Embracing the “Workation” Culture at MOIA
Written by: Patty Fernandez
At MOIA, we believe that flexibility is key to a thriving work culture. After implementing our hybrid working model a couple of years ago, we are proud of the culture we’ve created that reflects our ridepooling business of “bringing people together.”
Still, we understand that life and work don’t always fit into the traditional office setting. That’s why we wanted to take our flexible and hybrid approach one step further and implement a “Workation” process to give our team members a chance to combine productive work with freedom to explore.
Workation is a relatively new concept with increasing popularity that enables employees to work and enjoy leisure time in a location different from their home base, in our case, outside of Germany. As the name suggests, it is a combination of “work” and “vacation” time, initiated by the employee. The employee then has a couple of options:
- Extend their trip by adding vacation days, resulting in a longer time spent exploring or
- Spend the whole time working in this new location.
The Workation Process: Combining Flexibility with Compliance
Our commitment to a flexible working environment is evident in how we’ve embraced the concept of Workations. To ensure this opportunity is accessible and compliant, the People & Relations (P&R) team developed a clear and structured application process for employees eager to combine work with travel.
Why is there an application process?
Ensuring compliance is crucial when working from different countries, which is why we established a process that covers all necessary legal, tax, and logistical requirements. Each case that is reviewed varies from another, depending on several factors including (but not limited to) nationality, destination, number of employees working in a certain country, and legislation. This ensures that employees can enjoy their Workation without any complications.
Step 1: Deciding on a Workation
Every Workation starts with the idea of combining work and exploration. Once employees have passed their probation period, they become eligible to apply for a Workation, with 35+ countries available as potential destinations. This wide range of choices offers ample opportunity for employees to pick a location that best suits their personal preferences or lifestyle.
Employees are allowed to apply for up to two Workation trips within a 12-month period, with a total of 30 working days split across these trips. For instance, an employee might choose to work remotely from Italy for 20 working days in December 2024 and then take another 10 working days in April 2025 to explore a different country.
Step 2: Discussing the idea with their People Manager & Teams
Before applying, employees are encouraged to discuss their Workation plans with their People Manager. This ensures there are no conflicting in-person commitments, such as essential projects, testing sessions, showcases, stakeholder workshops or others that might require their physical presence during their proposed Workation period.
Our culture of support and flexibility usually means that these discussions are positive, with managers often encouraging employees to make the most of this opportunity. And even some team members plan a Workation altogether!
Step 3: Application process & risk analysis
After receiving approval from their People Manager, the employee begins their application process. At this stage, MOIA’s P&R team collaborates with an external consulting agency to conduct a detailed risk analysis of each application. This analysis is crucial for ensuring that every Workation is legally and financially compliant.
The risk analysis covers several key areas:
- Legal Requirements: Verifying the conditions under which the employee can work in their chosen destination.
- Tax Implications: Ensuring there are no adverse tax consequences for either the employee or MOIA.
- Business Establishment Risks: Checking that MOIA doesn’t accidentally establish a business presence in the foreign country. This risk can vary depending on factors such as the employee’s nationality or the total number of working hours logged in that country.
Step 4: Preparing for the Workation — Tech, Compliance, and Logistics
Once the application is approved, the next step is to ensure that all the necessary logistics and technical setups are in place. MOIA emphasizes best practices for staying connected, encouraging employees to maintain clear communication with their team, and be mindful of the company’s data security guidelines, even while working remotely.
The Outcome: A Happy and Productive Workation
After navigating through these steps, employees are ready to embark on their Workation, equipped with everything they need for a successful blend of work and travel! MOIA’s process ensures that each Workation experience aligns with the company’s values of flexibility, collaboration, and compliance, allowing employees to enjoy a change of scenery while remaining productive and connected.
Check out Emanuele’s and Francesco’s Workation adventure in Iceland.
