Working on the beach sounds really nice, but according to a study, it can jeopardize the work-life balance.
The thought of working with a laptop on the beach while the sun sparkles on the water and you can hear the waves is tempting for many. The desire to escape the office routine and work from a relaxing place seems attractive at first glance.
A new work model is a workation, which is becoming increasingly popular among location-independent workers. With this work model, you can combine work (Work) and vacation (Vacation) and, according to asana.com, it is supposed to be a good remedy against burnout.
However, a recent survey indicates that home office and mobile working can often lead to more stress and overtime.
Overtime is pre-programmed
What disadvantages are highlighted? A survey by the HR consultancy Hays among 8,301 professionals and employers has shown (via People Management) that more than half of British employees work more hours at home than before the pandemic. Specifically, 52% of respondents stated that they have longer working hours when working from home.
It turned out:
- A quarter of this group works more than 10 additional hours weekly
- 41% put in between 5 and 10 more hours per week
Working during vacation
What else does the study say? The study also shows that 40% of respondents have worked during their vacation in the last 12 months.
Among mid-level employees, this percentage is even 52%. This suggests that leisure time and home office cannot be separated. Constant availability is already a problem nowadays – making it difficult to truly relax.
What is suggested? Simon Winfield, Managing Director of Hays UK & Ireland, says that employers transitioning to a hybrid work model need to consider the additional stresses on their employees (via genbeta). “Some employees may continue to work constantly or part of the week from home, so employers need to examine how they allocate their time to avoid having to be constantly reachable,” emphasizes Winfield.
In summary, according to the study, working on the beach may provide less of the desired dream and may instead represent an increased stress factor as the boundaries between work and leisure become increasingly blurred. It’s probably also just a matter of how you handle it yourself. What do you think? Another study claims: Some gamers are just better than you, and there’s nothing you can do about it
