Some companies are adopting the summer free range work campaign - working from home, the bach, campervan, or even tent.
Tourism Holdings Limited and Vodafone are on board with the four week 'work from anywhere' initiative.
Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles
Staff are encouraged to make the most of flexi-work conditions over the festive season and Tourism New Zealand is urging other businesses to take part - for the wellbeing of employees and also to boost tourism in regional communites.
Tourism Holdings Limited CFO Nick Judd told Kathryn Ryan this is over and above a much needed break most will need after a particularly taxing year.
In Mid-January through to March obviously it’s fantastic weather still.
“What we’re proposing is because people have got used to working from home … there is the ability to work from virtually anywhere.
“We’ve got so used to virtual working with the impacts of Covid this year, we’re saying get out and about explore your country help support some of the regional economies and take your work with you.”
He hays it’s as much about well-being is it is a regional economy boost.
“What we’ve seen through Covid is certainly productivity hasn’t changed, in fact in many cases it’s gone up because commutes have shortened as people are working from home and we have a large contingent of out people working from home regularly.
There is no reason why that shouldn’t continue in locations other than the home, he says.
Vodafone business head of corporate Kate Tulp is on board with the idea of their people “free range working.”
“For the most part just about every employee outside of retail has the opportunity to work from almost anywhere that they want to as long as they’ve got the connectivity so that they can access our collaboration tools.”
She says it is an opportunity to extend the summer, see more of the country or spend longer with friends and family throughout New Zealand.
