183 days of workation a year: idealo's employer‑branding success story
In this case study, we explore the challenges idealo faced when they wanted to meet the growing demand for remote work while accommodating the complex legal requirements of an international workforce.
- Industry
- Price-comparison platform
- Employees
- 1,050
- Nationalities
- 60
- Destinations
- 64 countries
idealo's workation policy for a 60-nation workforce
idealo, a leading online platform for price comparison, faced the challenge of managing and optimising its remote work policy, known as "Workations" or temporary work from abroad. Prior to August 2022, idealo allowed its 1,050 employees from 60 different nations to work remotely from any location but lacked a structured tool to manage requests, leading to administrative challenges and potential compliance risks.
Building a proper framework for work from anywhere
As the demand for remote work abroad increased more and more, idealo needed a comprehensive solution to:
- Get an overview of where everyone is working
- Streamline the process
- Develop a proper, official framework for work from anywhere
- Manage compliance risks
- Get necessary documentation (PWD, A1, CoC, etc.)
- Enhance the overall employee experience
The company sought a tool that could facilitate transparent communication, assess risks effectively, and provide legal and financial coverage for remote work. Further, idealo faced challenges related to IT support for remote employees, equipment issues, and managing pushback from denied requests, especially from employees in Ukraine and Russia. WorkFlex played a crucial role in addressing these challenges and establishing clear boundaries for remote work.
A transparent risk assessment and one of the market's most progressive policies
In August 2022, idealo partnered with WorkFlex to implement a robust solution for managing remote work, offering employees the flexibility to work from any location worldwide. WorkFlex provided a transparent risk assessment process, quick application processing, and comprehensive liability. Reasons for choosing WorkFlex:
- Transparency in risk assessment and speedy application processing
- The platform's modern, easy-to-use interface and efficient workflow
- The unique no-risk workation concept that no competitor offered
- The travel health insurance that is automatically issued for every employee working abroad
idealo has one of the most progressive policies that exist on the market, as its up-to-183-days policy mirrors the legal limit. idealo allows remote work from any country. Up to 30 days per year within a European country is automatically approved. Then, between 31 and 90 days per year from any country if the WorkFlex approval is yellow or green. And then from 91 until 182 days, the approval from WorkFlex has to be green for it to be allowed, but it is also from any country in the world.
WorkFlex has helped us tremendously in reducing administrative costs and administrative work.
Positive impacts and benefits gained
The implementation of WorkFlex brought several positive impacts to idealo:
- Efficiency and time savings: WorkFlex significantly reduced administrative costs and efforts. The platform's automated features, such as issuing certificates of coverage, eliminated manual paperwork and streamlined the entire process. Now, HR needs less than 3 minutes per request whereas before they needed hours.
- Transparency and employee satisfaction: The transparency in the risk assessment process and the ease of tracking application status through the WorkFlex portal improved communication and reduced the need for employees to inquire about the status of their applications.
- Legal and financial protection: WorkFlex provided legal and financial liability coverage, offering peace of mind to both employees and the employer during remote work. Also, the employee is automatically health insured via WorkFlex's travel health insurance, which neither of the few existing competitors offered.
- Employee well-being and work-life balance: The Workations policy positively impacted employee well-being and work-life balance, especially for non-German employees who could extend their stays abroad without depleting their vacation budget.
- Attractiveness as an employer: Workations became a crucial component of idealo's external marketing strategy, enhancing the company's reputation as an employee-friendly organisation that supports individual lifestyles.
Since August 2022, idealo requested 577 workations to 64 destination countries. 72% were approved. In 1 year and 3 months, idealo worked 11,077 working days abroad, which is over 30 years of workations in total. idealo confirms that this benefit has one of the highest usage rates in their benefit portfolio due to the diverse, international workforce. Most employees use this perk to work from their family's home abroad, a use case that dominates in a workforce of 60+ nationalities.
For idealo, it is clear that WorkFlex is the best solution out there. The collaboration with WorkFlex transformed the management of remote work for idealo, turning it into a streamlined, efficient and employee-friendly process. By addressing challenges, enhancing transparency, and providing legal and financial coverage, WorkFlex played a pivotal role in making Workations a successful and sustainable model for idealo.