Press Room: Media Releases

BRISBANE – 26 February 2008: Forget everything you’ve learnt about leap years, Wotif.com, the self declared saviours of the short break, guardians of the getaway and protectors of the long weekend, have discovered the shocking truth that it’s all a sham.

In their tireless search to find ways to take more getaways, Wotif.com’s team were outraged to find that this leap year, we have to work extra day and we’re not getting paid for it.

Wotif.com Australian Market Manager, Saskia Moon said: “ Weekends and public holidays aside, the average Australian will work 252 days this year, which is a day more than last year and two days more than in 2006 and 2005. And yet if you’re on a salary, you’ll get paid the same amount.

“Given that Friday the 29^th is the last day of summer, we started thinking of the best way to approach taking Friday off, and decided to find out what Australians thought,” she added.

Unexpectedly, it was the honest approach which proved to be the most popular way to get the day off, with 45% of respondents opting to simply tell the boss to ‘bugger off’.

The next preferred option was to ‘fake a sickie’, with 21% of respondents preferring to take the day off under the guise of food poisoning.

Perhaps being saved for when they were really needed, the excuses relating to family commitments and a mental health day, both rated well below the top two answers.

Not surprisingly the elaborate lie was the least favoured option, with only 6% of respondents choosing to tell the tale of rescuing the grandma, dog and photo albums from a burning house.

Regardless of how they go about it, all of the Australians surveyed, agreed they should claim this Friday back in some way.

“And Australians are not the only ones who feel this way,” Moon said.

“Our Kiwi customers are equally outraged by this situation, despite the fact that due to the number of public holidays in New Zealand they work less days than Australians.”

- Ends -

*Statistics were taken from Wotif users who responded to a poll conducted online by Wotif.com, which asked respondents to select from the following options as their preferred way of asking the boss for the weekend off.

·          Dear Boss - I believe you're expecting me to work on Friday 29 Feb, despite not paying me for the extra day in this leap year. Bugger that! I'm taking the day off. Enjoy your weekend” as the response they would give.

·          Dear Boss, I was driving home last night and passed a house that was on fire. Without hesitation I ran into the house and rescued the family's grandma, dog and prized photo albums. I feel fine, but the medics have insisted that I be monitored.

·          Dear Boss, we're staging an emergency intervention for a cousin who has joined a cult. Hoping to be done by lunch, but if things are as bad as I think they are, I'll need to take the entire day off.

·          Dear Boss, thanks again for lunch yesterday. While I did enjoy the calamari salad at the time, it wasn't as nice the second (or third) time around. I really wanted to get to work today, but I don't like my chances - I just hope the rest of the office is OK. See you Monday.

·          Dear Boss, I am very stressed today and think it is best if I take a mental health day (watching Dr Phil).