Third Workplace: Can you really work from anywhere?
You don’t need a crystal ball to know one thing: The future world of work is flexible!
Whether home office, workation, third workplace or work from anywhere:
As a company today, you have to be willing to experiment and remain open to trying new things. At MDI, we always strive to maximize our team development and the possibilities of hybrid working! That’s why in spring 2022, we introduced the possibility of 3 weeks of workation / third place working for the entire MDI team.
How this has been managed so far and whether you can really work from anywhere is discussed by Anja, one of our project managers:
About Anja
Since December 2021, Anja has been successfully working as a project manager at MDI. She ensures the smooth running and organization of a variety of international leadership trainings.
Anja is a true world explorer #globetrotter. She loves to travel and most of the time she even does it on her own. Culinary and culture are at the top of her list of preferences. She also photographs and documents her experiences on Instagram.
Experience Review:
Work from anywhere: Can you really work from anywhere?
Office, home office, third place working – there are more and more options that companies can offer their employees to pursue their work. For many, like me, being able to work from the home office is still a privilege. Also, having the freedom to work from anywhere in the world is nothing short of a miracle – provided the internet connection holds up.
Where is your Comfort Zone?
Even though I appreciate the possibility to work from home, I tend to go to the office – a clear separation between work and private life, a wonderful team and the possibility to talk to others personally – even about private things – lure me there every day and sweeten my workday. All the more surprising was my own reaction when I got the opportunity for Workation – excitement!
Workation – but from where?
As soon as the opportunity was communicated to us – the team – I started making plans with my friends who live abroad. Especially with longer distances it is more difficult to visit for a weekend or to take time off at the same time. With the possibility of Third Place Working, we could continue to pursue our work, but enjoy the end of the day and weekends together – just like before.
Reality Check – Third Workplace
Can you really work from anywhere?
A perfect plan, right? But before I dare to try Workation outside of Austria, I did a trial run and nestled myself in my family’s home in Upper Austria for a few days to work. My sister and I have done home office together before and it worked out wonderfully.
This time, however, I was on my own and it turned out to be quite a bit more difficult to maintain the boundaries that had been set up with respect to those who were not at work. It turned out to be very tempting to go down to the garden or stop by for a coffee after all.
My experience
As much as I enjoyed being with my family for a few days, I found for me that I can concentrate better when I work together with others – location independent.
Note: Third Place Working is not possible for every position in a company, so offering Workation adds a bit more planning for the individual and the possibility of an imbalance in the team.