Caribbean holiday bonus for staff

Staff at Pacific Direct were rewarded with a trip to Barbados

A Bedford-based company boss has rewarded her 25 employees with an all- expenses paid week-long Caribbean trip.

Pacific Direct owner Lara Morgan promised staff at the luxury hotel toiletries firm that if profits hit the record £1m mark, she would treat them.

Staff trips had previously been limited to weekends away in the UK. This year's trip to Barbados cost £50,000.

"I believe you can get extraordinary staff results if you treat people in extraordinary ways," said Mrs Morgan.

"It was a pleasure to see their faces when I announced the news. British businesses don't invest enough in original staff incentives, when there are so many benefits to reap," she added.

Mrs Morgan owns Pacific Direct with her husband Charlie. They started the business from a spare bedroom in 1991.

It now runs offices in six countries, and owns manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic and China.