As remote work continues to redefine the modern workplace, some fascinating patterns are emerging. A new shift is taking shape—international remote work. Real-life data from tens of thousands of employees uncovers how they are using this benefit, their sentiment and expectations, and the key risks and trends shaping the future of work flexibility.
As many organizations look to bring employees back into the office, they’re facing a new challenge: employee resistance. After a few years of remote work freedom, workers have grown accustomed to the flexibility that allows them to blend work with personal travel. To encourage employees to return to the office, companies are increasingly using international remote work policies as a key part of their employee value proposition.
By offering the opportunity to work remotely from a variety of international locations, companies are not just meeting employee needs—they’re also positioning themselves as progressive employers in an increasingly competitive talent market. This benefit has become a crucial bargaining chip when discussing return-to-office policies, as employees now see the flexibility to work from anywhere as a top priority. It’s not just about offering remote work within the country anymore—employees expect global opportunities, and businesses are beginning to recognize that.
The benefits to employers of allowing remote work to go international are well-documented. The flexibility to work from abroad enhances the employee value proposition which, in turn, can promote a motivated and empowered workforce and aid in attraction and retention of talent. But how do employees really use this benefit?
Data from tens of thousands of remote work requests provides the following valuable insights into how employees choose to use international remote working policies in practice—how often they want to travel, for how long, and which destinations they prefer.
On average, employees requested 17 days of presence in total for a short-term international remote work trip, with 10 working days factored into that time. This speaks to the growing flexibility employees are seeking, allowing them to strike a better work-life balance by combining work and non-work time.
By comparison, employer policies offer an average of 29 days of international remote working per year [source: Vialto’s Mobility Agility survey]. By limiting the number of days permitted for working from abroad, employers seek to limit risk exposures and keep employees plugged in to the office culture. The data suggests that the current market practice around day thresholds is aligned with employee demand—employees are getting the flexibility they want, without needing to max out on their permitted days.
Interestingly, over half (59%) of employees using the platform request multiple remote working trips per year. This underscores the value to particular employee groups who use the benefit on a repeated basis and is an endorsement of the positive experience brought by remote working opportunities. Those that take multiple trips annually typically spent 20 workdays in total per year, which is most commonly spread over two trips.
The top remote work destinations include India (12% of all requests), Italy (10%), and Spain (9%), reflecting a global mindset where location is no longer a barrier to productivity.
EU countries form 8 of the top 10 destination locations and a significant 58 percent of all requests are inter-EMEA (EMEA employees travelling within the EMEA region). High volume EU travel routes are facilitated by the relative ease of travel between neighboring countries and the enhanced freedom of movement from an immigration perspective within the EU.
India is the most popular remote work destination—driven primarily by the substantial representation of Indian nationals in the global workforce, who supplement their annual vacation entitlements with periods of working remotely in order to extend trips back to India.
India’s popularity highlights the importance of thoughtful planning. While it’s a top destination, companies need to be aware of specific tax and compliance risks that come with remote work in the region.
Many organizations restrict remote working in higher risk destination countries and India is the second most commonly restricted country, after Russia. 45 percent of organizations prohibit international remote working in India or impose additional restrictions to travel there.
Additional caution for travel to India is primarily driven by the heightened permanent establishment (PE) risks. India applies the concept of a Service PE, whereby travel by different employees may be viewed cumulatively and can quickly breach the thresholds. A number of organizations have been required to register a corporate tax presence in India and make the necessary corporate filings, as a result of their remote worker population. This has generally proved to be an administrative burden and expensive for employers, which underscores the importance of taking steps to carefully implement risk mitigation strategies and travel tracking.
[source: Vialto’s Mobility Agility survey].
Unsurprisingly, the traditional “holiday” months experience a significant increase in travel requests. In fact, trips taken in December and January account for 31 percent of all travel throughout the year, coinciding with various national holidays and religious festivals observed globally. Additionally, August emerges as another peak month for travel, representing 9.4 percent of total trips, which aligns with extended summer vacations in the Northern Hemisphere.
Employers who are looking to implement or enhance their international remote working policy should consider timing any employee communications to anticipate the expected peaks in travel requests.
75 percent of all requests submitted are approved, reflecting a strong trend of businesses embracing remote work as a cornerstone of their employee value propositions. Enabling a high approval rate is an important consideration when designing an international remote working policy to meet the strategic objectives of supporting employee flexibility and to encourage adherence to the process.
An effective remote work program can balance employee flexibility with protecting against the organizational risks associated with international working by identifying the higher risk cases.
30 percent of all the decline outcomes resulted from requests not meeting company policy. Policy requirements vary depending on the employer but typically include guardrails designed to ensure continued job performance and team connectivity, to manage permanent establishment risk, protect against cyber security concerns, and meet employer duty of care obligations.
Immigration was the most common compliance area that resulted in a request being declined, accounting for 29 percent. Our recent Mobility Agility survey showed that right to work was the number one concern for employers, reflecting the severity of the potential consequences if companies get this wrong.
The rise of international remote work is reshaping how we view flexibility. For employees, it’s about more than just avoiding long commutes; it’s about having the freedom to blend their professional lives with personal adventures and family time. For employers, offering this flexibility becomes a strategic move—one that can help retain top talent, attract new hires, and maintain a culture of trust and autonomy. Companies that fail to recognize this shift may find themselves struggling to keep up with more agile competitors.
The data is clear: remote work isn’t just a trend—it’s a movement. Companies that take action to capitalize on this shift by creating flexible international work policies can have a distinct edge in today’s competitive hiring landscape.
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For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or our Remote Work experts below:
Amanda McIntyre
Global and US Leader, Remote Work
Claire Pepper
EMEA Leader, Remote Work
Ben Neumann
APAC Leader, Remote Work
Louise Nicholls
EMEA, Remote Work Policy & Governance
Please reach out if you’d like to learn more about Vialto.