Temporarily working abroad while in normal circumstances being based in the UK

Question

I currently work for an American company but I am based in the UK. Due to covid-19, my job is now fully remote, and I am working from my family home.

A few friends in the same industry as mine, are looking to get an AirBnB in another country (in a similar timezone to the UK's), and are planning on working there for up to a month.

Logistically, how easy is this to do? (Notwithstanding epidemic concerns, I am only looking for answers concerning how the company I work for would view this). I have had many colleagues who are European and have simply traveled back to their family home in continental Europe and continued working for the company. Is this a legal thing to do? Should I not bother telling the company I work for, and fly under the radar? I wouldn't see an issue moving to the other side of the UK at all, but for some reason, I am cautious about moving to another country.

From a tax perspective, due to the small amount of time spent abroad, it seems fine: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=851&langId=en&fbclid=IwAR0oLhKYFlOUTPW80a9tj_0XJXxpFS9m7bIeieyRyRGR_CGMtSUJM21HHV8

Answer 1

I am only looking for answers concerning how the company I work for would view this

The obvious way to get a definitive answer to that would be to ask them - but there are things worth considering before you ask them which is how would they view you asking them if this was okay?

While I can't presume to answer for them I have to say if I were your manager I'd be wary of this scenario for a couple of reasons:

First the friends you mention are in the same industry but not necessarily the same employer - and depending on the type ofwork you do I think they may be uncomfortable with you working in the same environment as staff from what could be considered a competitor.

Secondly - "me and some mates are going to get an AirBnB in Europe for a month, during the summer, but I'm totally going to be working" risks coming off as a bit like you're going for a holiday with your mates and you want to do it on the company's time. While I don't doubt you personally I can see why someone might have concerns.

So I think if you want to ask your company if they are okay with you doing this it would make sense to think about how you might address these concerns before you have that conversation e.g

This wouldn't be a holiday - I'm fully intent on working at the same level as I am currently. While I will be staying with friends they are also going to be working during the day and the idea is that we can relax once we all "clock off"

Should I not bother telling the company I work for, and fly under the radar?

I wouldn't risk this personally - if you ever slip up and get "caught" it's going to look bad - and look as though you had something to hide, possibly one of the uglier interpretations of the concerns I outlined above.

Answer 2

Speak to your line manager and say you are planning to spend a month working in country X.

Lesson your manager concerns (if there are any) by perhaps suggesting you will do an initial 1 week trial period.

When looking for a place abroad speak to the owners (and maybe negotiate a better price) stating that you are looking for a suitable workplace.

Ensure you find out the basics,

1. What is internet reliability/speed
2. Is it a quiet location.
3. Does it have aircon if needed?

Answer 3

Aside from anything else there could be tax implications if it ends up being more than just short term. That will cause issues for the company in some cases but it's very hard to know without being familiar with both US and whatever European country's tax law is applicable.