Why have workcations become a big trend at YLW
YLW employees can take breaks while working at a workcation spot in Sokcho.
WanSeok Yoon/Global Marketing Content Manager
Recently, each team has been sending one person per week to Sokcho for a workcation. When the pandemic was at its height, YoungLimWom Soft Lab (YLW) had prepared a place in Sokcho where employees could go on a workcation. The Sokcho Chestertons is a modern resort that allows for both work and relaxation, and YLW employees either use it as a workcation destination or as a place to visit during their family vacations.
The workcation’s environment is optimized with spaces such as AV rooms, smart offices, seminar rooms, and libraries, as well as amenities including a rooftop, an outdoor swimming pool, a sauna, a kids’ cafe, and a shared kitchen. One of the biggest advantages is the location’s exposure to amazing natural surroundings, particularly the Sokcho sea, which allows employees to enjoy the view of the ocean whilst working.
The employees can take breaks while working here. They can relax at nearby cafes while doing their work, and in the evening, they can enjoy delicious seafood dishes with their colleagues near the Sokcho port. The company supports expenses such as transportation and meals through its welfare system.
Why does YLW encourage workcations?
As the term “digital nomad” was coined a few years ago, the IT industry has a higher degree of flexibility in the work environment compared to traditional industries. In the unprecedented era of the pandemic, the government and companies implemented working from home systems and workcations that allow people to work while resting, which has gradually become the trend.
Korea is very sensitive and quick to adopt trends and changes compared to other societies while there is also a tendency for fixed ideas to change less easily. Korean employees generally think that working long hours and working for a long time are virtues. There are many executives among the older generation, and they think that it is natural to come to work even when they are sick. What is more, employees leaving work on time or using their annual leaves for holidays is still not particularly received well in companies.
However, we know through various examples and experiences how beneficial it is for us to take a break and relax. The work environment greatly affects work performance. If a company provides a compelling work environment, employees will have peace of mind. When they have peace of mind, they can communicate freely with their colleagues and form a sense of unity. Enhanced unity motivates them and enables collaboration. In organizations, when higher collaboration is higher, the level of productivity increases and this enables teams to be more efficient overall.
We are tired of intense competition and want to live passionately by relaxing and replenishing our energy. Furthermore, retaining and attracting highly talented employees predominantly depends on how advantageous the company’s employee benefits are.
In fact, the workcation system at YLW has a very high level of employee satisfaction.
“I have been working for 9 years and needed a change in atmosphere” said MiSun Park, a consultant in Customer Value Biz Department. She added “I considered how workcations could do wonders for my mental health and I liked saving time on the commute.”
Nowadays, companies are competing to have good employee benefits. Some companies decorate their office spaces like playgrounds, while others have swimming pools and fitness centers, and offer luxury menus cooked by a chef for three meals a day. However, the most important thing is to understand what employees need most and provide it. Even the most beautiful things cannot be valuable if employees do not use them.
The Changes in Life brought by Various Working Environments
I know someone who is an IT entrepreneur. She lives with her husband and son in Kuala Lumpur, and works on IT projects with around 10 employees who live in different countries but they work at the same company. They have online meetings, presentations, sales, and contracts, and even deliver their products online to their clients.
When she first moved to Malaysia, she wondered whether it was possible to work solely online without meeting her employees or clients in person, but after going through the pandemic, she said that their contracts and revenue have actually increased.
Currently, she is not only an IT entrepreneur but also runs a lodging business and a café in Kuala Lumpur. She is also pursuing a PhD degree and enjoys various leisure activities such as camping and golf with her family. How is it possible for her to do all these things?
It may be because she is energetic and has an enthusiastic personality, but also because working online saves time and physical energy that would be spent if she worked offline. There is no pressure to work during designated working hours, and she trusts her employees. Her company’s advantage of not being tied to a specific location allows her employees to continue working for the company and take full responsibility for their performance.
Nowadays, work and life are not separate but integrated. Depending on how flexibly and appropriately one can handle this integration, both work performance and the value of life will increase.
