Workation: the new trend of working remotely during vacations

The English term "workation," derived from the contraction of the words "work" and "vacation ," refers to a practice of teleworking during vacations , or taking advantage of teleworking to go on vacation.

Although this new trend in the world of work emerged about ten years ago, it has experienced unprecedented growth since the Covid-19 epidemic with the widespread adoption of teleworking.

Indeed, the pandemic has permanently changed our working methods. While before the pandemic only 4% of employees were involved in remote work, this figure is now over 30%.

And since they're working remotely, some are taking the opportunity to change their location, break out of their routine, and discover new places. With entertainment venues remaining closed during the crisis, many people preferred to escape the cities and enjoy the freedom of remote work by getting closer to nature.

This new trend can improve one's quality of life , and even stimulate creativity, but it can also affect the productivity and cohesion of a team.

To learn everything about how to practice workation to reap only the benefits, Marvin deciphers this new trend for you.

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The best of both worlds: the advantages of the workation

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Save time and money

By combining work and travel, the workation offers many advantages, particularly in terms of saving time and money.

Indeed, remote work puts an end to the long hours wasted commuting each week between home and work. This time saving also translates into cost savings for both employees and companies, as the expenses associated with commuting are significant.

Workation also allows you to get away from big cities where the cost of living is often much higher, to favour places where the price of accommodation or food is lower.

It also means savings for the employer , who can rely on teleworking for part of their payroll to reduce fixed workplace costs (rent, furniture, energy bill, etc.).

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Improving one's quality of life

The most obvious benefits of workation are surely those related to improving quality of life.

Being able to work from a holiday location, or a location other than home, allows employees to break out of their routine, take advantage of the flexibility offered by the workation to discover new regions, their landscapes, cultures, etc.

It allows you to get away from it all and improve your working conditions: the possibility of taking a walk during your lunch break , going to the beach at the beginning or end of the day, getting some fresh air between meetings, etc.

Many employees also take advantage of workation to get out of big cities, leave behind a sometimes stressful atmosphere, slow down, and enjoy a more serene , nature-oriented and relaxing environment.

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Stimulating one's creativity and productivity

Workations can have significant benefits for employee creativity and productivity change of scenery allows for the discovery of new sources of inspiration and motivation . Breaking daily routine stimulate creativity.

Workation also allows you to gain in productivity : by working in a less stressful, calmer environment (less noise around, more space, etc.), it is easier to concentrate on solving complex problems.

The prospect of more enjoyable breaks, where it is easier to disconnect and get some fresh air than when at the office, can also encourage productivity during working hours.

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Workation: pitfalls to avoid 

While the advantages of workation are real and can be beneficial for both the employee and the employer, this new trend also has disadvantages that must be kept in mind in order to better avoid them.

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The difficulty in separating professional and private life

One of the main drawbacks of workation is the confusion it can create between private and professional life.

By combining work and holidays, it is sometimes difficult to define clear boundaries between work time and free time, which can lead to an imbalance , or even generate stress .

For example, one might feel compelled to extend their working hours. Having suitable equipment and a dedicated workspace also makes it more tempting to respond to work-related messages outside of working hours.

These drawbacks can lead to difficulty disconnecting and therefore affect mental health.

Workation can also pose logistical problems (access to a reliable internet connection, to a suitable workspace), which can lead to interruptions or delays in work - or generate additional stress.

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The lack of structure and routine

While combining vacation and work has many advantages, this mix of genres can also pose problems for some people who need a well-defined structure and a clear routine to be effective.

Working from vacation spots or unfamiliar locations can lead to disorientation and difficulty establishing a routine, which can affect productivity and work quality.

Workations can also shift working hours compared to a typical office day, complicating collaboration and coordination with the rest of the team or clients.

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The risk of social isolation

While workation can be synonymous with discoveries and encounters, it can also result in a form of social isolation.

