In the past few years, the UK has fully adopted the concept of a “workation.” This trend is further evidence of a cultural change where people increasingly understand the importance of work-life balance. This trend is providing employees the opportunity to live and work remotely from desirable locations and experience an extended vacation state. Ian Brown, a managing director, has gotten into the workation trend. He’s even done the job from a beach shack in Jamaica! He turned to his own experiences for inspiration. Today, he leads the charge for a healthier work-life balance by having brought this perk to his employees.
For Katherine, 48, a New York–based business consultant, her first workation was on a trip to Australia two years ago. She ended up extending her trip by two weeks, deciding to continue working remotely from her friend’s home. Katherine’s no-nonsense attitude about workations. She consistently coordinates pet-sitting as she travels to visit family, friends, and explore new cities on long weekends. Katherine does not fit the mold of your average young digital nomad. Her story illustrates how workers of any age can thrive in new flex-ability type jobs.
The growing popularity of workations coincide with the changing workplace landscape, particularly after the pandemic. According to a study by Grant Thornton, 77% of businesses had implemented a workation policy by 2025. That’s a big jump from the 59% that passed in 2023. This jump is indicative of the rising acceptability of remote work alongside employee demand for more flexible work arrangements. A recent YouGov poll had a surprising finding. It discovered that 37% of Americans able to work remotely are enthusiastic about going on a workation within the next 12 months.
Business consultant Petra Wilton said employers needed to have a more systematic approach to introducing workation policies. She remarked that companies should “put clear, transparent rules in place and actively manage them” to ensure both employee satisfaction and productivity.
Ian Brown joined us to discuss how workations have positively impacted both employees and the company. He explained that the flexibility provided in these types of arrangements allows him to manage the more challenging parts of his work day.
“It does feel ultimately that you’ve got more time away from the office space than normal – it takes you out of that environment, you’re away and doing something you enjoy. It refreshes you and gives you an added perk,” – Ian Brown.
Katherine said the same when it came to her workation experience. She underscored the value of autonomy in telework situations.
“It all comes down to individual relationships and trust, and having that autonomy – I know my deadlines, my role and what I need to get done; that doesn’t change if I’m at home or elsewhere,” – Katherine.
Employee wellness impacts of workations. Experts are concerned about the wider impacts of workations on employee wellness. Daniel Wheatley, an academic specializing in workplace dynamics, stated that such flexibility fosters “leisure time, social connectedness and wider wellbeing.” Yet, he urged a sober eye towards the downfalls intrinsic to the new remote work atmosphere.
“Increased monitoring meaning employees never feel offline or disconnected,” – Daniel Wheatley.
Many employees such as Ian Brown have found it largely untrue that workations are damaging employee responsiveness while undertaking workations. He remembered his early concerns over employees losing focus when working from home.
“The drawback I feared was that they would take the workation and not respond to requests to do something – that’s never happened – and the positivity is extraordinary,” – Ian Brown.
Instead, “workation” is a reflection of a cultural trend toward making life the focus of work. This shift has been largely driven by the advent of digital technologies, which made remote working more possible than ever before. The travel industry has recognized this trend. For instance, Tui has launched a dedicated workation page showcasing “handpicked hotels that are perfect for a working holiday.”
Employers have been doing their part to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape. They need to be flexible and responsive to the needs and preferences of their workforce. Workations provide a perfect cocktail of flexibility and control that employees gravitate toward. This unusual set-up provides them with a greater level of autonomy in their careers than they have ever experienced before.
“It gives a sense of freedom and allows people to take more control over lives,” – Daniel Wheatley.