Can I Take Time off for Olympics? ; Companies Who Support the Training of Their Employee-Athletes Find It Boosts Worker Morale and Drive

Jon Boroshok Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor

It's not the usual time-off request. But when would-be Olympians ask their employers for time off to train for running, rowing, or even judo, they're finding a surprisingly sympathetic response - even from small and midsize companies hit hard by downsizing and tough times.

Employee morale, it seems, still counts among employers.

Take Cindy Bishop. Late last year, the software engineer cautiously approached her boss at RSA Security in Bedford, Mass., to ask for a few months off to try out for the US women's rowing team. Like many tech companies, RSA has weathered tough times, including a falling stock price and downsizing.

But the company was a year beyond …

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Publication information: Article title: Can I Take Time off for Olympics? ; Companies Who Support the Training of Their Employee-Athletes Find It Boosts Worker Morale and Drive. Contributors: Jon Boroshok Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: March 8, 2004. Page number: 14. © 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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