Writing a workation policy: the agreements to make
· By BookWorkations editors
A workation is working from a different place, often abroad, usually combined with a few days of free time. A team workation brings several colleagues together in one place. Without clear agreements, such plans get stuck quickly: who pays what, when is someone available and what happens if something goes wrong? This article lists the topics you can record in a policy. It is not legal advice. The right choices and rules depend on your organisation, the country and your people.
Start with the purpose
Write down first why you allow workations. Is it to bring teams together, to give people more flexibility or to organise team workations? The purpose decides which rules are really needed. Many policies become too heavy because nobody wrote the purpose down.
Then decide the basics:
- Who may request a workation: everyone, a team, or only with approval?
- How many days per year, and how many in a row?
- Who approves a request, and within what period?
Working hours and availability
A workation changes the place, not the work. Record how you work and when people are reachable, especially when the time zone is different.
- Which core hours apply, and how do you handle a time difference?
- How do people show their availability, for example in the calendar or in the team channel?
- How quickly do people respond to messages and calls outside core hours?
- How do you agree on days off and public holidays of the country where someone is working?
Costs and reimbursements
Everyone wants this clear in advance. Unclear money matters are the quickest way to spoil the mood.
- What does the organisation pay: travel, accommodation, internet, a workspace?
- Which costs are for the employee?
- How do you claim expenses, and which receipts do you need?
- Are there limits per day or per stay?
Workspace, health and safety
Think about the duty of care for the workspace, even when it is temporarily somewhere else. How far those obligations reach outside the Netherlands depends on the country and the situation. Ask the Arbeidsinspectie or an occupational health adviser, and record in the policy what you do and do not arrange.
- Which facilities does the organisation provide: a chair, a screen, good lighting?
- What does someone do in case of an accident or illness, and who gets called?
- Which places are not allowed as a workspace, for example a bed or a sofa?
Insurance
A travel or health insurance you use for a holiday does not always cover work. Check before you leave what your insurance covers for the country and the period, and ask the organisation what it arranges.
- Is your health insurance valid in the country where you will work?
- Does your travel or cancellation insurance also cover work?
- Is there liability cover for damage to the organisation's equipment?
Tax and social security
This is where most mistakes happen, and it is also the part where no general answer exists. Whether you pay tax in another country, and whether social security contributions are paid there or in the Netherlands, depends on the country, the number of days, your contract and the tax treaty between the countries. For work in other EU countries, an A1 certificate may be needed; the SVB issues it. Check the official sources and ask the Belastingdienst or an adviser beforehand, not afterwards.
This article does not give tax or legal advice.
- Check the Belastingdienst website for the tax rules that apply to you.
- Check the SVB website for the A1 certificate and social security rules.
- Check Your Europe for the rules on working in another EU country.
Data and information security
The GDPR also applies when you work somewhere else. Record in the policy how people handle personal data and what to do when a device is lost.
- Work only with devices and accounts that the organisation manages, and use a secure connection (VPN).
- Do not handle company data on public wifi without a VPN.
- Do not leave devices on the beach, in a car or at the bar.
- Take only the personal data you need, and keep client data in the system rather than on your laptop.
Agreements about the workation itself
Finally, agree on the practical side of the stay:
- How long is a workation, and how is the time split between work and free time?
- Which agreements apply to team moments, and which to the individual working day?
- Who is the contact person when something goes wrong?
Review and adjust
Ask after each workation what went well and what did not. A policy that has not been adjusted for a year often no longer fits the practice. Put a short review in the agenda.
Planning a team workation
Planning a team workation and looking for a place that combines work and relaxation? Browse the venues on BookWorkations, or read the page about team workations.