Traveling abroad while teleworking is possible with Holiworking!

A few weeks ago we met and interviewed Gaël Brisson, founder and director of the super concept Holiworking « The world is your new office ! ». He explained to us his culture of flex, how this revolutionary concept was born and explained its principle: allowing workers to travel to the other side of the world, while teleworking; and businesses, to acquire an open mind and breathe new life into their employer brand.

We tell you more here…

Question 1: Hello Gaël, can you introduce yourself in a few words and explain your background and what Holiworking is?

Bonjour la team BeeMyFlex ! Je suis donc Gaël Brisson and I have a background as a business manager, primarily in the IT world. The last company of which I am still the President (a web host), is a company that I bought 8 years ago and which I then sold to my managers and employees last year. This company has a great characteristic: it has been fully teleworking since 2001. At the time of the acquisition, we were 5-6 people. Today there are 45, and all employees are recruited through teleworking.

So, I have acquired some solid experience in team management in full teleworking, in developing an entrepreneurial spirit in full teleworking, in setting up tools for teleworking… This is how I I obtained this culture of teleworking very early on and a strong experience with this hybrid model.

In addition to that, I am also a big traveler and I love getting involved internationally! I lived abroad. And there has always been this idea of travel which has shaped and marked me, which has served me personally but also professionally.

At one point, I naturally asked myself: “How could my colleagues travel the world? ". At the same time, wearing my business manager's hat, I reflected on the fact that: “If my employees take a one-year sabbatical, it will be challenging to replace them and find the right expertise…”.

With all this, this background, this full teleworking corporate culture, these desires to travel and these questions, mixed in a good shaker, and a little gray matter, the concept of Holiworking was born !

“How could my colleagues going to travel the world?"

Question 2: Incredible journey and questioning of the relationship between (tele)workers and travel. How was the start for Holiworking?

In 2019, we conducted a market study and also worked extensively on the legal aspect, as there were obviously key elements and an economic model needed to make everything run smoothly. Finally, we founded the company in August 2020.

We started to market Holiworking at the start of 2021, and today we are open in around ten countries. The concept is to offer employees the opportunity to have a strong, rich experience internationally, between 3 and 12 months, while continuing their work, teleworking abroad..

Il y a 2 sujets principaux dans notre offre :

1. Structuring the organization between Holiworker and the Holicompany

With our innovative HR model, reassure the company AND the employee, align the organization with health insurance, welfare, etc. We want it to be straightforward, fun to set up and at no additional cost to the company offering it within its structure.

2. The experiential aspect which is extremely important

It consists of accompanying the employee to their destination, helping them look for accommodation, supporting them upon their arrival, ensuring their welcome in coworking so that there is a real working environment available on site with the electricity and the network because this is not necessarily guaranteed in all countries. The Holiworker is followed by a Holicoach, a caring person who will watch over the employee, promote the immersion of the Holiworker in the cultural life of hosting, being in contact with the local culture through various means—off-the-beaten-path experiences, participating in local associations, joining a local sports team, or volunteering for charitable, humanitarian, or environmental organizations.

Each Holiworker interacts with their coach about what they enjoy, what they would like to do or see, and how they envision their stay. Based on each individual’s preferences, our coaches suggest various activities such as Thai boxing, yoga, hiking, cultural ceremonies, watching the sunset from a boat, and many other events.

Our goal for this year 2023 is to send 100 Holiworkers, expand to other countries and add additional destinations.

So here in a few words is everything we do with it Holiworking!

Question 3: How is Holiworking structured and what is your ambition?

Today, Holiworking, this is:

• ten destinations around the world
• 8 employees in France
• a dozen coaches around the world
• therefore around twenty employees everywhere
• About thirty companies are implementing our model internally for their employees.

Our ambition is to send many Holiworkers around the world and allow them to experience incredible adventures for a few months!

Question 4: What do you think of the flex model?

We are used to practicing flex office at home, in offices, and in coworking spaces. For me, ‘flex office’ is the key concept of work in a general sense.

It's flex in terms of geography, flex in terms of function, because Generation Z wants to be able to move quickly.

And it is also “flex” in the mentalities of the younger generations who today are somewhere and can work at any time. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage because they are much less attached to the company as such and able to change jobs, functions, companies quite quickly, etc.

So we must take this into account because it is a reality! And retaining talent requires this understanding of these new mechanisms and tools capable of adapting to this new flex mode of working, tools which are perhaps platforms like BeeMyFlex or tools like Holiworking, qui ont une offre de services qui complète finalement une politique RH, une politique marque employeur au sens large.

Question 5 : vous parliez de chiffres sur le nombre d’entreprises, est-ce que ce sont les entreprises qui viennent à vous ou vous a elles aujourd’hui ? Comment se passe la première prise de contact ?

We have two approaches at Holiworking:

• B to B : we contact companies and present our model to them so that they can integrate it into their HR policy and offer it to their employees. Once the model is presented to employees, some of them ask us to carry out the project with them..
• B to C :employees discover Holiworking, realize that it totally corresponds to what they would like to do, then wonder how it works. In this case, they are the ones who call us to build the project. Then we turn to their HR department and managers to present our solution.

Our way of proceeding in B to C:

• Employees contact us first
• We qualify their project with them (where do they want to go, for how long, etc.).
• Once it is clear to them, we ask them to present the project to their manager or N+1 to at least have agreement in principle without talking about the solution format.
• And once the manager is OK (because it is a key element: the manager must be on board), we will present the project to the CEO and HR department to present and secure the model, reassure on the terms, etc.

Today, we have almost 500 incoming forms completed per month, for 70% from B to C and 30% from B to B.”

