The popularity of remote working has soared since the pandemic, after we were all forced to stay at home and master the art of programs such as Zoom and Google Teams. Even when lockdown restrictions lifted, the lifestyle stuck—over a third of UK adults worked remotely last year. Freelancers and employees around the globe grew accustomed to the flexibility and improved work-life balance remote work afforded them. And this was good news for their clients and employers, too; in many industries, remote working significantly improved productivity levels.

Increased flexibility brings new opportunities, and many people have found that their remote work has taken them to greener, sunnier pastures. Remote working abroad is on the rise amongst Brits, with ‘21% of British adults planning to work remotely from another country this year–up from 11% last year’, revealed a recent Finder study.

If someone can wholly deliver their role from a computer, does it really matter where they log on from? It could be from their bedroom at home or as they lounge on a sandy beach in the Balearics. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the demographic most likely to work remotely from another country is Gen Z, the generation shaking up the job market in more ways than one.

Whilst the above statistics could include people who worked remotely for just a few hours in another country, e.g. someone catching up on business communications/doing a little work whilst on holiday, it does prove that, with remote work, the sky’s the limit.

Imagine you have family living in another country. You could visit them whilst still working remotely for your UK employer; you wouldn’t need to book annual leave. Maybe you fancy working in the sun for a few days when the UK weather is dull and grey, i.e. a working mini-break—you’d still have plenty of time to explore your surroundings after work. People who have always wanted to travel the world can do so as a remote worker, without quitting their job or creating a gap in their CV.

The most popular countries for UK remote workers are the US (13%), France (12%), and Germany (11%) (Finder UK). A significant number are also drawn to countries with warm climates and lower living costs, such as Spain, Portugal, and Thailand.

Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it?

However, not everyone can jump on a plane to another country to start a new life, even if their job is remote. Their employer must agree to any significant new change in location, and there could be clauses in their job contract that prohibit situations like this.

Moving to another country also prompts several legal issues. If you plan to still work for a UK company, the subject of tax will come up. Working through a short stay in another country is unlikely to see an individual unaffected, thanks to the UK’s Double Tax Treaty with multiple countries, ‘including all 27 EU countries and most other major world economies. In practice, this means that a short stay abroad in many locations is not going to result in the employee becoming liable for host country income tax.’ However, if a remote worker planned to stay in another country for more than 183 days in one year, they could be expected to pay income tax in the UK and the host country.

Other things you may have to consider could include opening a foreign bank account or getting a SIM card from the destination country to avoid astronomical data roaming charges. Immigration law, medical insurance, and travel restrictions are also other caveats that might impact a Brit working abroad.

Legalities aside, there may be other issues that affect the job; for example, communication. Time zones could be a problem. A regular team meeting over Zoom, scheduled in the UK at 9am, may not be convenient if the country hosting the jet-setting remote worker is several hours behind us. Furthermore, cultural differences might have an impact; for example, in warmer climates such as Spain, workers break off in the middle of the day, during the hottest hours, for a siesta. They work late into the night to compensate for this, which is very different to the UK’s traditional 9am-5pm.

If more Brits plan to work remotely from another country, recruiters in the UK will have to consider these working practices in their approach. Many employers are still uneasy about implementing flexible working arrangements in this country, let alone abroad, with an insistence that employees come into the office at least one day a week. This will clearly be an issue if their employee currently resides halfway across the globe. This way of working seems to be growing amongst Gen Z candidates, and if future generations also see the merit in working remotely from abroad, it may be an issue recruiters and employers have to consider sooner rather than later, if they want to attract the best talent.

The solution for many recruiters is to value transparency and to keep lines of communication open. They could routinely ask employers offering flexible working arrangements if they would consider hiring candidate logging in from another country—and to explore any hesitations their client may have about this. Crucially, recruiters need to ensure that their job adverts are honest when it comes to the role, i.e. is it fully remote or simply a hybrid role? Would regular Zoom meetings be part of the working week, and when would they typically be held?

Some companies are embracing remote working from abroad, even offering it as a perk to their employees. ‘Airbnb, Shopify, Hubspot, and Conductor all allow employees to work remotely from a country where they have work authorisation, for up to 90 days.’

In a fully flexible, remote role, it’s definitely possible for individuals to work from another country. Such roles are great opportunities for digital nomads who want to travel the world whilst keeping, and progressing in, their career. However, this kind of working practice is unlikely to be popular with all employers, and many may not realise the legalities involved.

As specialists in recruitment website design, who create platforms, websites, portals and digital platforms for recruitment agencies, we could potentially work from a sandy beach, with waves lapping at our feet as we fulfil our clients’ briefs (we admit, it sounds lovely!). However, we also like to see our clients in person, and working abroad for any length of time would have a huge impact on our families. We can see why this way of working would appeal to Gen Z employees, who are unlikely to have the same commitments.

Maybe our next blog will be written from the depths of the Amazon, or the top of Mount Everest?!

Effortlessly functional and displaying innovative design, our websites boost our clients’ visibility. Call 01302 288591 or get in touch via info@fastrecruitmentwebsites.com.