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Workation: the trend that combines teleworking and vacations

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Johanna

29/04/2024

Hybrid work

Workation: the trend that combines teleworking and vacations

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Workation is a contraction of the terms "work" and "vacation". In other words: working at your vacation destination. In French, we speak of "tracances". The word is not very elegant - we agree - but the trend is a great success.

According to an IWG study, in 2023, 31% of working people planned to extend their stay at their summer vacation destination by teleworking(1).

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, employees' need for flexibility has intensified. Workation is a flexible way of combining work and vacations.

What is workation?

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Unlike traditional telecommuting, where employees work from home or from a coworking space, workation offers a bolder approach: combining work with a vacation experience.

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This is a different concept from bleisure. The latter involves extending a business trip to combine work and leisure. Workation offers greater flexibility than bleisure, in that you choose where you work.

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So workation isn't a vacation in itself. You don't take days off, but you can extend your stay at your vacation destination. It's also an opportunity to work in a dynamic, relaxing or inspiring destination. So why deprive yourself? After all, everyone does, does, does, what they like, like, like... 🎶

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The (many) advantages of workation

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You may be reading this article with a frightened eye: what on earth are my employees going to be able to produce with their feet in the water? Don't panic! Workation has a double Kiss Cool effect: your employees have a good time while they work. And that benefits the quality of the work they do for your company. Not bad, eh?

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An overview of the most convincing arguments to persuade you to offer workation to your employees.

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Flexibility: the Holy Grail at last!

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The advent of teleworking during the covid has given employees a taste of unprecedented flexibility and freedom. One of the main advantages of workation is to support this much sought-after flexibility. Employees can choose where they work.

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Productivity and creativity: a change of environment stimulates inspiration

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By enabling employees to work in different locations, workation can be a source of inspiration for solving complex problems, looking at a project from a new angle or coming up with new ideas. You're facing the calm of the sea, and then, Eureka: you know how you're going to present your action plan to your manager! In short, workation is the key to greater productivity and creativity.

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Work-life balance: a new experience

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Workation means recharging your batteries while continuing to work. A swim, an email. A walk, a meeting. You get the idea.

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It may seem counter-intuitive, but this approach is reputed to have a positive impact on employees' mental health and general well-being. It's a good way of showing you care and trust.

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Employee commitment: a promising lever

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By meeting employees' needs for flexibility and well-being, companies can foster a positive working environment and encourage long-term loyalty.

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Need tangible proof of the benefits of workation? Take a look at Patagonia's corporate culture: they allow their employees to go surfing whenever weather conditions permit. Why do they do this? Because they're convinced that this flexibility allows them to be fully invested in their work when it's the right time for them. Company founder Yvon Chouinard talks about this culture in his book "Let My People Go Surfing". A title that particularly speaks to us at Worklib - we' ve got a few surfers in the team 🏄

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For those who love the waves, we've selected 7 coworking spaces by the sea. If you love the slopes, but prefer to be on the slopes, check out our 5 coworking spaces for teleworking on the slopes. There's no need to wonder where to work - the answers are on Worklib!

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How to implement workation in your company

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Frame, frame, frame!

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Does having a teleworking policy seem like a no-brainer? Well, the same goes for integrating workation into your working methods. Talk to your teams about what's at stake, how to set it up and how to make it work in the long term. Set a clear framework for workation, with well-defined policies that are communicated to your teams. This will enable you to get off to the best possible start.

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The question of time zones

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"Isn't it too late for you, a 10pm call?" 🥵

This is exactly the kind of problem you don't want to encounter. What if each team member is in a different time zone? Delimit a geographical area for workation or set up an asynchronous work mode.

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The essential Internet connection

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No remote working without a good Internet connection! If you're planning a stay in workation, make sure you have the right conditions to work efficiently... and enjoy! But on this last point, we have no doubt 😉

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At Worklib, our mantra is "work where it works". So, of course, workation speaks to us. By promoting flexibility, creativity and employee well-being, workation helps to create a positive working environment in tune with today's HR challenges.

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