Workation: Working where others go on vacation – you have to take that into account
Created: 07/28/2022, 11:06 am
By: Carina Blumenroth
Taking work abroad and attending meetings from there is possible if the work is mobile.
The form of work is called Workation.
The working reality of many people has also changed due to the corona pandemic in recent years.
The possibility of working in the home office has become indispensable in some work areas.
The home office gives you the freedom to organize your work differently and to work more independently.
A trend that is becoming more and more popular is going in a similar direction: Workation.
Workation: combine work and vacation
Workation is a combination of the words work (work) and vacation (holiday) and thus the situation is directly described well.
It's about temporarily moving the work to another country and attending possible meetings from there.
The time when not working can then be freely arranged, similar to a holiday.
People who do workation get to know other cultures, break out of their everyday lives and develop a temporary everyday life in another country.
Workation: Popular with office workers
A recent study by the opinion research institute YouGov shows that many employees who work in an office would like to be more flexible.
Almost half of all respondents who work in an office indicated that they would like to work from a holiday location.
Flexible working is always popular - according to a dpa report, however, the information in the study also shows that only around 15 percent of those surveyed have so far been permitted to work from abroad again.
The study was conducted on behalf of the technology company Slack.
Workation in Bali: Tips from co-founder Lucas Bauche
Lucas Bauche worked from Bali for a few weeks this year.
© Lucas Bauche
Six weeks in Bali, getting to know people, enjoying the landscape and working - that's what Lucas Bauche did.
He is co-founder of the work management tool Awork.
In order for Workation to succeed, interested parties must consider a few things.
Lucas Bauche has summarized a few tips for Ippen Digital Media:
Don't make plans, but plan the trip
: One tends to want to plan a workation like a vacation in order to use the time as effectively as possible.
But with a workation too many plans only lead to stress and you are caught somewhere between FOMO (fear of missing out
)
and the actual work commitment.
That's why it's better to arrive calmly and only plan the most important things, such as your living and working situation.
Go social or go alone – one decision is important
: In Bali I decided to have a social get-together and explicitly moved into a co-living community where I knew that there were people my age there who also worked remotely.
But it can also be just as nice to explicitly decide against taking books with you and having time for yourself.
That's what I did two years ago during a workation in London.
Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
Be a team player
: You should definitely coordinate with your team beforehand so that everyone knows and the cooperation during the workation works well.
A healthy amount of discipline is also important in a workation, especially if you work within your home time zone - keyword night work (many people do it, but it's not necessarily the best solution).
The technical equipment also plays a decisive role.
Above all, tools for joint remote and asynchronous work are essential here.
It is important to be clear about the expectations and goals you want to have when you go into the workation.
If the time abroad is then not fully scheduled, then you can certainly benefit from a number of advantages that this working model brings with it.
After a few weeks you really feel at home and almost move like a local.
You have your favorite places, new friends, you know where to find what in the supermarket, you always dress according to the weather and you become more relaxed overall.
Lucas belly
Workation gives you more time to absorb the experiences and impressions of another country.
But Lucas Bauche's understanding of workation also means discipline: "For me, working at a holiday location means that I continue to work with the same intensity, but that I am inspired by the new environment and can recharge my batteries".
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Working from abroad - are there disadvantages of workation?
The idea of enjoying a day at the beach after work or meeting people from other cultures can quickly become romantic.
Workation needs to be planned and structured to make it work for everyone involved.
In any case, there are costs for interested parties.
According to Lucas Bauche, these are roughly equivalent to those of a holiday: "Especially since you should factor in flights, excursions, food and accommodation".
Just like a holiday, there are different price ranges.
A disadvantage could also be that you become alienated from the team and maybe not work as productively as you had planned.
This can lead to dissatisfaction on the part of colleagues - Lucas Bauche advises clarifying everything in advance and then sticking to the plan.
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Workation: Working in different time zones
Especially when the temporary place of work is outside Europe, different time zones can make it difficult to work together - this is also a point that interested parties should think about.
Because the colleagues who normally work from the office should not suffer any disadvantages.
Lucas Bauche sees the following options for dealing with different time zones:
Working in the local time zone: Whenever possible, appointments are scheduled so that they take place at "normal times of the day".
That's what Lucas Bauche did during his stay in Bali.
Work in the home zone: Work is done when the colleagues in the home office are also working - it can happen that you then work at night in the workation country.
Be flexible: You can also divide your working hours as you need them.
For example, you start in the morning, have free time in the afternoon and still attend meetings in the evening.
Workation - be sure to get permission, check vaccination status and adjust insurance
If you would now like to move your workplace directly to the sea, you should step on the brakes for a moment.
Just book a flight and go is not a good decision.
They must find out whether a workation is even an option for their area of activity.
For example, you should communicate with your employer whether they agree that you work from abroad.
Under certain circumstances, the work stay can also entail additional costs for your employer.
The Hopkins law firm states on its website: “Short-term work of up to a maximum of 183 days per year in the home office abroad (workation) generally has no effect on the obligation of a domestic employer to deduct wage tax.
It is only important
You should also not ignore the social security background, the Hopkins law firm advises: "For employees who work outside the European Union in the home office for a German company, the respective agreement between the countries applies with regard to the applicable social security law.
It is advisable to obtain the expert advice of an experienced lawyer in this regard at an early stage”.
You should also think about your own insurance cover, according to Lucas Bauche it is advisable to take out “private liability and travel health insurance”.
Depending on which country you are traveling to, you should also think about vaccinations.
The handling of work-related data must also be clarified: "In addition, the employer must of course agree to the carrying of corresponding devices and data and, if necessary, special precautions must be taken," says Bauche.