Introduction
"Workation"Many people have probably heard this phrase before.
As a new way of working that combines work and vacation, it has attracted significant attention, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, recently"Was the workation a failure?"We hear such comments. In fact, there have been news reports of companies withdrawing from corporate facilities, so some people may feel that the boom is over.
This article provides a clear explanation of why the demand for workation has decreased and why companies continue to offer it despite this decline.
Why has the demand for workation decreased?
Workation gained attention around 2018 and rapidly spread with the expansion of teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, currently, demand has not grown as much as initially expected.
There are two main reasons for this:
1. The trend of returning to the office
While remote work rapidly became widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more companies are now returning to in-office work.
This is because, while teleworking has become established, the importance of face-to-face communication has been re-recognized.
As a result, the need to "work far away" has become weaker than before.
2. Access Issues
Many workation facilities are located in rural areas.
This initiative aims to revitalize local communities, but from the perspective of companies in urban areas, it presents the challenge of longer travel times.
For example, even to locations relatively close to the city center, travel time can sometimes take several hours.
Therefore, the hurdles to implementation are high.
Reasons why companies continue to offer workation
Although demand has decreased, workation hasn't completely disappeared.
On the contrary, an increasing number of companies are using it by changing its "purpose."
Point 1: It provides an opportunity for employee growth.
Working in a different region than usual can lead to new perspectives and encounters with new people.
Interacting with local people can sometimes be an opportunity to re-evaluate one's career and outlook on life.
Point 2: Team cohesion strengthens
Having employees live and work in the same location fosters a different kind of communication than what you'd typically experience in a regular workplace.
Natural and unpretentious interactions have the effect of strengthening the cohesion of an organization.
Point 3: Many companies are repeat customers.
A notable feature is that many companies that have adopted it continue to use it.
Companies that have experienced positive results tend to use the service repeatedly.
The key word going forward is "cross-border learning."
Recently, the term "workation" is not used.
"Cross-border learning"More and more companies are adopting it for this reason.
What is cross-border learning?
An initiative to gain learning and experience in a different environment, away from the usual work environment.is.
Rather than workation, which has a strong image of being a "vacation,"
This is because it is easy to implement as a talent development program.
Change your location, meet new people, and gain new perspectives.
That experience could potentially lead to innovation within the company.
Summary
Workation has lost some of its initial popularity.
However, that was not a "failure"
The objective has simply changed.You could say that.
Currently
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Employee training
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Team building
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Community interaction
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Cross-border learning
It is increasingly being used in this way.
The "space" created by changing locations can lead to new ideas and growth.
Workation has the potential to continue evolving as one of the new ways of working.
