Klara Krieg actually only wanted to spend a long weekend in Barcelona. It turned out to be a week. The 26-year-old came across an offer from her employer, Bosch, which enables mobile working abroad. "I was able to work really well on site," says the business IT specialist, who is completing a trainee program for future managers. All she needs is a laptop and a good WLAN connection. Klara Krieg sees many advantages. The time zones are the same, the climate in Barcelona is great and the food is really good. And: "I spent my evenings at the beach - it was great to switch off!"

Heidi Schindler, who advises companies on these issues for the management consultancy Ernst & Young (EY), observes that the younger generation in particular is demanding short-term mobile working from abroad. "In job interviews, people often ask how much flexibility is possible. And that is often an exclusion criterion." Many employers simply have to offer such a model. But she has also observed this: The desire for this was very high with Corona - "we discussed it up and down". However, comparatively few employees have actually worked from abroad.

Goal: increasing attractiveness as an employer

Bosch is one of a number of companies that allow their employees to spend a limited amount of time abroad. Employees of the pharmaceutical company Merck, for example, can spend up to 60 working days a year outside Germany, with restrictions only in a few countries. Since the beginning of the year, up to 40 days have been possible at supplier Continental, and 30 days at software giant SAP. Both hope that this will also make them more attractive as employers. Sporting goods manufacturer Adidas makes 10 days possible.

At Bosch, mobile working has been part of everyday working life for years, with a corresponding Group works agreement in place since 2014. Now, with the new offer, employees can work remotely from another country on up to 54 days a year for private reasons. The approach is global, but some countries had to be excluded or the number of possible days limited due to security or legal risks. The offer has been well used, with over 500 applications already approved since April of this year.

Bosch is committed to a flexible working culture that focuses on results, says Labor Director Filiz Albrecht. The feedback on mobile working abroad has been "extremely positive", says Albrecht.

Other large companies are currently examining such options, including VW and Mercedes-Benz. At Deutsche Bank, mobile working is currently only possible in Germany - however, the bank is monitoring legal developments and is waiting for appropriate regulations to allow employees to work abroad. At Siemens Energy, mobile working is also limited to Germany.

Clarifying social security and tax law

A major issue for most large companies: There is no patent remedy for how mobile working abroad can be legally safe. There are a number of hurdles, explains consultant Schindler - from social security and tax law to the question of whether you are even allowed to work in a country without the appropriate visa. Data protection is also a problem when employees handle sensitive company data, for example. There are also labor law issues and the question of how companies can ensure occupational health and safety and working hours, for example.

Many companies therefore limit the duration and the combination of countries and the seniority level of the employees for whom it is made possible. "The higher up someone is in the food chain, the more complex it becomes tax-wise, and the higher the risk," says Schindler.

Risk for companies and employees - potential prison sentences

The issue is not without risk for companies - but employees also need to be careful. If you are caught in certain countries without the appropriate visa, you could also face prison sentences, says Schindler. "That means you should really think about it." In practice, however, she has yet to come across someone opening their laptop on the beach in Turkey and asking: "You're not watching Netflix, you're working here - are you even allowed to do that?"

Blurring the boundaries between work and leisure

Many employees report that they can work in a more focused way at home because the disruptive effects in the office are considered to be greater, says Milena Bockstahler, a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering in Stuttgart, who conducts research into issues relating to working environments. The work-life balance has improved for many people since the start of the coronavirus pandemic due to the increase in working from home. Conversely, however, we also need to be careful because the boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred.

Equipment is very important - whether at home or abroad. Good lighting, a large desk or a good chair where you don't get back pain. From time to time, you can work with a laptop at a living room table, even abroad. "But over a longer period of time, it becomes difficult at some point and also affects productivity," says Bockstahler.

From the scientist's point of view, there is nothing wrong with a workation, a mixture of work and vacation. "As long as you can draw the line well." This is exactly what Bosch associate Karla Krieg is now planning. She can well imagine a month in spring, perhaps in Greece or Spain. "If it still rains here."