The way we work has changed drastically in recent years and no longer includes spending eight hours a day and five days a week in the office. Employees and managers are increasingly carrying out their tasks from home, during customer visits or on field assignments. In this context, the so-called Workation offers the opportunity to spend everyday working life on a beach or another holiday destination. In this article, you will learn exactly what constitutes a workout and what advantages and disadvantages are associated with it.
A combination of work and vacation is known as workation. This artificial word was derived from the English terms “work” and “vacation.” Workers can do their work at a nice or even vacation destination. In contrast to “Work and Travel,” a workation is not about doing different jobs in different places. Instead, the existing job is moved from home to the chosen location and carried out from there.
Due to the ever faster pace of digitization in professional life, the opportunity to work on the go is no longer just open to digital nomads and influencers. As part of flexible forms of work such as teleworking and mobile working, it is now possible for a wide range of job profiles — both self-employed and employed — to set up a virtual desk worldwide. Professions in the areas of computer science, accounting and tax consulting, text, graphic and photo design, marketing and search engine optimization as well as personnel development are particularly suitable for work.
In order for a workshop to be successful for all parties involved, a number of principles must be clarified in advance and certain requirements must be taken into account:
working hours: It is necessary to have established working time guidelines to ensure that vacations do not get in the way of working.
Sense of duty: Working in another location requires a heightened sense of duty, which not all employees have. Mutual trust, targeted agreements and open communication between employer and employee are the basis of profitable cooperation.
Suitable destination: In the sense of a value-adding exchange between local employees and employees on Workation, the time zones should not diverge too far. In addition, the preferred country must be reviewed with regard to the security situation and medical care.
planning: Flights and accommodation should be booked well in advance and upcoming appointments should be confirmed by those responsible at the destination.
Predictive organization: If the whereabouts change, so do the circumstances. To ensure that work-relevant software, devices and means of payment also work as usual abroad, precise information must be obtained and appropriate preparations must be made.
equipment: While the desk can be replaced by a table in a café or a beach lounger, a charged laptop, sufficient telephone reception and a reliable WLAN connection are essential.
Funding: Depending on the destination country, location, accommodation and duration, a workout involves increased costs. It is therefore important to clarify who bears which costs as soon as possible and to set the budget accordingly.
Health and insurance: Before employees are sent on a job, comprehensive insurance coverage (including international health insurance) should be provided. Employers should also advise their employees to seek advice from a doctor regarding the vaccination protection required for the target country.
In order to ensure continuous social security for employees during a work session, certain conditions must be met. This must not be a regular work activity and the work must take place within the EU or in one of the non-EU countries Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland or Norway.
If the workshop is held regularly in an EU country, the German social security status will continue to exist as long as the following criteria are met:
It should be noted that when working outside the EU, specific agreements between the countries concerned regulate the corresponding social security measures.
It offers employees the opportunity to work and live in a new place, get to know new cultures and increase their creativity and productivity. Workations can also help reduce the risk of burnout by allowing employees to combine their work with their free time and recharge their batteries.
For companies, workations can help increase employee satisfaction and productivity, improve employee retention, and reduce office space and infrastructure costs. Workations can also help provide access to a larger talent pool.
Workations should be checked for legal rules/risks before they start. In the EU/EEA area, travelers should, for example, have a A1 certificate carry with you. Furthermore, risks should be individually reviewed for risks in the areas of taxes, employment law, permanent establishment and immigration, regardless of the duration and the country.
What is a workation?
A workation is a work stay at a “nice” location. However, instead of accepting an employment relationship with an employer abroad, the tasks or responsibilities from an existing job are carried out at another workplace. A workshop is suitable for employees as well as for the self-employed.
Where can you do a workout?
The person concerned is generally free to choose a suitable goal for a planned work session. However, factors such as time zone, security situation, medical care, equipment, etc. should be taken into account urgently when making a decision.
How does a workation work?
During a workation, employees carry out tasks at a chosen vacation destination. For a workation to work, binding agreements and a job-promoting environment are needed.
Is a workation allowed?
In most employment relationships, work is possible from a legal point of view, but requires the consent of the employer. Once a workation has been resolved, the legal basis and responsibilities must be defined in writing and the appropriate insurance coverage must be provided.
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