The phrase ‘working holiday’ has been doing the rounds recently in the corporate world so we thought we’d down tools for the afternoon and take a look at what it means and whether they work.

What’s a Working Holiday?

The idea is that you go on holiday but you take your work with you. There are two schools of thought about how to do this and what it entails. You might book off some time and have to get a few bits and pieces done whilst you’re away. Or you might work a full day each day but from a different location. We’re going to focus on the first school of thought and figure out if it’s really worth doing?

The Pros

Not every profession is going to be able to take a working holiday. If you work in a factory or are a plumber for example then you clearly can’t take your work with you. They’re really aimed at people in the business and corporate world who do the bulk of their work in front of a screen all day. These types of jobs are well suited to this type of arrangement but you need to think about whether they’re really for you.

The pros are that you can be seen to be a real go-getter by your boss which is never a bad thing, but you also want to think about your own wellbeing and enjoyment.

You can certainly avoid a mad rush the week leading up to your holiday if you have the safety net of knowing you can take a few bits with you on your holiday. But do you really want to be sat on the beach looking at a spreadsheet…

The Cons

That leads us nicely onto this section when you think about it doesn’t it!

You may get tired working a little harder in the run up to your holiday, you may even wish you could put a few things off until you got to your hotel. But the moment you land it’ll dawn on you that you have to get back to work and that’s just no fun is it?

You’ll also want to bear in mind that work always has a habit of expanding to fill the time available. By giving yourself the fallback of knowing that you could work on your holiday you’ll be more likely to dawdle and drag your heels. Clearly this doesn’t sound like the most productive approach!

There’s also a chance that colleagues will expect you to be constantly online and connected as you’ve already replied to a few things that week. What you need is a plan…

The Way Forward

If you’re in any doubt about whether a working holiday is for you then our advice is to steer clear of this latest trend. You’ll find that you power through your work in the run up to your holiday because you’re motivated by the thought of lying on the beach without a care in the world.

Plus taking a break is good for you. It gives you the chance to take stock and focus on something else for once. Two things that will allow you to return to work refreshed and motivated to take things to the next level.