When it gets too dark, Qvikies say “Phuk et” and fly to Thailand
Qvik will have its own remote office on the Thai island of Phuket from the beginning of January to the end of March. The first batch of excited remote workers are already on their way.
It’s OK to love the dark, cold and moist Helsinki winter. But for Qvikies who prefer beach life and sunshine, we wanted to offer an opportunity to take a break from our Nordic conditions and an option to work in a tropical paradise. Our remote office is located in the warmth of Phuket, less than a kilometer from the seashore.
Since this is the first time Qvik is arranging something like this, some serious pre-planning was needed to make the tropical office run smoothly.
“By far the biggest question was, can this be done without inconveniencing our customers”, says Qvik’s co-founder and Chairman of the Board Tuukka Puumala, who’s also planning to leave for the Phuket office on February. “Of course, we will only know for certain after this has been done, but we are pretty confident that it will go really well as our people are responsible for organizing their own work anyway.”
It’s also important to select the location carefully, so that it is actually suitable for remote work.
“We ended up choosing Phuket because it was the best match for our criteria”, says Qvik’s Lead Architect Matti Dahlbom, who has been making the remote office possible since the beginning of the year. “Thanks to the large-scaled tourism Phuket has great infrastructure such as hospitals, a semi-reliable electricity grid and generally available internet connections. The climate is tropical and price level affordable, and it’s less than 10 hours on a direct flight. There are nice places to visit, great food and lots of other expats and such to socialize with.”
“Thai weather beats the slushy and dark Finnish winter big time”
Qvikies took to the news of our remote office with great excitement. Many of us – 26 to be exact – love travelling and didn’t hesitate to take the chance to combine work and play in the warmth of Phuket.
“I’ve never been to Thailand, so when Qvik offered to pay for the accommodation, it was very difficult to say no. Also, it’s much nicer to travel with a group, especially when they are your amazing co-workers”, says our Visual Designer Aija Malmioja.
Thanks to the flexible schedule, everyone who wished to join the trip could fit it in with their personal spring plans and projects.
“We discussed this with clients early on, asking how they would feel if part of the team were gone for a certain period of time”, says Jesse Vartiainen, Senior Consultant at Qvik. “Now that the trip is getting closer, I’ve made more detailed plans with the clients about how we will communicate during my stay in Thailand and handle upcoming tasks. We have also arranged the trip so that our closest team members will be staying at the remote office at the same time, so working with them will be as efficient as always.”
Employees are provided with a private ensuite room and are welcomed to also take their spouses and kids along.
“I think it’s an amazing company benefit that you don’t have to pay for the lodgings and the company also takes your family into consideration”, says Qvik’s AD Liisa Stenberg. “On this trip, I look forward to actually trying out remote work for a longer period than my usual one day a week: I hope I will be able to concentrate better and I’m really looking forward to working at my own pace.”
The time difference between Helsinki and Phuket also works in favour of our beach expats.
“I’m not an early bird, so I love the fact that, in Finland, my clients will just be waking up when I’ve already taken a walk on the beach after a morning dip in the sea”, Stenberg says. “And who wouldn’t want to work in a bathing suit on a poolside terrace, sipping fresh fruit juice?!”
