JetBlue is begging you to travel with a sarcastic line of 'office souvenirs'
JetBlue knows you’re not using your vacation time and is trolling you with a new line of “office souvenirs.”
The airline company is promoting 15 items, ranging in price from $5 to $15, as “reminders of the vacation you need to take.”
The line includes colorful baseball caps that read “Don’t forget to cc me” and “Fax Me Hat,” T-shirts bearing the phrases “I remove staples” and “I file paperwork,” “Human Resources” candles, and coffee mugs with the slogans “Remember that thing I said in that meeting?” and “Let’s circle back on that.”
Most genius: “Paper Jams” commemorative plates.
Yahoo Style could not reach a JetBlue spokesperson for comment. However, Heather Berko, manager of advertising and content told Adweek, “If your last good memory is that time free bagels were left in the break room, we feel for you. These office souvenirs are just our way of reminding everyone there are blue skies and fresh air waiting to provide much happier memories.”
The items will likely resonate with the many people who refuse to cash in on their hard-earned vacation time. A survey of more than 2,000 people conducted by the job search website Glassdoor found that the average person used only 54 percent of his or her paid vacation days in the last year.
Scott Dobroski, an analyst at Glassdoor, broke down the reasoning to MarketWatch in May: 34 percent of people stress about falling behind at work, 30 percent believe no one can fill in for them, 22 percent are just plain committed to their gigs, and 21 percent don’t want to disengage from the office.
Adding insult to injury is a disturbing trend of “vacation shaming” afflicting hardworking millennials. According to the eighth annual Allianz Travel Insurance Vacation Confidence Index, 25 percent of people in this generation feel nervous when asking their company for time off, compared with 14 percent of people in Gen X. “Many Americans, millennials in particular, are leaving vacation days on the table, which could be the result of vacation shaming — the sense of shame, guilt, or other negative feelings received from co-workers for taking a vacation,” Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA, told Travel + Leisure.
However, the benefits of vacation far outweigh any risk. Not only do scheduled breaks replenish the body and mind, they can also boost your career. A survey conducted by Project: Time Off, a U.S. Travel Association initiative, found that 84 percent of people who took vacation received a raise or bonus in the past three years, compared with 78 percent who didn’t use their time off.
Even just planning a vacation reaps rewards. One study published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life found that simply anticipating an upcoming trip was enough to boost happiness levels — more so than returning from a trip which may, or may not, have gone so well.
“As fulfilling as your work may be, it’s probably not healthy to fondly reminisce about office lighting and your latest TPS report,” Berko told Adweek. “Our office souvenirs are a fun reminder that there really is something better to look forward to.”
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