Expotel has asked suppliers to stop tempting its call centre staff with “stodgy treats”.
Hotel reps often take goodies to Expotel's call centre workers, but this doesn’t fit with the company's wellbeing initiative.
Jane Wheeler, HR director for Expotel, said: “It is part of established sales practice for suppliers to bring regular treats for our call-centre staff but these are almost always cakes, cookies, confectionery or junk food.”
During the busiest times of the year, these gifts can be a daily occurrence, said Wheeler.
“For people whose job entails sitting at a desk for the majority of the working day this is obviously a huge temptation and terribly unhealthy,” she added.
As an employer, Expotel feels it has a duty of care.
Wheeler said the company must “discourage gifts that are obviously bad for our staff”.
Expotel provides gym passes and health check-ups to its employees, and is planning to launch a subsidised bike to work scheme.
“As part of the wellbeing programme we would ask that hotels adopt a more imaginative approach to incentivising our bookers,” said Wheeler.
“Less harmful promotional offerings from thoughtful groups could include office gadgets and stationery, branded novelties or trinkets, or creatively-presented fruit and veg baskets."
Not all travel companies feel the same, however.
Ken McLeod, director of corporate at Advantage Travel Centres, said sales reps often take doughnuts or a box of chocolates into travel agencies who belong to the consortium.
“People do like it,” he said. “You do that a few times in the year and it won’t cost you.”
Sadly, he said, it doesn’t happen very often at the Advantage HQ. “There are 45 of us in the office,” he explained.
“We do like that kind of thing,” he added. Suppliers take note.