US Workers Secretly Take 'Workations'

A quiet shift is under way in American workplaces. Growing numbers of employees are taking "workations," working remotely from a holiday destination without letting their boss know.

The term blends "work" and "vacation," much like "staycation," which describes choosing to spend a vacation at home rather than traveling.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of teleworking and remote work prompted people to reconsider aspects of both their professional and personal lives, and workations became increasingly popular as a result.

Corporate trainer Rudi Riekstins, who works with businesses and their employees, told VOA that the pandemic led people to question what they really wanted from work and from life. Consequently, he said, some began to feel that they wanted to escape the hectic, work-driven existence sometimes known as the "rat race," and as they returned to work, they sought greater control over their lives.

A study commissioned by the hospitality management company Mews found that about 29 percent of employees admitted to having worked remotely from a vacation spot without informing their employers. Carried out by the market research company OnePoll, the study questioned 1,000 American travelers and 1,000 American hotel workers. Its findings also suggested that 52 percent of employed Americans would treat vacation travel as an opportunity to work remotely.

In Riekstins's view, workations can benefit employers as much as workers. By making life more interesting, he argues, a workation can boost an employee's happiness.

"Productivity goes up by 70 percent on average when people are happier when they are working. And we see happy people when they're traveling because they feel stimulated," he said. Once people are stimulated emotionally, mentally and physically, he added, they return to work more creative.

Some hotel companies have seen an opportunity, offering workation packages to attract business, particularly during quieter periods.

Sandy Wieber owns the 17-room Bayfront Marin House in St. Augustine, Florida, and also rents out eight beach cottages. Having worked remotely herself for eight years, she now offers the kind of workation services she would have liked to use.

In Georgetown, Maine, the 13-room Gray Havens Inn, which sits near the water, has designed a special program aimed at younger remote workers. "We have a lot of younger travelers, but not as many as we would like. This is part of the reason we started this program," innkeeper Ali Barrionuevo explained. Having read about other hotels doing the same, she decided to try it and see whether it would attract people who were teleworking.

The package includes 25 percent off the room rate for a seven-day stay, along with daily breakfast, a welcome gift and some food and drinks. Barrionuevo also offers advice and support to guests who want to explore the area and take part in local activities. Once guests have finished work for the day, she said, she helps them find out what they enjoy and plans itineraries so that they can see what they want, or ought, to see in the limited time available.

Not every workation is entirely honest, however. A public opinion survey carried out by ResumeBuilder.com found that one in six Gen Z workers had used a fake online background showing a home office in order to deceive their employer. Gen Z refers to the generation born between the late 1990s and the early 2000s. A separate study from 2023 found that 51 percent of Gen Z workers said they had worked remotely from a vacation spot without telling their employers.

Yet, as Riekstins pointed out, workations need not be kept secret. Some employers are happy to allow them, provided that employees get their work done. "A number of the organizations that I do currently work with don't care where their employees work, as long as they produce the results and it's done within the office hours," he said.

Riekstins believes that more companies should embrace remote working as a way of improving both employee satisfaction and business productivity.

In his view, employers ought to be asking themselves a series of questions. Are their workers happy? Can they work from anywhere and still get the job done? Could happier workers produce better products and better results? And would that persuade them to stay with the company?