For 57% of office workers can claim the new holiday mantra sun, sea and …spreadsheets as they plan to work from holiday destinations with Spain, Italy and France being the most popular choices.
- 88% of workers plan to ‘work from anywhere’ in the coming year, with 57% adding on time to their holiday this year to work from abroad
- 67% agree they can perform their job effectively working abroad
- Spain, Italy and France are the most popular destinations for Brits to work from anywhere
- Better work-life balance (76%), spending more time with friends and family (52%) and off-peak travel savings (47%) cited as key benefits
- Pressure is now on companies to update their policies, cited as the most common barrier for employees to working from anywhere
Work from anywhere is increasingly demanded
Hybrid working is going overseas with more than half (57%) of workers planning to extend holidays this year to work abroad, reveals IWG, the world’s largest flexible workspace operator. A massive 88% of workers say they are planning to work from anywhere – UK or away – this year, as hybrid working opens new opportunities for employees – and companies are responding accordingly. Major names from Airbnb to Spotify have introduced work-from-anywhere policies to give employees even more flexibility when they travel.
The new research of over 1,000 workers, undertaken by IWG, reveals that more than three in five (67%) workers agree that they can perform their job effectively abroad and 71% say they would only consider a new job that gave them the flexibility to work from anywhere, at least some of the time.
Improved work-life balance (76%) was the most common benefit cited for working from anywhere. This was followed by being able to spend more time with friends and family abroad (52%), saving money by travelling off-peak (47%) and being able to enjoy longer holidays (30%).
With 3,500 locations in more than 120 countries around the world, IWG empowers people to work wherever is most convenient for them. Its brands, which include Regus, Spaces and HQ, have locations in popular destinations around the world from Barcelona to Barbados and Naples to Nepal.
Almost 9 out of 10 (89%) office workers polled say they are now more likely to work from anywhere than they were pre-pandemic, with 83% saying the adoption of hybrid working by businesses has made it more feasible to do so.
Three-quarters (76%) say they’d be more inclined to work for a company offering frequent ‘flexcations’ as a perk, and 71% would only consider a new role which gave them the flexibility to work from anywhere at least some of the time.
Top locations for hybrid overseas workers:
| Rank | Location |
| 1st | Spain |
| 2nd | Italy |
| 3rd | France |
| 4th | United States |
| 5th | Greece |
Research is supported by IWG’s office usage data2 in popular overseas locations for the start of summer as Barcelona, Spain has seen a 168% increase in usage from June to July, Italy has seen significant rises in the same time period for its shared offices in Turin (+412%), Milan (+312%) and Rome (+137%). France also recorded growth in its offices in Rennes (+249%), Lille (+155%) and Reims (+147%).
But now is time for employers to step up and update policies, as 41% of employees said not having an official policy in place was preventing them for working from where they’d like.
IWG Founder and CEO Mark Dixon commented: “For an increasing number of workers, the days of the daily commute are over, now that hybrid working offers the opportunity to work wherever we will be the most productive. And thanks to cloud technology, that can be anywhere in the world, provided there’s a high-quality internet connection available.
“So, it’s no wonder that more and more individuals are embracing the idea of combining work with travel, whether it’s for a few days tacked on to the end of a vacation, or a few months as a digital nomad.
“This trend is set to accelerate further, and we will continue to see more and more companies embracing WFA policies to improve employees’ work-life balance and increase their attractiveness as an employer.”
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