It used to be the prosperity (business + leisure), the custom of combining business travel with tourist visits. Today this combination is reversed and takes its name work.
A daughter of the new “smart” working methods, working (work + holidays) is the new trend of scheduling work periods in places you want to live and plan to visit in your free time. When the computer is off and having completed its tasks, it can devote itself to discovering new cultures and traditions. The difference is therefore clear: in the first case the places to explore are determined by the work commitment, in the second, possibly, the limitation for the choice of the destination will be only the imagination, and some points to satisfy which you will see shortly.
Flexibility in the company: Temporary remote work on the test
The numbers also show that work is a growing phenomenon. In fact, according to the latest research by the Smart Working Observatory of the School of Management of the Polytechnic University of Milan, in the last year, in fact, alongside the experimentation of new forms of flexibility such as short weeks, unlimited vacations or early termination, well 44% of the large companies surveyed decided to try it “Temporary remote workExpecting to be able to work completely remotely for a few weeks or even several months, continuously, in some cases even from abroad.
However, don’t think that making this kind of experience is a small matter for the company. To ensure that practicing work doesn’t backfire on productivity, you need some fundamental assumptions.
Underlying it all, of course, is a corporate culture based on trust, responsibility and autonomy. a culture open to new forms of collaboration that fully embrace the concept of flexibility of time and place. Essentially associated with this is an example of goal-based working along with the ability to measure performance that goes beyond measuring physical presence in the office. Of course, then it is necessary for the company to equip itself with a solid technological infrastructure to support remote work, i.e. reliable Internet connections, effective collaboration platforms and IT security and privacy policies to protect sensitive company data, such as the use of VPN, two -Agent authentication and remote data management instructions.
Work, the advantages for companies and people
Having ensured the above conditions, the advantages of work can be many and together they contribute to the improvement of organizational well-being and the level of productivity.
The ability to choose stimulating and personalized work environments can promote concentration, creativity and well-being in general, just as the ability to combine work activities and moments of relaxation contributes to a better work-life balance. All of this removes the risk of burnout and undercycling in this Great Gloom that now seems to be creeping into so many organizations. And we know: happier people are also more engaged, motivated and productive.
Another strategic aspect is the ability of a company that embraces flexibility to the point of making work possible attracting and retaining new talentgaining their trust by building around them a modern work environment that is adaptable to modern needs.
And if it is true that travel activates mechanisms of discovery of others and ourselves, one can easily understand how at a deeper level work can represent a moment of personal as well as professional growth.
Workation Index, the best cities to work remotely
But if until now we were talking about what the company should be equipped with and why, in order to implement work programs, now, having taken down the suitcase from the top of the wardrobe, we must open the geographical map and choose what the destination will be for the next months of work. The numerous “Working Points” that populate the web come to the rescue, full of tips on where you can move your laptop to have a unique experience and, at the same time, work efficiently, achieving all your goals.
German holiday rental comparison search engine Holidu recently compiled its Job Index. Various parameters are used to determine the best cities to work: they range, of course, from the availability of a fast and secure Wi-Fi connection to the number of workspaces, from the monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment to the cost of drinks after work. According to the results of the survey, at the top of the list, to the delight of lovers of exotic destinations, we find the city of Bangkok, followed by New Delhi and in third place Lisbon. To find an Italian city we have to go down to 18th where the city of Milan is, then Florence at 25th and Naples at 30th.
Preply, the digital learning platform that uses connected teachers from around the world, has also compiled its Job Index comparing 75 cities in OECD countries on 10 factors, divided into 3 categories: quality of life, climate and environment, cost and safety. On the podium we find Brisbane in Australia in first place, followed by Lisbon in Portugal and Nicosia in Cyprus. As for Italy, Rome is in 43rd place, Milan in 50th.