Experts say it's easy to convince your boss to let you take 'workcations'
Workcations, where you work remotely while on holiday, are becoming more popular as companies get used to people toiling away out of the office.
Whether it's sunny Spain or cool Canada, more and more Brits are choosing to work abroad for a change of scenery and a better work-life balance. The benefits of heading on one are clear. If you can arrange one, you can spend longer in a holiday destination without having to use up too much annual leave or spending twice on often costly, polluting modes of transport.
A YouGov poll in 2023 found that over a third of UK remote workers fancy the idea of a workcation. Not only can workcations be good for workers, but they can also help bosses keep their best staff and make everyone happier and more productive. A win-win.
One potential difficulty is convincing your boss to let you go on one. While the benefits may be clear from your perspective, employers may not like the idea of their employees being out of the country and potentially hard to contact while working remotely.
A YouGov poll in 2023 found that over a third of UK remote workers fancy the idea of a workcation (Getty Images/Cavan Images RF)If you're not sure how to ask your boss for a workcation, Claire Renee Thomas, who started a mental fitness company called Reaching My Best, shared her advice. She said: "Think about what your boss might be worried about. For example, how will you stay in touch, how will you deal with time differences, or bad internet?"
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"If you have work to do and deadlines to meet, how will you make sure you can still do them on time and well? Your boss needs to know that your workcation won't cause problems for them or the rest of the team."
Claire says it's important to remember that a workcation can be a "win-win," because it could make you feel happier and healthier. She continued: "Think about how a workcation is a win-win for you all. From your perspective working somewhere else may have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing. It may mean you are less distracted by personal events and more focused when you are working."
"Above all, approach the conversation with an awareness of your and their needs. Don't take them saying yes as a given and be prepared to listen to their point of view as well."
However, Claire warns that bosses may say no because they feel the decision is "above (their) pay grade". Molly Johnson-Jones, who runs Flexa - a company which helps employees find firms committed to flexible working - suggested trying a different tact if the idea of a work/holiday hybrid is rejection. "If workcations are too much of a leap for the business currently, there are alternatives," she said.
"For example, staff could pitch hybrid working policies (which offer a mixture of home and office-based work, either according to set days or on a flexible basis) to their boss, to make the most of long weekends and staycations without having to rush back to be in the office on Monday morning."
A study of 2,000 people in the UK by the international payments app Zing found that Spain is the most popular place for working away from home. Spain is a great place for working remotely because it offers a visa that lets people from other countries work there for a year.
It is definitely worth noting that working in another country can bring up tax issues and other rules for you and your job, so make sure you check what you can do and where.
According to a study by OnePoll, Canada is the second most popular destination for a workcation, followed by the United States, Australia, Italy, New Zealand and France. If you're from the UK, you can work in Canada for six months without needing a visa.
Days off could be about to get even better (Getty)Kavita Bhuller, who's in charge of finding new employees at Publicis Pro, said there are several things to think about when choosing the best place to work from. She said: "Is the country safe to visit and is there good infrastructure to ensure one can work effectively there without fear of disconnection? ".
"It's not critical, but as a global organisation, it's also a plus when employees visit countries where other offices exist so they can benefit from local infrastructure and meet others working in their field from around the world."
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Tom Bourlet, who's in charge of marketing at The Stag Company, worked remotely in Barcelona for a week last year and recently had a workcation in Corfu for five days. Tom suggests that those on workcations should book off their afternoons as it provides you with more time to explore a country.
He suggests: "One aspect to consider is to book off the afternoons, so you work through the morning and then get to head out in a new country from lunch time and explore. This makes it feel like you're not really having to work. If you don't have time available, then you can enquire about whether you can move your hours forward, starting at an earlier time so you have more of the daytime to explore.
"Alternatively, you can agree an extended lunch break by starting earlier and then having a long two hour midday break. Of course, you'll have to resist the temptation to get a tipple at lunch while abroad as your productivity will decrease afterwards.
"Taking a longer lunch is something we regularly have already in place in our office, whether people want to get a haircut as well as time for lunch, or they might want to head out on a long dog walk after eating, therefore this wouldn't be an issue if someone was abroad."
Adjusting to time zone differences between two countries can pose a challenge. Tom added: "Settling into the time difference doesn't often cause much of an issue, but it's best people arrive [to their destination] over the weekend, so they can get a good night's rest before starting work the next day, rather than an early morning arrival and having to go straight into working (which can also be an issue with getting the internet setup and everything working."
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