See how 'workcations’ are letting employees keep their regular work hours while enjoying international travel, without needing to take PTO.
The new ways of working that came with the pandemic might have made offices a thing of the past for many businesses, and saw the number of digital nomads accelerate to over 1 billion, but remote teams continue to evolve. The rise of the ‘workcation’ means your team no longer needs to be in the same country, or in any one country, for long.
Working vacations, or workcations, blend remote work with travel, letting employees get the benefits of travel without needing to take lengthy time off or step away from their job duties. Similar to working from home, workcations allow employees to ‘work from anywhere’, including their ideal holiday destinations.
With almost half of workers claiming they’d leave a job that didn’t offer flexibility in their remote working options, workations can help safeguard employee contentment. If your business doesn’t yet have an international remote working policy in place, now may be an ideal time. In fact, 65% of American remote workers said they’d be interested in taking a workcation and working while traveling in the future.
Workcations may sound exotic on the surface, but it’s important to realise that a workcation is not a traditional vacation, nor is it the same as business travel. Bleisure (the act of mixing a business trip with add-on leisure time) is also notably different, as it still keeps work and play distinctly separate. So, how does a workcation differ?
Business travel is necessitated by a company, and requires the company to be involved in:
With a workcation, assuming it remains in line with a company’s work from abroad policy, all these aspects are entirely in the hands of the employee, leaving them free to work from a location of their choice, departing on a date that suits them best, and taking care of their own travel, room, and board. Essentially, an employee is booking a personal leisure trip, but with the intention to work when they get there.
As mentioned, a workcation isn’t the same as a vacation and shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for one, either. But with burnout on the rise, as reported by TUC, and employee engagement at a 10-year low according to a survey by Gallup, the workcation could be key to improving global work morale by taking work global.
It’s already well-proven that remote work works. It’s not only what employees want, but it also helps strengthen a company’s bottom line. With only 39% of those surveyed by Gallup saying they felt like anyone at work cares for them as a person and TUC suggesting that a lack of negotiation in workload and process has contributed to burnout, implementing an international remote working policy may help boost morale.
By giving teams the green light for workcationing, a business can prove that it sees its workers as people with their own desires, dreams, and aspirations — ones that don’t have to come at the cost of job security or efficiency.
Digital nomads are composed of all sorts of workers and while the majority are freelancers, a full-time employee making the most of a work from abroad policy also qualifies. However, this is still distinct from a workcation which is usually a short-term plan, ranging from a few days to a few weeks, whereas being a digital nomad is considered a permanent, ongoing lifestyle. Depending on the sort of work from anywhere policy a company has, though, an employee could certainly be a digital nomad moving from one location to another in a long string of workcations.
There are several things to consider before opening up the possibility of workcations for your team.
A workcation allows an employee to:
Allowing workcations can also prevent periods where whole teams take time off at the same time (for example, US office attendance around the holidays was found to be 42.7% of pre-pandemic averages), which can put a pause on projects and productivity. Similarly, workcations allow workers to pursue their personal aspirations without sacrificing their professional ambitions by taking extended time out for travel.
As appealing as working while travelling may sound, it might not be for everyone, or every business. Some of the potential drawbacks of this way of working include:
As mentioned, a workcation is neither business travel nor a vacation, and that can mean that workers are left feeling like they aren’t quite doing either effectively. The result can be undue stress caused by the logistics of travel with the expectation of still being fully present and productive in their everyday job role.
How effective a workcation is ultimately comes down to different personalities and how people like to categorise their work/life balance, but the opportunity to take a workcation is something businesses should consider offering to their teams nonetheless.
To do this, companies should have a strong, well-structured policy outlining how team members can take time to travel and work. While the terms for these policies are often used interchangeably, there can be some key differences:
Strict admin aside, line managers and those in leadership roles should also prepare for supporting a workcationing team in the following ways:
Having a remote working policy is a crucial part of any business that follows the ‘work from home’ or hybrid model. A solid international remote working policy should include the following:
This should include things like the employee sharing where they plan to go, for how long, and if they intend to combine their workcation with paid time off.
Explain who will need to be involved in the reviewing process and what needs to be considered, e.g. line managers, the people team, any department heads who need to look at upcoming deadlines and workloads.
Include an approximate time for how long it may take to reach a decision on approving the workcation or not.
If taking a workcation might affect another job benefit, this should be fully explained. For example, an employee going on a month-long workcation may not receive their company car allowance for that month.
Any work from abroad policy should serve as a reference for employees who are on workcation, not just a starting point for those looking to take one. With that in mind, outline the key support contacts workers may need, such as IT.
State the number of work hours an employee is expected to keep while abroad, and if they should fulfil these in the local time zone or keep the same core hours as the main office.
Outline what to do if things don’t go to plan, for example, if an employee arrives and finds they don’t have Wi-Fi for the first week, will this automatically count as PTO?
Outline what the employee must do in order to keep company equipment and materials secure and confidential, for example, prohibiting the use of public Wi-Fi networks.
What company equipment the employee is permitted to take, and what should happen in the case of loss or damage.
Itemise which (if any) expenses are covered by the company, for example, mobile internet or international phone calls.
You may want to list preferred vendors for things like accommodation, internet, or banks that employees should use. By insisting on reputable and/or trusted sources, disruptions can be kept to a minimum. Tripeden.com for Business also gives access to savings and rewards and extensive listings for accommodation, as well as flights and car rentals.
Companies should also do their due diligence when it comes to workcation destinations and legal implications. For example, which countries are off-limits or have time limits due to visa requirements?
Visa and tax considerations also need to be taken into account. If a company creates a work from anywhere policy that allows employees to work from abroad on a semi-permanent basis, then there may be the need (and expense) to engage a third party to assist with international payroll and compliance. For example, does tax need to be paid in the location of the employee? You will also have to check the local labour laws to make sure you’re adhering to things like mandated work hours.
Workcations can help elevate your business’ attractiveness to employees, as well as boost the morale of your current team. Provide opportunities for team members to make the most of their travels without being forced to step away from their job responsibilities. And with Tripeden.com for Business, you can be sure that your team finds the perfect place to work, relax, and explore, with over 3 million properties to choose from as well as flights and car rentals.
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