Thinking of extending the long weekend without taking time off work? You’re not alone.
Driving the news: ‘Workcations’—or working vacations—are a new phenomenon gaining traction in an open world of work options, per the Financial Times. One study found over a quarter of working Canadians and 38% of Gen Z’ers planned to take a workcation last year.
- Employees can now extend trips, vacation with their kids, and escape the office while staying on top of work. It could even spur productivity and creativity, per Deloitte.
Why it matters: As tensions around remote working arrangements mount, employers are offering the freedom to travel as a compromise. It’s also a way to gain an edge in a competitive labour market without offering higher salaries or more (non-work) vacation time.
- Thompson Reuters and Google give workers 4-8 weeks of ‘work from anywhere’ time a year, while others even offer a stipend to cover workcation expenses.
Yes, but: Not everyone can head to the beach with a laptop in tow. Junior employees are often less likely to have the flexibility (or finances) to make such an arrangement work, and even high-earning executives can run into connection troubles in their Bahamian villas.
Bottom line: Before you jet off on a workcation, do your research—immigration rules, tax implications, and time zone differences could end up impacting your trip—SB, LA