I’ve tested workation and…

What if you dropped it all and go to the Bieszczady Mountains? Or watch the Fagradalsfjall eruption live on Iceland? How about learning to surf on the west coast of the Algarve in southern Portugal? But oh well, this year there will be no chance for it again because you have only three days of vacation left…

And how about workation?

Dagmara Majdak was one of the first in our company to check whether workation is in fact as brilliant as it sounds in theory:

The only good thing that has come out of this whole pandemic is hybrid work. As a Project Manager at Spyrosoft, I have such opportunity and I must admit that I am very happy about it.

It’s a fact, probably never before has the possibility of working in this mode been so easily available. Although, as the results of the Grant Thornton survey show, 54% of surveyed employers are not favorable to the idea of workation. Fortunately, Spyrosoft is not one of them and in most cases we can work from anywhere in the world, be it a beach in Łeba or at the foot of an Icelandic volcano. As long as there’s the Internet.

Of course, as Dagmara says, nothing can replace live conversations and meetings over good coffee in the kitchen, but for people who love traveling, workation is a dream option. That’s why Dagmara has recently decided to combine work and sightseeing and check what will come of it. Does she consider this test successful? Let’s check what her impressions from working on the shores of Lake Geneva were.

How does workation look in practice?

From Monday to Wednesday I worked in the office in Wrocław, and on Thursday morning I flew to Switzerland. I could combine my remote work on Thursday and Friday with lunch on the shores of Lake Geneva, and in the evenings and on the weekend, I was exploring the area full of, for example, the wonderful vineyards :).

My first workation may have been quite short, but it worked out very well as for the first time.

I consider this way of working to be something much better than the home office, and I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to test this option.

Have you noticed any difficulties during your workation?

None, you just need to plan everything perfectly in advance and be disciplined, but as a PM I personally don’t have a problem with that.

What are the pros and cons of workation in your opinion?

In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. First of all, it is a break from everyday life, we get to know new places, new people, and spend time differently after work. It motivates me for action. As for the disadvantages, if we dream of workation in a different time zone, it may be more difficult to organise. Sometimes we can also have problems with concentration because beautiful views outside the window can be very distracting.

Some employees and their bosses, may have concerns about maintaining productivity during workation – what was your way to do that?

I think you can also have concerns about maintaining productivity when working from home. It’s all a question of the right approach to work. You have to set priorities straight and divide your time between work and leisure. And stick to it.

What to keep in mind when planning your workation? How to prepare for it?

You definitely have to remember that workation is not a vacation, we are still at work and we have our tasks to do. In addition, the most important thing is a place to work where we will be able to focus and a stable connection to the Internet.

Do you think workation will be more and more popular in the future?

Absolutely, I think a lot of people will take advantage of this opportunity in the near future. Recently, I read an article about one travel agency from Germany that already offers trips combined with work. It is an ideal option for someone who does not have time to plan such a trip on their own. You can see that the world is opening up to digital nomads.

If, like Dagmara, you would like to be able to work at the foot of the Swiss Alps or to the accompaniment of the sound of the Mediterranean Sea, then in our Spyrosoft team you will be able to make this dream come true.

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