Introduction

The way how work is done experienced an unprecedented change. In the midst of technological advances and changing workforce needs, companies around the world have begun to revolutionize the way they think about work. One particularly prominent trend: Workations. This innovative form not only allows employees to work from home, but also temporarily abroad. Workations are not only an expression of flexibility, but also a sign of companies' willingness to adapt to modern requirements. Workations are becoming a decisive advantage for employees by overcoming the fixed boundaries of the traditional workplace. But while this flexibility often comes at little cost, it can create unexpected obligations for employers. This handbook focuses on compliance risks associated with working abroad. From the need to prepare payroll in the destination country to financial responsibility for medical assistance while abroad, we will highlight the breadth of these risks. It is not just the existence of compliance risks that makes mobile working abroad particularly difficult, but the fact that the relevant laws and regulations were not written specifically for "workations". Quite the opposite: they were written long before the concept of temporary work from abroad even emerged. As a result, the legal situation regarding temporary work abroad is often unclear. The overview below describes the commonly distinguished risks to employer compliance and addresses the complexity of their application for employees:

The aim of this compliance guide is to provide HR and employers with insights on how to manage and proactively minimize these compliance challenges in order to maximize the potential of workations and business travel.