In order to deepen our understanding of workation and to utilize it in future product development, JAL held three roundtable discussions with users of the travel community "trico." Participants included people who have actually worked on workation and people who are thinking about doing so. Together with the participants, we discussed expectations and challenges of workation, and the ideal form that emerged from that.
"Workcation" and "Bleisure" are now attracting attention
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"Workation" is a coined word that combines "work" and "vacation," and refers to a new way of working and resting in which you telework while traveling or visiting your hometown. There is also a coined word, "bleisure," that combines "business" and "leisure," which generally refers to extending your stay at a business trip destination before or after a business trip to enjoy sightseeing. As the introduction of teleworking progresses due to work style reforms and the COVID-19 pandemic, environments are being created where you can work without coming into the office, and an increasing number of companies are accepting these ways of working.
JAL has also introduced the workation system in 2017 as part of its work style reform.
The number of employees using workcation is gradually increasing every year, with approximately 170 employees taking advantage of workcation in fiscal 2018 and approximately 250 employees taking advantage of workcation in fiscal 2019. Employees who have actually taken advantage of workcation have said things like being able to take longer vacations than before and being able to grow as individuals through experiences that can only be had in that location, and there are many cases where employees are using new ways of working and resting to revitalize themselves.
Higashihara, who promotes workation in the JAL Human Resources Strategy Department, also participated in the roundtable discussion. Higashihara himself has experienced workation many times.
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At this roundtable discussion, we asked participants for their opinions on the following themes regarding "workation," which includes bleisure.
Discussion topic
- Places you want to go for workcation
- When do you want to work remotely?
- Ideas to make your workcation more meaningful
- Who do you want to go on a workcation with?
Participants of the roundtable discussion
Okinawa and Hokkaido were the most popular destinations. But there were also some issues...
When it comes to workation, the most important thing to consider is the destination. When asked where they would like to go, Okinawa and Hokkaido, the classic resort destinations where you can enjoy a holiday, received the most votes. Okinawa in particular seems to be popular for its beautiful beaches, abundant nature, and warm climate even in winter.
"I go to Okinawa several times a year. I think it would be fun to stay in a rented villa or an abandoned old house for about a week and work while living there." (Male in his 40s)
"I like diving, so I went to Okinawa. When I was on a business trip, I would take the weekend off to enjoy my hobby after work." (Male, 30s)
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Many of the participants had visited Okinawa many times, and because they were familiar with the local situation, they raised some concerns. The work environment is an important element of workation. It seems that it is important that the place is not only a place that allows for a fulfilling vacation, but also an optimal environment for work.
The second most popular destination after Okinawa was Hokkaido. As expected, it seems that many people value being close to nature in order to refresh themselves during their work breaks.
"In the summer, I'd like to go to a remote island in Okinawa. In the winter, I like skiing, so I'd like to go to a place near a slope in Nagano or Hokkaido. It would be nice to be able to go and play after work." (Woman in her 20s)
"Hokkaido. I want to go somewhere where I can feel nature and refresh myself during my break from work, so I'd like to go somewhere with lots of greenery, not just in Sapporo city." (Male, 30s)
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Some people also place importance on "travel time and distance" when it comes to their destination. Currently, many companies are introducing teleworking and remote work, but there are only a few companies where work can be done completely without coming to the office. It seems that many people expect to "come to the office if something happens," and many of the other participants nodded in agreement when they heard the answer.
"In the unlikely event that a problem occurs at work, it would be nice to be somewhere that I can get to within three hours. From Tokyo, Okinawa is a tight squeeze, and Sapporo is far from New Chitose Airport. In that sense, Fukuoka would be ideal. There are many flights, and you can also travel by Shinkansen. It's also nice that you can use Fukuoka as a base and enjoy a trip to Kyushu, such as going to Yufuin for an overnight weekend." (Male in his 50s)
"Although we have been working remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic, I think it will be difficult to get people in the company to understand workation. I think it would be better to have a location that is within 2-3 hours so that you can still come to work if something happens." (Woman in her 20s)
"I think it's less stressful to fly directly to a place than to have to transfer between trains and buses." (Man in his 40s)
If you want to work remotely, try the off-season
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Resorts were popular destinations, but when is the best time to go? For regular trips, people often coordinate their vacation plans with others and make plans for consecutive holidays, but because this is a "workation" rather than a vacation, many people seem to want to go during the off-season.
"There are too many people on the main island of Okinawa during peak season. I recommend going after Golden Week, the end of summer vacation, or during the quieter winter months." (Man in his 30s)
"I see workcation as a simulated experience of living in a place while working, so I'd like to go when there are no tourists and see the place in its original form." (Woman in her 20s)
There were also comments saying, "I would like to work remotely on a regular basis."
"Once every 1-2 months, I go for about 2 nights and 3 days, mainly for travel. I'd like to go regularly." (Woman in her 40s)
"For company employees, I think it's actually more convenient to do it regularly. For example, if it's decided that 'this employee will workcation in the beginning of every even-numbered month,' it's easier to get people to understand and it's easier to spread the idea around. It's also easier to plan meetings and other things. It won't be necessary for everyone to constantly come to the office for 10 days once every two months." (Man in his 50s)
At first glance, it may seem like a high hurdle to leave the company on a regular basis, but on the contrary, it is actually easier to take advantage of and plan for, and the participants all looked impressed. This makes us think that since workation is a way to balance work and vacation, it is also important for companies to be understanding.
Are you planning on staying for a short period of time, or for a long period of time (a month or more)?
