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Workation evaluation – lessons we have learned so far

Workation evaluation – lessons we have learned so far

by Jana Wölfl | Nov 28, 2022 | Agile Leadership, Best Practice, MDI Inside | 0 comments

Vacation during working hours seems like a dream – but is it really?

We provide a workation evaluation, weigh the pros and cons and look at the lessons we have learned so far.

* Workation evaluation – Lessons Learned so far

Workation – Work and Vacation – has become a popular tool in recent years for companies to give employees a little relief. After all, who doesn’t want to escape the gray daily work life for a few weeks?

In this article, you’ll learn a little more about what we have learned from our workation experiences so far, and what possible consequences it could entail.

Work on vacation

At first glance, it seems strange to put the two words work and vacation together. Normally, when we are on vacation, we don’t want to think about our job, we want to switch off.

In the past, digital nomads in particular, i.e. remote workers, were not tied to a specific workplace. But in the age of digitalization and technological progress, more employees get the opportunity – regardless of the industry – to work from somewhere else.

Workation is about escaping your work routine.

For a limited time, employees can travel to a specific country and do their work from there. Whether from the beach, a big city or the mountains – the location doesn’t matter. The only important thing is that the Internet connection is stable enough and that the agreed times are adhered to. The rest is mostly up to the employees.

Is all that glitters gold?

Workation evaluation – Lessons Learned so far

Vacation during working hours seems like a dream at first. But is this concept really ideal? We weigh the pros and cons.

Pros:

  • The advantages are obvious. You discover new places and experience a different culture.
  • In addition to the usual work tasks, you can relax a little.
  • Change of scenery: Everyone needs a change from the usual four office walls.
  • Travel stimulates creativity. New impulses arise from new impressions.
  • Flexibility – employees are free to decide where they want to work from.
  • Traveling with other team members can additionally be a good way to get to know each other better and build a stronger team

2022 Facts and figures about workation

Clearly, the concept of Workation is extremely attractive to employees.

But we also come across some benefits for companies themselves. According to statistics from workation.com

  • 93% of employees are more productive than before.
  • This increases the performance of remote working by 20% overall.
  • In turn, the company saves per remote employee $11,000 per year.
  • In addition, 86% of Millennials want more flexibility in the workplace.
  • Workation can be a great solution to create more agility and increase employee satisfaction.

Cons:

  • Complete relaxation is not guaranteed. You probably think about work most of the time and so you can’t switch off completely. Especially when your job is hectic and you have a lot to do it’s hard to enjoy the vacation part of workation.
  • Your technical equipment – laptop, cables, etc. – adds extra baggage.
  • If the Internet connection is not stable, you can hardly do your job.

Maintaining a better work-life balance with workation

In the end, however, it is worth giving the concept of workation a chance. In most cases, employees return more relaxed and can continue working with renewed energy. Complications can’t be avoided, but after all, they also arise during normal travel.

We at MDI have already tested workation ourselves. If you want to know how it went, you can read about it here 🙂

  • Third Workplace – Can you really work from anywhere?
  • Third Workplace – a plea for more flexibility

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Third Workplace – can you really work from anywhere?

Third Workplace – can you really work from anywhere?

by Anja Franzmeyer | Aug 22, 2022 | Best Practice, MDI Inside | 0 comments

Third Workplace: Can you really work from anywhere?

You don’t need a crystal ball to know one thing: The future world of work is flexible!

Whether home office, workation, third workplace or work from anywhere:

As a company today, you have to be willing to experiment and remain open to trying new things. At MDI, we always strive to maximize our team development and the possibilities of hybrid working! That’s why in spring 2022, we introduced the possibility of 3 weeks of workation / third place working for the entire MDI team. 

How this has been managed so far and whether you can really work from anywhere is discussed by Anja, one of our project managers:

About Anja

Since December 2021, Anja has been successfully working as a project manager at MDI. She ensures the smooth running and organization of a variety of international leadership trainings.

Anja is a true world explorer #globetrotter. She loves to travel and most of the time she even does it on her own. Culinary and culture are at the top of her list of preferences. She also photographs and documents her experiences on Instagram.

Experience Review:

Work from anywhere: Can you really work from anywhere?

Office, home office, third place working – there are more and more options that companies can offer their employees to pursue their work. For many, like me, being able to work from the home office is still a privilege. Also, having the freedom to work from anywhere in the world is nothing short of a miracle – provided the internet connection holds up.

Where is your Comfort Zone?

Even though I appreciate the possibility to work from home, I tend to go to the office – a clear separation between work and private life, a wonderful team and the possibility to talk to others personally – even about private things – lure me there every day and sweeten my workday. All the more surprising was my own reaction when I got the opportunity for Workation – excitement!

Workation – but from where?

As soon as the opportunity was communicated to us – the team – I started making plans with my friends who live abroad. Especially with longer distances it is more difficult to visit for a weekend or to take time off at the same time. With the possibility of Third Place Working, we could continue to pursue our work, but enjoy the end of the day and weekends together – just like before.

Reality Check – Third Workplace
Can you really work from anywhere?

A perfect plan, right? But before I dare to try Workation outside of Austria, I did a trial run and nestled myself in my family’s home in Upper Austria for a few days to work. My sister and I have done home office together before and it worked out wonderfully.

This time, however, I was on my own and it turned out to be quite a bit more difficult to maintain the boundaries that had been set up with respect to those who were not at work. It turned out to be very tempting to go down to the garden or stop by for a coffee after all.

My experience

As much as I enjoyed being with my family for a few days, I found for me that I can concentrate better when I work together with others – location independent.

Note: Third Place Working is not possible for every position in a company, so offering Workation adds a bit more planning for the individual and the possibility of an imbalance in the team.

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