Work from anywhere is the benefit candidates want most, with 75% of people prioritising it when evaluating their next role, according to our 2026 Talent Insights Report. Yet plenty of employers still don't offer it officially – and some even offer it without anyone realising. If you want a work from anywhere scheme and don't have access to one yet, there are a few things worth trying before you accept that the answer is no.

First, check whether WFA already exists

Before raising a formal request, it's worth checking whether your employer already offers a work from anywhere benefit in some form. After all, plenty of companies have WFA provisions that are poorly communicated or buried in the employee handbook rather than highlighted in their employer brand. 

Furthermore, HR teams sometimes approve WFA trips on an individual, ad hoc basis without it ever being codified as a benefit, which means colleagues might already be doing it without it being common knowledge.

Start with your employee handbook or the company intranet. If you can’t find anything there, ask HR directly whether a policy exists. Framing your question as "does the company have a position on working from abroad?" is lower stakes than "can I work abroad?", and the answer might surprise you. If a policy does exist, ask for the details in writing so you know exactly what you're working with.

Check what your competitors offer

If no WFA policy exists, the next step is to understand how your employer compares to the market. Competitor benchmarking is one of the most effective tools for making the case for a new benefit, because it shifts the conversation from personal preference to business risk.

Flexa has a list of companies that offer verified WFA policies across a wide range of industries, which gives you a concrete reference point. If several of your direct competitors offer WFA and your employer doesn't, that's worth flagging as relevant context about what the market has normalised. Most organisations don't want to be visibly behind on the benefits that candidates actively search for, so they may be open to a change. 

When to discuss working from anywhere

The timing of your conversation matters, and it plays out differently depending on whether you're interviewing for a role or already employed.

If you're interviewing, the best moment to raise WFA is after you've received an offer, but before you've accepted it. This is when your negotiating position is strongest, because the company has decided they want you, and the cost of losing you is real. Asking about WFA at the offer stage is completely normal and shouldn't raise any eyebrows, particularly if the role is already remote or hybrid. If you're interviewing at a company that doesn't advertise WFA, it's reasonable to ask during the final stages whether there's any flexibility around working abroad, or whether it's something the business has considered.

If you're already employed, pick a moment when you have visible momentum. That could be after a strong performance review, following a project that went well, or during a regular one-to-one where you're already talking about development and working arrangements. Avoid raising it when the company is under pressure or your manager is stretched, because you want to have the conversation when your employer will be most receptive to your request. 

How to frame your WFA request

The most common mistake people make when asking to work from anywhere is framing it as a personal benefit rather than a practical arrangement. Leading with "I'd really love to travel while working" gives your employer very little to work with, but saying "I've been thinking about how to structure my work during the summer, and I wanted to explore whether working from abroad for a few weeks is something the company could accommodate" gives them something concrete to respond to.

When you do raise your request, you should come with specifics, such as a destination, a time period, a plan for your hours, and a clear explanation of how you'd handle any time zone difference. Show that you've already thought through the practical concerns, rather than leaving it to them to identify all the reasons it might be complicated. If your role involves minimal in-person requirements and you've demonstrated you can work effectively without oversight, you should make that case explicitly.

Where you can, tie your request to outcomes, too. For example, if you work best with uninterrupted stretches of focus time, or if a change of environment genuinely improves your output, saying so is relevant. The more the request sounds like a sensible working arrangement and the less it sounds like a holiday with Wi-Fi, the more likely it is to be received well.

What to specifically ask for

Being clear about what you're asking for makes it easier to get a yes, and easier to follow up if the answer is more complicated than that.

If you’re asking to work from anywhere, requesting a specific number of days per year rather than leaving it open-ended could help. Start with 30 days, because that’s a reasonable starting point for a company without an existing policy, since it's meaningful without creating significant administrative overhead. 

When exploring how a WFA scheme could work, you should confirm which countries would be covered, whether pre-approval is needed for each trip, and what the process would look like. If your employer is cautious, you might propose a trial period for a single trip, after which you'd both review how it went, because reducing the perceived risk often makes initial approval easier.

You should also ask whether the policy would be documented, even informally. A written record protects both you and your employer, because you know what you're entitled to, and the company has a reference point if questions come up later. An undocumented arrangement that depends on your manager's goodwill is better than nothing, but it's not something you can rely on if your manager changes.

If they say yes to working from anywhere

If approved, get the key terms in writing as soon as possible, even if it's just a confirmation email from HR outlining the days allowed, the countries covered, and the process for requesting a trip. Don't rely on a verbal agreement, particularly for anything that has tax or employment law implications on the company's side.

Make sure you know what to organise before you go, since there are practical steps around tax, visas, and insurance that apply regardless of how straightforward your employer's approval process is. Track your days carefully from the first trip, and keep communication with your manager consistent while you're away, because a successful WFA arrangement is much easier to renew than one that created problems the first time.

If they say no to a WFA scheme

If you do get a no, it isn't necessarily the final answer. Try to understand why it wasn’t approved and ask whether the issue is the existence of the policy itself or the practicalities. Sometimes an employer is open to WFA in principle but doesn't have the legal or HR infrastructure to support it yet, in which case it might be worth revisiting in six or twelve months. Other times, the no is specific to your role or team rather than a company-wide position, which is useful to know even if it's not the answer you wanted.

If you've made the case clearly and the answer remains no, it tells you something real about how the company views this kind of flexibility, and it's worth weighing that against what else the role offers. For many people, WFA isn't a dealbreaker — but for others it is, and that's equally valid.

If it's a dealbreaker for you, it may be reassuring to know that the market has moved significantly. There are hundreds of employers actively hiring for roles with WFA built into the policy — and you can find WFA jobs on Flexa. You can also research WFA companies — and check out our list of the top 25 companies offering WFA in 2026 — before you start applying.