The key to workation is finding a good balance between work and play. The length of stay is also important. Short-term workation seems easy to achieve by scheduling it on a weekend, but it can be quite difficult to distinguish between work and vacation. While long-term workation is more difficult to implement, it seems like you can clearly separate work and vacation and work, and work with the feeling of "living locally." When we asked participants, it seemed like many of them were planning on doing a long-term workation.
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"If I only go for a week or two, I'll want to have fun, and it'll be stressful to balance it with work. I think if I go for about three months, I'll be able to work at the same rhythm as I do in my daily life. I want at least a month." (Man in his 50s)
"After all, one or two weeks feels like a trip. If you don't stay for at least a month, it doesn't feel like you're living and working there." (Man in his 30s)
Of course, there are those who are short-term and say, "Three or four nights is fine." If it's too short, it may seem like a waste to use the time for work, but one man in his 40s said, "There's value in just going to the place, so I don't really care about the ratio of work to vacation."
Wi-Fi is a given, but it also provides an extra layer of comfort for work
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Unlike vacations, it is important for workcations to have a good work environment. The most important condition unanimously mentioned was the practical "high-speed Wi-Fi." The key is what to add to that. Those who said, "I want a good work environment in the hotel..."
"There are hotels where the only power outlets are at the bedside, so I wish there were multiple outlets around the desk. I'm also concerned about the height of the chairs and the brightness of the lighting, which is often overlooked. When holding a meeting via video call, I can't relax if I can hear the sounds of the road or the ocean outside the hotel. It would be nice to have an environment where you can properly block out outside noise." (Woman in her 40s)
"I want to work in an environment with a large monitor, so I'd be happy if there was a service that rented out monitors." (Male, 30s)
"It would be convenient if there was a delivery service that would deliver bulky items such as reference books and documents from your workplace or home to your hotel, and a rental service for stationery, especially scissors and other items that cannot be brought on board the plane." (Male in his 30s)
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Some people want to use hotels as a place to relax, and would like to have a place to work separate from their hotel room.
"I like to be able to switch between on and off, and my family may be with me, so I generally don't work in my room. It would be nice if there was a package that allowed me to use the lobby, club lounge, or a corner of the cafe for work." (Man in his 50s)
"I'm glad there's a coworking space near the hotel." (Woman in her 30s)
Additionally, some people find that they can work more efficiently by enriching their vacation with aspects of their daily life and hobbies.
"A condominium-type apartment with a kitchen would be convenient if you get tired of eating out during a long stay. Also, cleaning fees are high in hotels, so it would be nice to have services and plans that are specialized for long-term stay workcations, such as a laundry service that you can easily use." (Male in his 50s)
"It would be nice if there were all-inclusive activities. For example, you could have a yoga class on the beach in the morning, work in the morning, and have a diving class in the afternoon. That kind of thing would motivate you to work." (Woman in her 30s)
"Work gets done better when there's delicious local food available." (Woman in her 40s)
"I basically want to stay inside the hotel, so I place importance on the hotel's facilities. Renting a car is a hassle, so I want a one-stop plan that doesn't require me to worry about transportation, such as being able to get a transfer from the airport directly to the hotel." (Male, 40s)
Although each person had a different approach, they all placed importance on the services they could receive within the hotel.
I want a workcation plan that is child-friendly
Finally, who you want to go with is also an important point. For a typical trip, you would go with friends, family, or alone, but what about workation?
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"I'd go alone. I'm used to traveling alone. Also, I have friends in Okinawa, so I don't feel lonely even if I go alone." (Male, 30s)
"I think it might be a good idea to focus workcation planning on solo travel." (Man in his 40s)
"I'd like to go alone or with my family if our schedules match. If I'm with my children, I think it would be good to choose a plan that has a kids' area or a daycare center." (Woman in her 30s)
While the majority of people said they would "go alone," some also said they would "go with their family." With workcation, you can enjoy traveling together without taking time off work, even with people who you might not normally be able to coordinate your time off with, which seems to be a big attraction.
iStock/Suwaree Tangbovornpichet
As this roundtable discussion was attended by people who love traveling, we were able to hear a wide variety of opinions about workation. Nagai from the Marketing Group of the JALPAK Web Sales Department, who participated in the discussion, had this to say about the whole discussion:
"By participating in this roundtable discussion, I was able to hear valuable opinions that will be extremely helpful in planning future products. Also, before participating, I had the feeling that it was a waste to work in between traveling, but the comment from a participant that there is value in being on the road opened my eyes. I feel that workation during the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to lead to a new, more relaxed lifestyle for working Japanese people."
"We are taking the opinions we received into consideration and exchanging opinions and considering our customers' diverse workation needs within the company. By introducing easy-to-understand model plans centered on solo travel and families, as well as attentive accommodation facilities and services that pursue comfort, we will develop and sell workation products that will be chosen by our customers."
JALPAK will use the feedback we receive to plan attractive workation products and support travel and workstyles in the new era.
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A unique workation experiment was conducted on the Big Island of Hawaii in December 2019. We will report on the experiment and consider the possibilities of "Hawaii x workation."
Talking with salaryman traveller Hirofumi Higashimatsu about the potential of "Hawaii x Workcation"
Hirofumi Higashimatsu, known as the "Salaryman Traveler," traveled around the world on weekends while working at an advertising agency. More than just a travel enthusiast, he actively proposes new ways of working and taking time off.
Other new forms of travel can be found here
We propose a new way of traveling, where you can enjoy your trip while avoiding crowds as much as possible.
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
