has become something of a bind. For one thing, it feels like this summer the tech industry is going back to the 'brother-can-you-spare-a-dime' days of the Great Depression, or at least mimicking the activities of factories that have always closed during slow periods. A number of stalwarts are using Independence Day - the Fourth of July to the rest of us - as the focus of a series of business shut down days. Adobe, Compaq and Sun have all announced that to save money they will be encouraging staff to take simultaneous paid days off. The idea is to save money by closing down operations in the US (which is strange seeing as it's continental Europe that's famed for its drawn-out summer breaks). What's the big deal? Certainly enforced days off are better than lay-offs - even for those poor souls forced to borrow against an upcoming year's holiday allowance. Yet it is easy to understand the concerns of those who want a life outside work. Many US staff enjoy two weeks of paid vacation per year, or less, for new recruits. HP has gone a step further and is asking for volunteers to take pay cuts or unpaid leave. The company has in the past asked employees to pitch in so as to avoid more severe cuts, and who knows, maybe it will work. But its scheme isn't compulsory and managers aren't even tracking whether staff do their bit or not. All we can say is good luck. This state of affairs is juxtaposed against what's going on in the Vodafone camp today. The mobile operator's CEO, Chris Gent, could be about to receive another eight million shares while nearly 42,000 other employees around the world will be offered long-term options. Vodafone talks about everyone thinking and acting like owners. Maybe they'll be able to afford a holiday in the sun this year, but just which company would you say is doing the most for its staff? Now there's a question.
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