p10 news Oct30MATT 28/10/09 18:47 Page 10
news conference report
ttglive.com
Hays Travel Homeworkers
October 22■ Birmingham
Hays Travel hosted a one-day conference for
COMMUNICATIONS ROLE.
its homeworkers at the Marriott Forest of
Blogger to advise
Arden Hotel last week. Chris Gray reports
on social media
Hays sees bright future
AN AWARD-WINNING blogger and homeworker
has been taken on by Hays Travel to help other
agents make the most of social networking
opportunities.
despite a gloomy decade
Emily Powell (pictured) has joined the
company payroll as a special adviser to educate
colleagues about how to build a customer base
through Facebook and Twitter.
Her appointment was unveiled at the confer-
BRITAIN is facing a September last year it ence after she won awards for best writing and
“bathtub-shaped” reces- was “like turning the best personal blog at the Manchester Blog
sion from which it will lights off” because trad- Awards for her blog about her life as a single
not recover for a decade, ing went from being well mother in Manchester.
Hays Travel boss John up on the year before, to Hays also told delegates the company is devel-
Hays has warned. 25-30% down overnight. oping its own version of TripAdvisor
The north-east-based The firm responded by on the Hays Travel website.
firm’s managing director shelving plans for its He said it would aim to build up a
predicted the economy Hays Faraway tour oper- body of knowledge that would be
would “bump along the ation, scrapping a pay useful to customers and agents.
bottom” of the bathtub rise due in April and
before starting to climb making 12 people redun- ■Read Emily’s blog at
out in 10 years’ time. dant – the first redun- http://tinyurl.com/dxt8kc
Next year would be dancies in its 30-year
difficult as the govern- history.
WORKING HOURS.
ment would have to stop However, no shop staff
pouring money into John Hays is flanked by homeworker Christine Allinson lost their jobs and all
‘Set your own hours’
the economy and taxes and homeworker general manager Tracey Luke staff are getting a pay
would have to rise, he rise of up to 3% this HAYS TRAVEL is asking its homeworkers to grade
said, but travel would fare better than most sec- month after trading took off again in July. themselves according to how eager they are
tors in the long term. October trading was 40% up on the same to earn, to ascertain who to contact at busy
Even if unemployment rose to 10%, the 90% month last year when the recession was hitting periods.
of people in work would have more disposable home. More significantly, it was 10% up on John Hays said the move was part of the
income because of low inflation and interest October 2007, when trade was healthy. company’s desire to meet the individual needs of
rates, and would still take holidays, he said. Hays predicted more growth in 2010 for the homeworkers, who were all in the business for
Speaking to TTG at the Hays Travel home- Hays Independence Group, demonstrated by different reasons.
workers’ conference, Hays said next year would the recent addition of 1st4cruising. He said the The company is sending a questionnaire to all
create opportunities for the company as its cash homeworking division would potentially expand homeworkers to ask them what their objectives
reserves meant it could buy struggling retailers. if agents from other shops that went bust are for their businesses, so it knows what hours
“It’s going to be a bathtub-shaped recession decided to set up as homeworkers, and he and what times of year staff want to work.
and we will bump along the bottom for a predicted Hays’ retail estate would grow. Hays said the system would mean the com-
decade,” he said. “So I’m not optimistic about “We have a strong balance sheet. There are pany could work more closely with homeworkers
the economy in general. But for Hays Travel we other companies in distress and we are evaluating who wanted to develop their business.
have made the right decisions, got good technol- acquisitions. I’m optimistic for 2010,” he added. It would also mean the company did not “nag”
ogy and people, and a strong balance sheet.” homeworkers to take calls in busy periods if it
He said when the recession hit Hays in ■ Hays Travel’s Jill Gardner: Comment, p16 knew they wanted to work only certain hours.
10 30.10.2009
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