Is It Time For A Workcation?

Research and personal experience tell us that American employees often underutilize or “save up” PTO, sometimes leading to disengagement and burnout. Could the workcation trend be an option for employees who don’t need time off but need a little inspiration and a change of scenery? 

“Workcation” is the combination of work and vacation, where an employee works remotely from a destination other than home or an office for a short period of time. With the significant expansion of the remote/flexible workforce, are more people taking workcations? How do workcations impact organizations? These questions inspired a research project by Daniela Hodges, which you can read about on The Fit Blog. Here’s an excerpt: 

I saw mixed reviews from the 135 respondents. Let’s take a look at one respondent’s reason they would not take a workcation: PTO. This respondent was concerned about frivolously using PTO and admitted that they safeguard it for emergencies and then it usually expires before it gets used. This struck me because the point of a workcation is not to use any PTO.

You can read the full post here. This research has sparked an ongoing conversation about workcations amongst our team. We all work remotely, and we’ve each taken workcations over the years without having a name for what we were doing. In the last six months, I’ve worked from the beach twice. Two big facts about my workcation experiences: 

1. I am equally – if not more – productive when I’m on a workcation. The change of scenery helps my brain and body feel newly energized.
2. I feel a special appreciation for my job, my team, and our organizational purpose when I take a workcation.

Workcations are not just for full-time, remote employees. Any employee that is remote-capable, whether or not they typically work in an office, can take a workcation. Even working from the local community park or your favorite coffee shop can provide some new perspective and re-energize employees. So, where are you going for your next workcation?