What is Workation?
In the wake of the pandemic, many people are working from home and exploring new remote work setups. This has led to a surge in the popularity of Work From Home (WFH) policies and work-from-anywhere programs. It is called Workation.
Some people may say it’s neither work nor vacation. Suppose you do not get your work setup right, taking factors like having a suitable space, internet connection, temperature control, noise control, etc., into account. In that case, your workation may not be successful.
It can be tempting to cut work short or feel like you’re missing out if you only have limited time in an exciting place.
But imagine if things are done correctly, you may experience a remarkable transformation for two weeks or two months, and you can take pleasure in real vacation mode every weekend.
Here are the dos and don’ts we have collected from remote employees and entire teams who came to work from Bali. They made their mistakes, learned, improved, and enjoyed their workation.
Do’s for Your Workation
Know yourself and how you work. The quality of your workation consists of two parts work + vacation, so let’s get them both equally suitable. People usually know which destination they want to experience; that’s vacation. What do you need for productive work? Silent space or noisy space? Does it has to be a cool temperature in the room, or are you okay with tropical temperatures? Having your criteria goes for the “work” part of the formula, so get it right and be as thorough as choosing fun activities for your vacation.
Have a workplace plan B and C (just in case). Our coworkers picked Bali as a destination, but later they researched towns with 2-3 co-working places as a minimum. And they were right. In Bali, internet access is standard, but speed and downtime may make or break your sales meeting or conference call. Hence, if you count on working from your 5-star hotel lobby, do not be surprised if you encounter downtime caused by the provider and there is nothing else to do but wait. The coworking place of your choice may be good enough, but what about community, design, and service? It’s always beneficial to have the option of the location where you stay.
Be realistic about traveling with your spouse/family. Being in work mode when the rest of your tribe is on vacation may be challenging, if not annoying. Yet, people manage such setups well. The important thing is to agree on rules, working hours and preferably separate space. We know families who choose larger homes with an additional bedroom used as an office. If you have children around and need to work, go to the kitchen and do not be distracted. Some families have a hilarious rule of ignoring a working person until lunchtime or restarting regular communication after saying, “honey, I’m home”! Alternatively, you might work remotely from a coworking space.
Dont’s for Your Workation
Do not take less than two weeks workation. We have found that coworkers who utilize their Work From Anywhere policy are happiest either working from a familiar location for an average of a month or taking two-week trips. They repeat an already checked formula: a known destination, house, hotel, coworking, or shared office space. IMHO, two months is the optimum, especially if you have young children. You may need more logistics to nail, like day groups and babysitting support. If you are considering Bali and Sanur, it is an easy hit. Hinduism embeds in people extreme care, respect, and empathy for children. Hence, your babysitting recruitment will be sweet and short.
Working from anywhere is possible. Never assume that speedy internet is available globally. Cafes and hotels provide internet but don’t promise bullet-proof stability. It’s not their job. Our skype rooms are exceptionally popular these days since employees can work from anywhere, keeping their calls/meetings at the highest quality. We have an innovation Hub in Sanur, Bali, and we have found the solution: having all three providers on the island simultaneously to avoid downtime and slow time.
Avoid trying to work from anywhere without preparation. Before working from anywhere became a commonly used policy benefit, digital nomads explored the world. Many destinations suitable for digital nomads will suit any remote employee perfectly well. What we have these days are platforms like Surf Office or Hubble, which will give you long lists and the ability to book things in advance to make your workation successful.
And we hope to see you in Bali!
