Blog with Rob:The new vacation – is a workcation?

I read about an interesting new trend the other day.  The workcation. If you’re scratching your head, you’re not alone. A small but growing number of companies are allowing their employees to participate in a new trend of “working vacations”, i.e. the workcation, where employees log in remotely from a vacation destination.

We’ve all heard of being tied to your desk or struggling to clear your plate for long enough to get out of the office for a couple of days. The workcation solves that by allowing you to work on your laptop from say, Daytona Beach.  Does this really work? I thought about it, and while I never completely detach from the office when on vacation I think I would find it stressful to have to fit in hours of conference calls, review time, etc.  Do you truly enjoy your vacation this way?  Are you truly connected and focused on your work?

I tend to think that this furthers a discouraging trend. U.S. workers are taking less vacation than they did a decade ago. In 2013, the average worker took 16 vacation days, down from 20.9 in 2000, according to an analysis by the U.S. Travel Association’s project. I do think that no matter how busy you are at work, it’s important to take time to decompress away from the office. It may be impossible to completely disconnect (thank you smartphones) but making time for family, travel and relaxation is important to a healthy and well-balanced life.

So what do you think? Are you on board the workcation trend? Or is this something you’d never consider allowing at your organization?