A duvet day’s as good as a pay rise

Ever wanted to kill your boss? Well, now you can — and, as long as it doesn’t become a regular occurrence, you won’t even have to pay tax on the cost of the exercise. Welcome to the wacky world of employee benefits and workplace incentives. Here, of course, the corporate regicide is imaginary — the scene is played out by characters called Seymour Deals and Lord Fred Bare at a ‘team-building murder mystery event’ for bank and insurance staff, staged by a consultancy firm called Progressive Resources. As its managing director James Coakes explains: ‘The financial industry … is renowned for its staff development programmes.’ And  these programmes are part of a growing trend. Where once workers were lucky to get a cup of tea and a supply of single-ply loo roll, now it’s all aromatherapy and role-play. Bosses are falling over themselves to lay on entertainment and relaxation — as an apparently tax-free benefit.