Workcations 'no silver bullet'

Going on vacation while continuing to work remotely — a workcation — is proving a popular option for many workers.

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) have taken a workcation and another 94 per cent plan to workcation again in 2022 and beyond, according to a survey by passport-photo.online.

More than four in five (82 per cent) took the time off domestically, while 18 per cent went international.

The most common length for a workcation was one to two weeks (36 per cent), followed by three to four weeks (32 per cent), more than one month (13 per cent), less than one month (10 per cent) and two months or more (nine per cent).

More than one-third (38 per cent) of generation Z workers and 35 per cent of millennial employees are the most likely to take a workcation in 2022, found travel search engine provider KAYAK.

Why take a workcation? The top reasons are to:

• recharge mental and emotional batteries (67 per cent)
• avoid feeling stuck in one place (62 per cent)
• explore a new destination without having to use vacation time (60 per cent)
• escape routine and enjoy a change of scenery (57 per cent)
• meet new friends, business contacts or for love (42 per cent)
• prevent or cope with burnout (18 per cent)

While workcations are no silver bullet, there are a few reasons why they could be so valuable to workers, particularly amid today’s turbulent times, says Max Woolf, writer at passport-photo.online.

“For one, they let [you] change up your environment. That in itself could make you more productive and help devise unorthodox solutions to problems you’re stuck on. On top of it, workcations often allow employees to disconnect, distress, and breathe fresh air after the workday, which is key to tackling physical or mental exhaustion.”

Many Canadians don't take all their vacation days, and they bring laptops when they do, according to a separate survey.

based on passport-photo.online’s survey of more than 1,100 U.S. workers conducted in December 2021.

Pros and cons to workcations

Workcations provide a lot of benefits to workers, according to the report, including:

• boosted productivity at work (86 per cent)
• coping up with burnout at work (84 per cent)
• improved work satisfaction (84 per cent)
• improved creativity at work (81 per cent)
• making workers less likely to quit (69 per cent)

But workcations also present challenges, such as:

• a high cost of living (71 per cent)
• a negative impact on one’s work-life balance (56 per cent)
• visa or work permit issues (54 per cent)
• tax implications (51 per cent)
• time-zone differences that harm work communication (48 per cent)
• loneliness (18 per cent)

A previous survey also found that people just can’t stop working, even when they should be taking a break.