This summer, MVF gave all of their employees the opportunity to go on holiday to Ibiza.
This marks the third year the digital marketing agency flew everyone who chose to go for the weekend, as a reward for meeting their annual targets.
It's an increasingly impressive feat as the company's workforce grows. When the trip was first proposed, they had 100 employees in the UK. Now, they have 350 employees in offices in both the UK and the USA.
I spoke to Lexie Newnham, Talent Acquisition Partner at MVF, to find out more about what motivates the company to lay on such an impressive perk each year.
The MVF team in Ibiza
"Ibiza was chosen because it has something for everyone - great beaches, beautiful scenery and, of course, an iconic nightlife."
Lexie explains, "[the holiday to] Ibiza was introduced because we wanted to find a fun way to get everyone motivated behind the same target and, if we reached it, have a really good celebration."
It's a way to bring staff together, across all areas of the business - whether they work in the UK or USA. And they're free to spend their time on the all-expenses-paid holiday however they please; Lexie says many of the staff love cycling and get a big group together to do that, whilst others relax on the beach, go on boat trips or do the classic club circuit.
Plus, there's the annual Social Committee Awards event, which sees staff win awards in categories such as 'best beard' and 'best new starter'.
The trip is fun, but also key to the company's culture.
I ask Lexie what she thinks offering an incentive like this communicates to employees, or potential employees, about the company.
"Ibiza is a reward for hitting targets, so in that sense I think it does sum up MVF," she says. "Everyone here works really hard and is very focused 9-5, but that is offset by then being able to leave work on time and socialise with your colleagues, enjoy a hobby, or see your family".
The trip serves as a thank you to everyone on the team for helping the agency "break new records and continue to be one of the UK's fastest growing businesses,"
"It's a perk, but one that everyone worked for," Lexie says.
"I think millennials have been depicted unfairly in the media recently."
When I ask if Lexie thinks the holiday is one of the key things that draws grads to apply to work at MVF, she says it's "definitely something people remember" about the company. However, she clarifies, she really doesn't believe perks like this are increasingly important to millennials or young employees, more so than previous generations.
"If anything, the young people coming into our business are more career-focused and more interested in their development than our perks," she continues, "In a tough job market, they have to be really ambitious to get the roles they want."
It takes more than perks and incentives to attract the best candidates. Lexie describes Ibiza as "the cherry on top" of all the things that make MVF a great place to work - like world class training and fast progression.
"We offer perks, because we believe in making our company a really positive place to work," Lexie explains. Incentives like this should be an extra, not an alternative to training or career opportunities within a company.
Finally, I ask if the holiday is something that will last, as the company's workforce continues to grow in the coming years and it becomes more logistically difficult. Lexie says, "it has certainly been quite an undertaking this year," but they have no plans to stop offering it.
She adds, "We might all owe the committee a drink when we get out there to say thanks, though!"
Want to work for a company that knows how important it is to have downtime? Here's a list of 6 graduate employers, hiring now, who will take you on holiday.