Press Release
June 6, 2001
MAYNARD, MA -- A recent survey conducted by VacationCoach, a leading provider of expert-fueled travel planning
and advice resources, reveals that Americans are opting to work more and vacation less in an effort to keep their
jobs. 33% of the 400 adults polled online felt they simply had too much work to go on vacation, with an additional
11% concerned that their job wouldn't be there when they got back. Another 20% responded that they never take vacations.
``These results point to an overworked America,'' says Rob Roberts, founder of VacationCoach. ``Results from our
website (www.VacationCoach.com) are also showing more and more people
looking to take shorter vacations, three-day weekends and trips closer to home. There is no question that the mindset
of the worker has changed.''
And this change in mindset is cause for concern by many in Corporate America as they face the prospect of employee
burnout. With research repeatedly demonstrating that employees who take vacations are better employees - more motivated,
more productive, and more loyal - many companies are taking innovative measures to bring the balance back into
employees' lives.
Companies such as Shaw's Supermarkets, Wild Apple, ISM, and Pro Media are offering their employees memberships
to VacationCoach's expert travel advice resources as a corporate benefit.
``Our associates are our most valued asset'', shares Bernard Rogan, spokesman for Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc. ``We
chose to offer VacationCoach memberships as an innovative perk because VacationCoach saves our associates tremendous
hassle and time as they plan their getaways since they are the most objective, experienced travel coach online!''
Explains Roberts, ``By offering our expert travel advice website as a benefit, employers are saying, ''We don't
just want to give you vacation time, we want to empower you to take time away!``
The average American man, according to the Families and Work Institute, works 49.9 hours per week; the average
American woman works 42 hours a week, with stress accounting for 19% of the personal time or sick days taken. Further,
an Oxford Health Plan study conducted last year reported that one in six workers was too overloaded at work and
could not afford to take his or her earned vacation time. What is more, a 20-year study of 749 middle-aged women
by the Center for Disease Control found a link between lack of vacations and higher risk of heart attack and death.
This is why companies are now waking up to these startling statistics and going out of their way to create work/life
benefits that truly help bring balance back to an overworked America.
About VacationCoach, Inc.:
Headquartered in Maynard, MA, VacationCoach, Inc. is a leader in expert-based travel personalization, delivering
self-service, personal advice applications, which facilitate decision-making and brand selection. VacationCoach
has developed the patent-pending Me-Print profiling and advice technology, available for syndication to companies
in the travel, recreation, and lifestyle industries. The company's web resources, providing unbiased travel planning
tools and expert leisure advice, are offered to affinity and corporate benefit providers as an innovative membership
perk.
VacationCoach has garnered top-notch industry acclaim: an eTravel World Best Niche Travel Site award, the Applied
Arts Magazine Annual Award selection, and the Gold Award for Best E-commerce Business-to-Consumer site from the
Advertising and Design Club of Canada, among others. Current VacationCoach partners include Salon.com, Worldres.com,
Whatsgoingon.com, Qixo, Renaissance Worldwide, Pro Media, ISM, Shaw's, Wild Apple, Abilizer, Save@Work, Gill-Robbins
Consulting, WCRB, and WGBH.
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Contact:
Aigner Associates
Janet Prensky, 617/254-9500
jprensky@aignerassoc.com
OR
VacationCoach, Inc.
Lora Kratchounova, 978/461-2102
lorak@vacationcoach.com