Inspiration; everywhere!

Cary Shek, Vice President, People and Culture, Klook

By now, the great return is well underway with many employers mandating a return to the office. However, one company that is progressively breaking the mould is Klook. The travel and leisure platform recently launched a ‘Workcation’ initiative that aims to give Klookers a greater sense of freedom — the ability to work from anywhere in the world. HR Magazine spoke to Cary Shek, Vice President, People and Culture, Klook to better understand the company’s initiative.

What inspired you to launch the Workcation initiative?

“Many firms are now exploring hybrid working models with a work-from-home and work-at-office arrangement. Coupled with international travel steadily returning in full force, this initiative hopes to inspire Klook’s employees to become globetrotters after two years of cabin fever,” shared Shek.

“At Klook, we do not build a brand bound to our desks; we do so by exploring the world and seeking inspiration everywhere. We are travel’s biggest advocates and that is something we want our employees to wholly embrace.

The workcation initiative enables employees to travel and work anywhere for up to 30 business days without tapping into their annual leave. By combining work and leisure, the initiative allows employees to explore their destination of choice in their spare time and immerse themselves in the local culture of their chosen destination.”

Everything, everywhere, all at once

Aside from enabling employees to experience local cultures and become travel advocates, the initiative is further driven by well-being metrics. Shek explained, “Travel has a positive impact on our well-being and studies have shown that frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who do not travel at all. Through this initiative, we want our employees to discover more joyful experiences while providing them with unique avenues to help them grow and look into their overall well-being. We also want to empower our employees to make their own choices and give them the flexibility and space to instil a healthy work-life balance.”

A common experience that the past couple of years has given organisations is the opportunity to re-examine their relationship with a physical office space and Klook is no exception. “The pandemic made us rethink the meaning of the physical workplace and how best we can empower local teams. We struck a balance by adopting the hybrid model as it gives us the best of both worlds in terms of flexibility and human connection,” said Shek. “Face to face interaction continues to be crucial as it helps develop a sense of belonging and brings people together as one company.”

To be eligible for the workcation initiative, employees must have worked for the company for a least one year at the time of travel and are able to enjoy one 30-day trip within 2022.