Workation: the new trend in vacation teleworking
A contraction of the words work and vacationworkation refers to the practice of teleworking teleworking while on vacationor taking advantage of teleworking to go on vacation.
Although this new trend in the world of work emerged around ten years ago, it is now enjoying unprecedented growth since the Covid-19 epidemic epidemic, with the spread of telecommuting.
Indeed, the pandemic has changed the way we work. Before the pandemic, only 4% of employees teleworked, this figure has now risen to over 30%.
And even if it means teleworking, some take the opportunity to change location, their routine and take the opportunity to discover new places. While entertainment venues have remained closed during the crisis, many people have preferred to escape the cities and take advantage of the freedom of telecommuting to to get closer to nature.
This new trend allows you to improve quality of lifeand even stimulate creativity, but it can also affect productivity and team cohesion.
Find out everything you need to know about how to practice workation, so you can reap all the benefits, Marvin deciphers this new trend for you.
The best of both worlds: the advantages of workation
Save time and money
By combining work and travel, workation offers many advantages, particularly in terms of saving time and money.
Remote working puts an end to the long hours wasted in weekly commuting to and from work. This time-saving also means savings for both the employee and the company, , as commuting costs are not negligible.
Workation is also a way of getting away from the big cities, where the cost of living is often much higher, in favor of places where the price of accommodation or food is lower.
It is also synonymous with savings for the employer, who can count on telecommuting part of his payroll to reduce fixed workplace costs (rental, furniture, energy bills, etc.).
Improving quality of life
The most obvious benefits of workation are undoubtedly those linked to improved quality of life.
Being able to work from a vacation spot, or a location other than one's own home, enables employees to get away from their routine, and take advantage of the flexibility offered by workation to discover new regions, their landscapes, cultures, and so on.
It provides a change of scenery and improves working conditions: you can go for a walk during your lunch break, go to the beach at the beginning or end of the day, get some fresh air between two meetings, and so on.
Many employees also take advantage of workation to get out of the big cities, leave behind a sometimes anxious atmosphere, slow down their pace and enjoy a more serene setting, closer to nature and more restful.
Boost creativity and productivity
Workation can have significant benefits for workers' creativity and productivity. A change of scenery provides new sources of inspiration and motivation. Breaking away from the daily routine can also stimulate creativity.
Workation also boosts productivity: by working in a less stressful, calmer environment (less surrounding noise, more space, etc.), it's easier to concentrate on solving complex problems.
The prospect of more pleasant breaks, where you can more easily disconnect and get some fresh air than when you're in the office, can also encourage productivity during working hours.
Workation: pitfalls to avoid
While the advantages of workation are real and can be beneficial for both employee and employer, this new trend also has its drawbacks, which you need to be aware of in order to better avoid them.
The difficulty of separating professional and private life
One of the main drawbacks of workation is the confusion it can create between private and professional life.
When combining work and vacations, it can be difficult to define clear boundaries between work and free time, which can lead to imbalance and even stress.
For example, you may feel obliged to extend your working hours . With the right equipment and workspace, it's also more tempting to reply to work messages outside working hours.
This can make it difficult to switch off , and thus affect mental health.
Workation can also pose logistical problems (access to a reliable internet connection, suitable workspace), which can lead to interruptions or delays in work - or generate additional stress.
Lack of structure and routine
While combining vacation and work has many advantages, it can also pose problems for some people who needa well-defined structure and clear routine to be effective.
Working from vacation or unfamiliar locations can lead to a loss of bearings and difficulty in establishing a routine, which can affect productivity and the quality of work.
Workation can also shift work schedules away from an office day, making it harder to collaborate and coordinate work with the rest of the team or customers.
The risk of social isolation
While workation can be synonymous with discoveries and encounters, it can also lead to social isolation.
Working from isolated locations where you don't know anyone can lead to a feeling of loneliness and disconnection from "normal" social life. This feeling of loneliness can be detrimental to the employee's emotional and social well-being.
Lack of regular professional contact can also affect collaboration and productivity. In the absence of regular support and advice from colleagues and superiors, it can be more difficult to bring projects to fruition.
How to set up a beneficial workation?
Marvin gives you a few tips for effective workation that take into account the drawbacks of this new practice.
Careful planning
To avoid the trap of confusing private and personal life, you need to plan your days well in advance to keep control of your working time and gain in efficiency.
So, a good practice might be to take stock of your objectives before starting your day's work, and define precise time slots to make progress on these different points.
And don't forget to schedule regular check-ins with your colleagues and manager to maintain close collaboration with your team.
Clear communication with employees
If your employees are on a work-study program, clear communication is the key to success. In advance of the workation period, agree on exchange rhythms, preferred communication channels, etc.
Even in workation, it's important to maintain a close working relationship, so don't hesitate to talk to your employee as often as necessary.
Choosing the right destination and accommodation
The first step in a workation is to choose your destination. It's advisable to choose a destination with a limited time difference, so as not to interfere too much with collaboration with the rest of the team.
The employer can also make recommendations on the safety of the destination, depending on the availability of local medical facilities, for example.
For a beneficial workation, you need to find accommodation that lends itself to this new work practice.
When planning your workation, consider whether the :
- has a reliable, stable Internet connection
- makes it easy to set up a dedicated workspace
- in a quiet environment
The legal and tax challenges of workation
Setting up a workation also means clarifying a few tax and legal points.
Taxes and regulations in different countries
If you want to set up a workstation in your company, and your employees want to take advantage of the opportunity to move to another country, you need to find out about the applicable tax regimes and rules for residents working in another country, and so on.
What rules apply? Is there a certain number of working days that must be respected to avoid changing tax residence? These are just some of the points you need to check to avoid legal and tax problems.
Employment and rental contracts
It's also important to adapt employment contracts to this new trend. Specify in the contract whether workation is authorized, for how long, at what distance from the workplace, etc.
You may also need to make changes to your employees' insurance policies .
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 work-related accident? What risks are covered by employer's insurance?
This information will enable you to provide the best possible support to your workation teams, and answer any questions they may have.
Challenges for employers
For the employer, there are two main challenges linked to the implementation of workation:
- Managing remote teams: to reconcile employees' demand for flexibility and customers' requirements, it is important toadapt management to these new ways of working, so that these new practices do not undermine team productivity.
- Risk management: depending on the company's activity, there may be risks to data security and confidentiality during workation, as employees often work from public places such as cafés or hotels. Employers must therefore ensure that their employees are equipped with the necessary technology and security protocols to protect company data.
Why integrate workation into your company?
The advantages of workation are numerous, and your company has everything to gain by implementing it. In fact, even if it can be complicated to set up at first, it's a winning choice in the long term.
- 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 the implementation of workation, you maximize your chances of retaining the best.
- Recruiting the best talent, looking for flexibility : by refusing workation, you risk losing talent, or closing the door to potential new recruits. In fact, it's not uncommon for the most creative talents to be the ones most in need of flexibility.
Conclusion
Flexibility, creativity, savings: the benefits of workation are numerous for all your company's stakeholders!
Adopting workation also significantly improves your employer brand. At a time when the job market is under pressure, workation is a key factor in enabling you to recruit the best talent.
Thanksto ATS Marvinimprove your employer brand and give yourself the best chance of attracting the best candidates.
