Employees make plans to work abroad this year

Around three in five (57%) workers are planning to work abroad this year with many using this as a way to extend their holidays. Employees are more likely to work from anywhere now than they would have pre-pandemic. This trend is set to accelerate further as more businesses embrace this way of working.

More and more people are looking for employment that provides the flexibility to work from anywhere. Three-quarters of workers will now only consider a job role if it offers ‘work from anywhere’ flexibility. Global companies such as Airbnb and Spotify have begun to introduce these types of policies to allow their employees this type of flexibility when they travel.

We have already waved goodbye to the strict office regime, with hybrid working becoming the working norm. Therefore, the next stage of working from abroad is not surprising. With the help of cloud technology and a high-speed internet connection, it is becoming much more feasible for employees to work from anywhere, even outside of the country!

The Statistics

• 88% of workers are planning to work from anywhere this year
• 67% said they can do their job effectively whilst working abroad
• 76% have admitted they would be more inclined to work for a company that offers frequent ‘flexcations’
• 71% said they would only consider a role if it gave them the flexibility to work from anywhere at least some of the time

Top locations for hybrid overseas workers:

1. Spain
2. Italy
3. France
4. United States
5. Greece

Benefits for the employee of working from abroad

• Improved work-life balance
• Improved employee wellbeing
• Able to spend more time with friends and family abroad
• The ability to relax in a different setting is beneficial to performance
• Opportunity to capitalise on positive holiday energy whilst working
• Saving money by traveling off-peak
• Enjoyment of longer holidays

Benefits for the company

• Business is attractive to future employees to work for
• Happier employers who are likely to be at a lower risk of burnout
• Improve employees’ work-life balance
• Higher productivity as a result of more rested employees

Implications for the company

Whilst there are benefits to employees working from abroad, there can be some implications that employers should consider.

• Not as easy to have conversations with colleagues as what it is in the office or from home in the UK
• Time difference could impact working hours and therefore contactable hours
• Without complete trust, commitment and excellent communication, WFA may struggle
• Little to no collaboration with colleagues as they are away from the office
• May not work for all business which require the employees to be there in person

What companies should be doing

Performance reviews

If you are allowing your employees to work from abroad you need to be able to ensure their output is consistent and in line with expectations. Employers can conduct performance reviews to evaluate whether their performance has been impacted by them working abroad or not. Anyone having performance issues will be highlighted through this process.

Health and Safety

As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring your employee is working in a safe environment, no matter where they are working. It may be difficult to check that an employee is working safely, for example in terms of electronic equipment they’re using, seating and posture, working hours, and taking breaks. You need to make sure risk assessments have been conducted.

How employers can implement WFA

You could begin by providing your team with a set number of days where they are allowed to ‘work from anywhere’. You can make it clear that employees are allowed to add this to their annual leave, so if they should wish to, they can extend their holiday and work from abroad.

How can oneHR help?

• Set helpful reminders on oneHR to conduct performance reviews with your employees as it can be easy to lose track of these processes.
• See who is working from abroad at a glance. When viewing the leave calendar you can view and mark your homeworking days which makes it easy to identify who is working remotely. This makes it easier for employees to identify who is in the office and who is working remotely or abroad.
• Use oneSafe to keep on top of your employees’ Health and Safety whilst they work away from the office. You can log and set reminders to conduct risk assessments, as well have access to a library of H&S documentation.

If you would like to learn more about how oneHR can help you to support with your employees working from abroad, please contact our team here.

Email: Contact@onehrsoftware.com

Twitter: @oneHR_