Is Workation profitable for companies and workers?
A few years ago it was unthinkable that companies in non-technology sectors would allow their employees to telecommute. Today it is so commonplace that many candidates require this condition when selecting a job offer. Nowadays, companies such as Big Four PwC, Deloitte and KPMG Australia, Twitter, Facebook, or Spotify have gone further and are committed to Workation.
What is Workation?
Workation merges the words "work" and "holiday", and in practice it is a form of teleworking in which the employee stays at a tourist resort, as a holiday, while working. These may be accompanied by their families, and are for periods of up to 8 weeks per year. The idea is that the employee combines their holiday with their working day. Several studies confirm that this mode of working is on the rise:
- GlobalData published a recent survey showing that workers want to spend less time in the office after the pandemic.
- The BBC reported that in key jobs in India, 85% of 3,000 Indian workers said in a survey that they would take a workcation in 2021.
- According to Slack's Future Forum study, 93% of workers surveyed globally say they want the freedom to decide where and when they do their work. They also want to travel.
- Tui study confirms that more than half of all UK office staff would welcome the opportunity to Workaction.
Types of Workation
There are three categories of jobs, depending on how long they last:Short-term
This is designed for short periods of between two and seven days. In order to be efficient, the worker must travel to an area close to their usual location.
Medium-term
In this case the periods are between two and four weeks. The location where the Workation will take place is usually further away from home than when taking a short-term job, usually within the country.
Long-term
Long-term jobs last between several months and a couple of years. These jobs involve temporary relocation to another area. Most of the time, long-term jobs require special permits and visas because they involve moving abroad or to a nearby country.
Advantages of a Workation
According to Recuitee, a company specialising in HR and recruitment, there are numerous advantages of having a job:- Increased job satisfaction and less employee turnover: A workation can increase job satisfaction and reduce employee turnover in the company. 39% of employees would consider quitting their current jobs if the company was not flexible about remote working.
- Increased employee productivity and improved morale and well-being: Renewed morale, being in a relaxed environment and being able to have time of one's own makes working time more productive. Research shows an enriching effect on leisure and work, which explains why a job can improve employee productivity in your company.
- Reducing burnout: Flexible work schedules can help employees create time off and reduce burnout. Depending on the type of project they are working on, it is possible to assign short milestones that encourage rest.
- Improved quality of work for employees: Remote work, as the core of the work, reduces the distractions associated with working in the office. Fewer distractions can mean less pressure and more relaxed employees to produce better work. This can increase the quality of work in your organisation.
source: workation.com
Tools that enable Workation
In order to be able to carry out Workation in a technical way, at Dynasoft Group we recommend a series of tools that are essential:- The worker must have a good quality connection to a Wifi network. Not all countries have a good quality connection to ensure reliable connectivity.
- The use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). It is possible to communicate with the company, but the data we send and retrieve must be secured at all times. This is why the use of a quality VPN makes it possible to secure a connection when using public networks. This VPN connection allows the employee, wherever he or she is, to connect to the company's server and work with the company's resources.
- Apply multi-factor authentication. There are multiple applications and software that employ this type of authentication, which doubles the protections.
- Office 365 suite. Every company has its own particular needs, but in many cases the standard version is sufficient for remote working. Thanks to the Office, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and Sharepoint applications, it is possible to work collaboratively with team members and increase productivity.
- Training in these technologies. If all of the above is critical, educate your team: your team members will be your greatest vulnerability against cyber threats unless you train them to be an asset. Making sure they know how to detect threats, and how they should react when they do, will be crucial to prevent problems from arising ... particularly while working remotely.
Workation is a viable option, that provides you the technical resources, for companies looking to add value to their workers by giving them a break from routine and the opportunity to reconnect with friends, family or colleagues while earning money and staying productive.
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