If you are looking to boost your team’s morale and productivity, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we’ll get to know the different kinds of workations out there, get tips on how to organize one successfully and upgrade both the team activities and the destinations so you can maximize these benefits.
Let’s dive in!
First of all, what is a workation?
A workation is, simply put, a mix of work and vacation. It’s a different experience that allows your team to travel away from the office and work remotely.
Changing scenery from time to time can be beneficial for the workers, leading to a better level of productivity, more motivation, and extraordinary creative processes. Job satisfaction also increases.
What kind of workations exist?
Overall it sounds amazing, but before you start organizing a workation, it’s important to know what your team needs. These are the top 3 options for a successful workation.
1. Destination workation
In this kind of experience, it’s important to go to the right location where the team can work best. These are a great blend of “work and leisure,” and the environment has to spark creativity, team bonding, and trust. The most common choices here are:
- Remote places in the mountains;
- Serene beach locations;
- Vibrant cities.
2. Virtual workation
Many team members today are located in different countries or cities. In this scenario, a virtual workation can be a good solution for the problem of distance and time zones. Technology evolves every day, so now you can find online team-building activities, video conferences, and even workshops to strengthen the team’s motivation without them having to leave their countries.
The goal here is to keep everyone connected, but changing the activity and environment of this online connection can give you the same benefits as a traditional workation.
3. Co-living workation
Did you know that 41% of remote workers want to do their job outside their homes?
Taking this into consideration, a good idea for a workation can be to co-live and co-work.
The team can stay together in one place and work remotely from there. This builds a sense of community and teamworking between the team members.
Besides, when the team is under the same roof, there are more opportunities to get to know each other and understand how everyone works and behaves.
5 tips to plan a great workation experience
Now that you know more about workations, their benefits, and the most common types, it’s time to consider these tips to organize a successful experience for your team.
1. Set clear goals
Before you even start organizing a workation, you have to know what you hope to achieve with this initiative.
Do you want to empower your team, help them in their creative process or strengthen their relationship?
Communicating these goals with the team is important so everyone knows what to expect when the experience starts.
2. Choose the right place
The destination you pick has to fulfill both the need for work and for leisure activities. These are some things you have to consider:
- Reliable wi-fi connection;
- Comfortable spaces for coworking
- Recreational options, like restaurants or coffee shops.
3. Organize team-building activities
Without a doubt, one of the greatest benefits of a workation is that the team can grow stronger while working together in a different space.
It’s important to take advantage of this opportunity with activities to build a better team. For this, you can:
- Set up brainstorming sessions;
- Create different workshops;
- 4. Don’t forget about cybersecurity
Remote work is growing in importance every year. Companies need to understand how fundamental cybersecurity has become with this tendency to work from different places and areas in the world. In 2022, an average cyberattack had a cost of $4.35 million dollars.
It’s crucial to protect the company’s confidential information, and one of the best options is to invest in a reliable Virtual Private Network (VPN) for all team members.
A VPN protects the internet traffic by encrypting the connection, so cybercriminals can’t access it and attack the company with it. VPN protection is one of the best tools to avoid getting hacked and losing money and reputation, among other things.
5. Maintain Communication and Support
While your team is away from the office, maintaining open lines of communication is vital.
Establish regular check-ins, video conferences, or daily huddles to keep everyone connected and informed. Also, ensure that team members have the necessary support and resources they need to work efficiently during the workation.
Some team activities to try out
Workations can be a memorable, fun experience for every employee. So, consider these dynamics and activities to boost their positivity:
- Games and challenges to build stronger teams;
- Outdoor activities and adventures like zip-lining, hiking, and even kayaking;
- Cooking competitions and classes;
- Sightseeing different places and going on tours;
- Friendly sports matches;
- Workshops for creativity, like pottery and painting;
- Relaxing instances, like yoga classes and meditation;
- Volunteering experiences in order to build a connection with local communities.
Where to go on a workation?
Any destination can be the setup for a great experience.
Your team can get motivated and productive anywhere in the world, but these five places can provide the best workations of their life.
1. Bali, Indonesia
The lively culture and beautiful landscapes of this spot have a crucial advantage: many coworking spaces are available for international teams.
Bali will have the perfect mix of tropical paradise and nomad-friendly spaces, adding up to an amazing workation for you and your team.
2. Lisbon, Portugal
With its warm, sunny weather, interesting history, and numerous blooming startups, Lisbon is another great destination for this kind of experience.
Plus, with its delicious gastronomy, this happy city can encourage a new and more motivated creative process.
3. Tulum, Mexico
Tulum has some of the most incredible beaches in Mexico, and the culture is a gem to explore and learn from.
This bohemian paradise has everything: from great nightlife to comfortable coworking spaces for your team to bond over while working right next to the ocean.
4. Chiang Mai, Thailand
The country has been known to most digital nomads as a place to find each other and work together, and this is true to this day.
It can be considered a digital nomad hub, offering a great mix of exotic landscapes and a growing expat community.
5. Vancouver, Canada
This city has the perfect combination of urban comforts and beautiful nature nearby.
The mountain views are especially worth it, as are the vibrant neighborhoods and excellent connectivity.
To sum up
A good workation experience can give your team a much-needed break without forgetting about productivity and collaboration.
If you understand the kind of workation your team needs, set reachable goals, and pick the right place, prioritizing cybersecurity and dynamic activities, you can have a successful experience on your hands.