Allen & Overy Lets Lawyers Buy and Sell Vacation Time

Consider this scenario.  It's the middle of December and you're starting a trial you expect to last two weeks.  You, your client, and your witnesses are very well prepared and you feel you have the ideal judge for the case.  There's just one problem.  You have five remaining vacation days for the year, but you won't be able to get any time off until after the trial.  Since your firm does not allow you to carry those days over into next year, you're going to lose them.  Wouldn't it be great if you could convert those vacation days into some extra pay?

The lawyers and staff at Allen & Overy can do exactly that.  The firm allows employees to buy and sell vacation days worth a limited portion of their salary.  This creative approach to scheduling vacation time is just the latest innovation in Allen & Overy's effort to address work-life balance issues.  The London-based firm has also been a leader in addressing other issues to improve its employees' career satisfaction and to retain its associates.

By Steve Imparl, guest blogger