Workation: the way to make work and vacation coincide
New generations and new paradigms have resulted in the proliferation of new work models. This is the origin of workation.
The rejection of traditional forms of work that go against a better work-life balance and against greater autonomy and flexibility, has made younger workers lean towards new ways of working.
This, of course, is made possible by technological advances that make it possible to work from anywhere in the world with a fast Internet connection. But what is workation really about and what comes first: working or vacationing? Is it possible to practice it in the company and include it in vacation management?
In this article, Appvizer takes you to explore this trend that became fashionable a few years ago and seems to be here to stay. Benefits, ways to make it possible and some good practices are on the agenda.
Let's get started.
What is workation and who does it?
Workation: meaning (definition)
The term workation is an anglicism born from the union of two words:
- Work - work,
- vacation - vacation.
It started to become popular as new ways of working emerged in an increasingly connected world and made it possible to mix work and leisure time in the same equation.
In Spanish, some words equivalent to the term have already been proposed such as trabacaciones or trabajaciones 😏 .
Who adopts this style of work?
Initially, the so-called digital nomads or people who, because of the type of work they do, can afford to be constantly on the move. Generally, digital nomads are:
- Freelancers. Freelancers or self-employed workers, characterized by:
- Constantly looking for new workspaces;
- being eager to develop their creativity;
- value the transfer of knowledge through interaction with other professionals.
- Workers who have found a job that does not require their physical presence in the office to fulfill their duties.
Today, however, this type of work has spread and has become accessible even to startups, which are looking for new ways to incentivize their employees by offering them greater flexibility.
Aspiring to workation becomes possible as long as the internet connection is assured and the necessary material to accomplish the missions is available. Working from a coworking space, a cafeteria or a library from anywhere in the world is no longer a fantasy!
Workation Spain: modalities
In Spain, this trend has become increasingly popular with the generalization of teleworking and has led many cities such as Barcelona and Madrid, although they are not the only ones, to bet on the revitalization of cities through the creation of adapted spaces.
The options that people have to do workation can consist of:
- Set up in luxury hotels, resorts or camps that offer:
- High-speed Internet, business offices;
- office equipment such as monitors and printers;
- modern, well-lit workplaces;
- meeting rooms.
- Change the main residence for the secondary residence to work remotely, since this second one is usually located in the countryside.
- Look for a residential offering that offers the comforts of a hotel, but makes you feel more "at home".
- Go further with coliving, a trend in which professionals with similar jobs and professions are grouped together to live together. This model is appealing to them because it allows them to be in creative places where the exchange of knowledge favors the emergence of new business ideas.
There are different ways to put workation into practice and, as we said before, it depends on the person's work environment, whether he/she is an employee of a company or self-employed.
Nowadays, it is common for companies to have a flexible mobility plan in which the worker can perform his/her duties from different locations that he/she has chosen to indicate when signing the employment contract.
Benefits and challenges of workation
Working five hours a day in a work environment conducive to creativity is 17% more productive than working eight hours a day in a traditional environment.
Portal de empleo estadounidense Glassdoor.
Among some of the advantages that workation offers to those who opt for it, we have that:
- It can increase your personal well-being by allowing you to be in natural places and whose atmosphere is generally relaxing. This also results from the fact that it gives greater value to aspects of your life other than work, which are fundamental to your personal development.
- On a personal level, it helps you develop qualities such as discipline, organization and creativity.
- It allows you to discover and explore new places and regions of the world.
- Since you are working, your available vacation time is not reduced, even if you are in a paradisiacal place.
- It contributes to the revival of tourism and to maintain social interactions.
Despite the benefits of this modality, there are those who also point out its drawbacks. To avoid them, we bring you some tips that can ensure the practice of an effective workation .
How to ensure an effective workation ?
1. Establish a routine
Maintaining a work routine, with established schedules both for the execution of tasks and for moments of digital disconnection, is the starting point. This allows you to keep up the good work pace and not completely disengage from your responsibility.
2. Prioritize your work
A good organization of work is possible to carry out if from the moment you define the objectives to achieve, you make a list of tasks and classify them into:
- Immovable tasks: They are those that require urgent treatment and cannot be moved.
- Progress tasks: These are tasks whose execution can be extended throughout the day or week, as they are part of an overall long-term objective.
- Rigor tasks: These are those activities that are already mechanized and do not require more effort to perform them.
3. Plan everything you need
Choosing to leave in workation mode is not something that can be improvised. Be sure to plan in advance all the logistical aspects that will allow you to do it efficiently:
- Adapted spaces,
- effective communication channels,
- adequate technological infrastructure, etc.
4. Do not neglect rest
The fact that you are working from places that make you feel constantly on vacation may make you believe that you do not need to set aside time for relaxation. However, it is important that you define your own vacation schedule and times when you are truly disconnected from your work activity. Disconnecting from work is necessary to maintain motivation and increase productivity.
Well-being: the real trend in the workplace
It is clear that what people are demanding today is greater autonomy, independence and flexibility in the world of work. While the new generations are willing to work tirelessly and have the energy to do so, they do not intend to do so to the detriment of their well-being and personal development. Hence the importance of the labor market evolving in tandem with the mindset of the workforce.
🏖 Do you work as a freelancer, self-employed or are you part of a company that offers workation within its work modalities? Share your experience in the comments.
Article translated from Spanish