Flexibility is the buzzword in the world of work this year.
With working from home and hybrid working becoming the norm in the wake of the pandemic, employees are valuing the ability to move around and manage their own schedules more than ever.
Four in five (84%) consumers say WFA (Work From Anywhere) is set to start a revolution among workers who see working from home as an outdated concept.
New research from seven countries, conducted by Hostelworld, shows stress levels could drastically reduce from 22% to 6% if companies allowed for conference calls from Côte d’Azur, brainstorms from Brasília and meetings from Marrakech.
With 86% of Gen Z and 80% of Millennials saying they’re ready to change jobs for flexible employers that let them work from anywhere, it looks as though the next chapter of The Great Reshuffle may be on the horizon.
Currently, only one in five say their company lets them WFA, with favoured places to work from including restaurants (45%), hostels (37%) and the beach (18%).
When respondents were asked about how they would feel when working from anywhere, versus how they felt working from home the past year, they said motivation levels would increase from 21% to 56%, creativity would rise from 23% to 54%, and overall happiness could double – from 33% to 68%.
The study, which collected data from 1,925 respondents from seven countries – Australia, Canada, Ireland, the USA, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK, revealed that a third feel uninterested while working from home, compared to just 2% who could WFA.
While only 15% say they can currently WFA, the vocations that most allow for working vacations are digital and content marketing, data science and software development, and finance and accountancy.
Of those who can WFA, one third (33%) are able to work from a different country between one to four weeks each year.
‘Younger people feel particularly disconnected and lonely after spending two years working from home,’ says Jody Jordan, chief people officer at Hostelworld.
‘They want to explore, connect, meet new people, and still do the work they love and advance in their career. 57% of our customers say they have worked whilst travelling, so it’s important that as employers we adapt to changing times to attract young talent.’
The top WFA locations around the world
According to Hostelworld, these are the top locations for WFA – all within three hours of UK time, to make sure you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night for meetings.
Kenya
Nairobi: +3hrs GMT
Wildebeest Eco Camp
Brazil
(Brasilia time zone): -3hrs GMT
Canary Islands
Tenerife: = GMT
Los Amigos Hostel
Italy
Rome: +1 GMT
Spain
Barcelona: +1 GMT
The Loft Hostel
Mozambique
Maputo: +2hrs GMT
Namibia
Swakopmund: + 2hrs GMT
Salty Jackal Backpackers Surf Camp
South Africa
Cape Town: +2hrs GMT
Tanzania
+3hrs GMT
Your Zanzibar Place
Madagascar
+3hrs GMT
Hostelworld’s research also found that, surprisingly, 30% of respondents are still bound by businesses to attend the office full time, but only 5% would actually like to do this.
For one in five (19%), the ideal number of days they’d like to go into the office is once every few months. This is closely followed by 13% saying twice a week, and 10% saying once or twice a month.
In 2021, 10% of customers booking trips with Hostelworld were quitting their job to travel, but in 2022 this figure could be much higher, as many missed out on trips and are looking to make up for lost time.
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