Do you happen to be one of those people who take a week off to go on vacation, and then find yourself feeling restless and unable to enjoy your time, thinking about all the unfinished business you’ve left behind? Do you even end up doing office work that you’ve not signed up for, without getting paid for it, while supposedly on vacation?
If that sounds familiar, you might be just the right type of person to take a so-called workation. With mobile devices, such as smartphones, making it easier than ever before, you too can go on holiday, and stay in touch with work on a daily basis, by connecting directly to your company’s network. Whether you’re using a new BlackBerry 10 smartphone to answer business emails and access important data, or you’re video-calling business partners from your Android device – being available, even when you’re on holiday, means you should get greater flexibility from your employer, when it comes to negotiating time off work. They will know that you can be available, whenever they need you – even if you’re sunbathing on an exotic beach at that very moment. A workation is a less definite vacation, but you can provide cover, even if you’re not sitting in the office.
To do this, you should be sure to deal with a few important technicalities. Firstly, it is crucial that your personal mobile devices are securely integrated into your business network. A smartphone should be able to access the same files that a laptop could, and just as safely as a PC. There’s already a wide range of applications to support employees’ increasing mobility, providing safe file management services, and secure access to data.
Quite clearly, a personal device taken on vacation is much more likely to get damaged, or lost compared with an office-bound, desktop PC. If your mobile device gets damaged, make sure sensitive data has already been protected by a central recovery and backup system, and that it can be deleted by your company’s IT administration in cases of loss or theft. Also think about taking out personal insurance to cover the cost of replacing of your device at short notice, if anything happens to it.
A workation is the perfect compromise for those who need a vacation away from home, but don’t want to completely disconnect at the same time. Have you talked to your boss about taking one?
