A friend works for an rather successful Italian startup.<p>As a developer, he'll be sent to a good conference this year. They'll pay him hotel and flight ticket. So far so good. But... They force him to take that day off, (holiday!)<p>I wonder how is it with USA/UK startups? If you're paid to go to a conference, will you have to get holiday for that day? What will you do if that happens to you ?
I'd say take it. It is a nice thing to go to a nice conference if it's not an usual thing. In any case the fact that this is happening from an italian startup doesn't surprise me. As an italian I have seen worse things.
There's a total cost to the company of sending your friend to the conference. It consists of the conference, flight & hotel costs <i>and</i> your salary costs for that amount of days.<p>This is simply the company offering to pay your friend for the former but not the latter. It's of course nicer to have everything paid, but it's also a better offer than having to pay for the conference <i>and</i> take days off.<p>As you will be expected to pay for part of this (through taking days off) this is an <i>offer</i> however and he/she can't/shouldn't be forced to accept it.<p>P.S. Keep in mind that this structure is the most tax-efficient way to sponser said trip to the conference in most European countries.