Question 6 : Comment les projets sont-ils financés ?

There are two revenue streams in the Holiworking model:

• The Holiworker remains in employee status, therefore his contract remains active, there is nothing that changes at this level. When he is abroad, we will frame his experience with an employment contract amendment and the small difference is that he will leave the Social Security system: we will pay him his pay at destination and will withhold a percentage from his salary at that time. We guarantee 85% of the net, or even in general we are on 90%.
• And sometimes we can even guarantee 100% of the salary! At our destination, there are charges that we must pay: local charges such as retirement, Social Security, local…etc. To comply, all these formalities are ensured by Holiworking and as we are leaving the Social Security system, there are fewer charges that we compensate for with insurance: these differences in charges thus finance our model and it remains transparent both for the company and for the Holiworker !

Question 7: What is the added value of Holiworking for Holiworkers and businesses?

We are here to ensure compliance both at departure from France and upon arrival, depending on the chosen destination. This includes an immigration aspect for visas, a social security aspect, and potentially an income tax aspect. This is a crucial matter that needs to be addressed for each country, as the requirements will vary depending on the destination, the duration of the international assignment, and other factors.

Question 8 : On imagine que les entreprises ne sont pas toujours ouvertes à l’idée. Est-ce qu’il y a eu une évolution de ressenti ?

Yes, some companies are more closed than others, and that will always be the case. It’s clear that our model isn’t suited for everyone—it depends on the company’s DNA, the leadership, and the types of jobs within the organization.

For instance, if 99% of Holicompagny’s business involves on-site roles, then our Holiworking concept may be less relevant compared to a company that is fully digital or remote-first.

It also depends on job types, whether there are recruitment challenges, and whether the company has employer branding objectives or not.

Currently, joining Holiworking is often driven by two factors:

• The first criterion is that the leader believes it is beneficial for employees to experience life abroad because they have personally gone through it, are convinced of its value, and want to offer the opportunity to their employees.
• The second criterion relates to employer branding: in some cases, companies have lost talent because employees left to travel, or because another company offered them the opportunity to experience different adventures, including international ones.

In this scenario, there is either:

• the “pro active” mode: that is to say “I want to be part of these companies that offer flex and booster experiences my employer brand"
• the “reactive” mode: i.e. "I have already lost 2 talents, they had barely been there a year and I was very happy with them but they decided to leave."

It is an HR decision-making element that is currently changing operating methods.

Moreover, there are clients that we contacted a year, even a year and a half ago, and who call me back today to say “There, I have lost talent, we really need to let us move forward together on this subject.”

So yes, things are slowly changing on the business side!

Question 9: Do you keep in touch with certain companies and do you observe a real change?

Yes, once companies get to know us, employees and departments remember us. We are also well aware that in 2022, businesses had to manage numerous crises—the energy crisis, inflation, salary renegotiations, and more recently, pension reform discussions, among others.

In short, companies have a lot on their plate, and topics related to “flex work” internally are not always at the top of their priority list. That’s why it often takes moments of calm in a company’s news cycle to address subjects that, while important, are not at the core of their business operations.

Question 10: What are the most popular destinations?

The most requested country is one we haven’t opened yet: the United States.

As for the Top 3 destinations, they are:

1. Indonesia

2. Canada

3. Thailand

If you’re going away for three months, you might as well choose dream destinations that you wouldn’t be able to experience in just a weekend. That’s why we don’t include European countries in our catalog.

Personally, I have a strong attraction to Africa, especially Namibia, where I love the vast landscapes, deserts, and wildlife. I’d also love to open a coworking space in Cuba, and Zanzibar is already in the pipeline.

There’s something for everyone! Some people are drawn to major cities, while others are more interested in local cultures, culinary arts, or unique activities.

The motivations for potential travelers are incredibly diverse.

Question 11: Could Holiworkers’ departures be considered as part of remote work?

En France, le télétravail n’est pas encore complètement bien défini. Nous travaillons beaucoup sur ce sujet avec des avocats pour proposer quelque chose In France, remote work is still not fully and clearly defined. We are working extensively with lawyers to develop a structured, legally sound framework that is clear and indisputable.

What matters most is ensuring compliance in the destination country and aligning remote work policies consistently between France and international locations—for instance, regarding working hours and the right to disconnect.

Some companies are open to the Holiworking model only if the employee stays within a time zone difference of fewer than four hours. It all depends on how each company wants to implement the Holiworking model within their structure.

Question 12: How do you see the evolution of the Holiworking model and the maturity of companies in France?

I must admit that I haven’t really thought about it yet. Our model is based on the principle that employees return to the company after a certain period, even if they wish to leave again the following year.

We offer a minimum stay of 3 months so that the immersion is sufficient and that there is a real cultural and experience contribution, and a maximum duration of 12 months for several reasons, but one of them is that beyond 12 months, attachment to the company may diminish.

C’est donc bien de récupérer son collaborateur au moins pour quelques mois, et rapprocher les équipes même dans des entreprises en télétravail à 100%.

Physical connection is important, no matter the work model!

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A huge thank you to Gaël Brisson for this interview and for sharing his experience and fully flexible vision!

You got it:

• If you’re an employee dreaming of traveling the world and experiencing local cultures while keeping your job and responsibilities within your company, it’s time to build your project with Holiworking and present it to your HR department and manager!
• If you’re a company looking to offer international experiences to your employees to enhance your corporate culture and boost your employer brand, all that’s left to do is reach out to the Holiworking team to organize this project for you and your employees!

Safe travels and happy remote working to all with the Holiworking concept!

To become a Holicompany, head over here: www.holiworking.com