Working from isolated locations where you don't know anyone can lead to feelings of loneliness and disconnection from "normal" social life. This loneliness can negatively impact an employee's emotional and social well-being.

A lack of regular professional contact can also affect collaboration and productivity. Without regular support and guidance from colleagues and superiors, it can sometimes be more difficult to complete projects successfully.

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How to implement a beneficial workation?

Marvin offers some advice for an effective workation that takes into account the drawbacks of this new practice.

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Careful planning

To avoid the trap of confusing private and personal life, it is necessary to plan your days in advance to maintain control of working time and increase efficiency.

Therefore, a good practice can be to review one's objectives before starting the workday, and to define specific time slots to make progress on these different points.

Also consider scheduling regular meetings with your colleagues and manager to maintain close collaboration with your team.

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Clear communication with employees

If your employees are participating in a workation, clear communication is essential for it to be beneficial. Before the workation period begins, agree on communication frequencies , preferred channels , and so on.

Even in a workation, it is important to maintain close collaboration , so do not hesitate to communicate with your employee as often as necessary.

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Choosing a suitable destination and accommodation

The first step in a workation is choosing your destination. It's advisable to choose a destination with a minimal time difference, so as not to significantly hinder collaboration with the rest of the team.

The employer may also issue recommendations regarding the safety of the destination, for example based on the availability of medical infrastructure on site. 

For a workation to be beneficial, it is necessary to find accommodation that lends itself to this new way of working.

When planning your workation, remember to check if the accommodation:

• has a reliable and stable internet connection
• allows for the easy creation of a dedicated workspace
• is located in a quiet

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The legal and tax challenges of workation

Setting up a workation also requires clarifying some tax and legal points.

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Taxes and regulations in different countries

If you wish to implement workation in your company, and your employees wish to take advantage of it to change countries, you must inquire about the applicable tax regimes and the rules of taxation concerning residents who work in another country, etc.

What are the applicable rules? Is there a minimum number of working days required to avoid a change of tax residence? These are all points to check to avoid legal and tax problems.

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Employment and housing rental contracts

It is also important to adapt employment contracts to this new trend . Specify in the contract whether workation is permitted, for what duration, at what distance from the workplace, etc.

Also consider insurance contracts ; you may need to make changes to those as well.

What steps should be taken if an incident occurs in accommodation rented by an employee for a workation? What happens in the event of a workplace accident during a workation? What risks are covered by the employer's insurance?

This information will allow you to best support your teams wishing to do workation and to answer all their questions.

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The challenges for employers

For the employer, there are two main challenges related to the implementation of workation:

• Managing remote teams : to reconcile the demand for flexibility from employees and the requirements of clients, it is important to adapt management to these new ways of working , so that these new practices do not harm the team's productivity.
  
  
• Risk management : Depending on the company's activity, there may be risks to data security and confidentiality during workations, as employees often work from public places such as cafes or hotels. Employers must therefore ensure that their employees are equipped with the necessary technology and security protocols to protect company data.

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Why integrate workation into your company?

The advantages of workations are numerous, and your company has everything to gain by implementing them. Indeed, even if their implementation may be complicated at first, it's a winning choice in the long run. 

• To gain a competitive edge in the recruitment market : employees are increasingly demanding these new hybrid work practices and flexibility in general. By supporting your employees in implementing workations, you maximize your chances of retaining the best talent.
  
  
• Recruiting top talent, especially those seeking flexibility : by refusing workations, you risk losing talent or closing the door to potential new recruits. Indeed, it's not uncommon for the most creative talent to also be the most demanding in terms of flexibility.

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Conclusion

Flexibility, creativity, cost savings—the advantages of workations are numerous for all stakeholders in your company!

Adopting workations also significantly enhances your employer brand. In today's tight job market, workations are a key factor in helping you recruit top talent. 

Thanks the Marvin ATS , improve your employer brand and give yourself every chance to attract the best candidates.

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