1 year, 1,000 workations at IU
Discover how IU (Internationale Hochschule) gives its employees the freedom to work from anywhere with the WorkFlex benefit, approving over 1,000 workations in 87 countries in the first year at an approval rate of over 95%.
- Industry
- Higher education
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Workations / year
- 1,000
- Countries
- 87
- WFA limit
- 6 months / year
In June of last year, IU was finally able to launch the WorkFlex benefit, opening up a whole new world of work for IU's employees. Gone are the endless, eternally pre-planned trip requests. Since then, the next workation can be planned with just a few clicks. Where have the trips gone so far? We have taken a snapshot of the situation.
Workation. What's behind it?
What exactly is WorkFlex all about? How can you imagine such an application? And isn't it always associated with tax hurdles?
If the past years have shown us one thing, it is that good work can be done from anywhere! From one day to the next, our private rooms were converted into offices. With the realisation that it can be done, and done very well. If the kitchen suddenly becomes the office, why shouldn't it also be the café in Valencia? Or the holiday apartment in Zeeland? Our WorkFlex benefit makes exactly that possible: work from wherever you want, for up to six months a year. With the exception of a few countries that are unfortunately excluded for security reasons, the big wide world is open to you. We are firmly convinced that temporary working from abroad (WFA) is a very attractive benefit that also fits in very well with the current and future situation of mobile working.
Work from wherever you want, for up to six months a year.
Tax, labour and social security pitfalls? Not with us!
Through the WorkFlex benefit, we offer our employees flexible options for temporary work from abroad. Combined with a very simple process.
Because without worrying about compliance (like private taxes, visas, etc.) or other risks, you can plan your next workation. It's as simple as submitting a request through the platform with just a few clicks. WorkFlex then obtains approval from the supervisor(s) and performs a risk assessment of the current situation. Everything fits? Well, then you're ready to go.
IU's recap: over one thousand approved workations within the first year
The figures speak for themselves: a look at the workations applied for last year shows how simple and straightforward such an application is. In the period from June 2022 to June 2023, we had a total of no less than 1,000 approved workations at the IU. Whether a long weekend in one of the neighbouring countries or a stay of several weeks or even several months further away. From Australia, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago or Taiwan: in total, applications to 87 countries around the world were requested and approved last year. The approval rate here was over 95%.
WorkFlex's statistics also show that we are an absolute pioneer when it comes to workation: various well-known companies were compared in terms of their annual quota of workation days per person. Here it becomes clear once again: with 182 possible workation days per year per person, we are right at the top and make remote work what it should be: self-determined work from anywhere.
For IU, this is a clear sign that they are on the right track and that the benefit is being used well and with pleasure. They are looking forward to the coming year, its destinations and the stories of their employees that go along with it.