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``FarAway Day'' Employee Holidays Without Ever Leaving the Office

29 May 1999

Makes Workers Feel Sunny and Builds Profits

    What's the latest in employee perks and strengthening company morale? For Auto Glass Plus in Carrolton, Texas, it's FarAway Day, as reported in this Business Wire Feature story:
    The chance to wear silly costumes to work is confined to Halloween at most businesses. But it's just another day at the beach for employees at Auto Glass Plus in Carrollton.
    Once a quarter, company morale skyrockets as employees recreate real or imagined dream vacations. Most recently, they danced to reggae music, sipped virgin pina coladas from coconut shells and dined on spicy jerk chicken served by the principals of the company.
    The Caribbean was the "destination" of this FarAway Day at Auto Glass Plus. One of a multitude of theme days, it was a good time to let off some of the pressure that can build while you're increasing sales by 90% to 100% per year.
    According to the 30-year-old Auto Glass Plus President, Kris Horner, "If you can't work hard and have fun at the same time, it's time to switch careers. But even though we're having a blast, stress is still a big part of the process, as it is in most businesses."
    He went on to say, "FarAway Day lets everyone get a little crazy. It's impossible to be uptight when everyone around you is in a great mood. I think what our employees enjoy the most is the fact that they get to order the bosses around one day out of every month. My partners and I literally wait on them hand and foot, and they seem to really appreciate that gesture."
    Straw hats, flowered shirts, plastic palm trees and cardboard waves helped complete the transformation of the offices, the mood and the entire afternoon.
    From its beginnings in Kris Horner's garage, the auto glass replacement company has grown into five cities in three states. Horner calls their growth "phenomenal. The first year, 1994, we did $175,000 in business. This past year, we did $7 million. And you don't do that without a lot of hard work from your employees."
    Is FarAway Day worth it? "Definitely," says Horner. On its first FarAway Day, the company beat its previous best day by 13%. On the next one, they beat the mark by 16%. These impressive statistics could be attributed to the fact that people don't leave the office at any point during the day because of the festivities. But Horner thinks it's more than that.
    "You can take care of people in all the traditional ways such as compensation and benefits. And of course, we do," Horner smiles as he looks around at his crew swaying to the reggae. "But FarAway Day is a way we can show we sincerely care about our employees as people. They appreciate that we're not unapproachable corporate stiffs in designer suits. Because we promote fun at work, our employees equate work with fun." Then with a boyish grin he adds, "Who would have thunk it?"