What if your office could be anywhere — your home, a co-working space, a beachside café, or even a different country? At SAP, that’s not just a dream — it’s a reality.

With their “work from anywhere” approach, SAP is reimagining what modern work looks like by giving employees the freedom to choose where they do their best work. But what does that really feel like day-to-day?

What does “work from anywhere” mean at SAP, and how have you personally made it work for you?

SAP’s flexible working policies vary by region but for me in the UK it means we can work abroad for personal reasons up to 30 days in a 12 month period. I have worked abroad to be able to do extended trips and see colleagues in different locations.

My most recent example was Singapore. I was going to Hong Kong for a holiday and so I flew via Singapore and spent a week there. I worked on three of the days to host a coffee corner with colleagues in the region, and spend some quality time with a direct report based there. This meant that due to a bank holiday, the extra day’s leave SAP UK give for your birthday, and working whilst on the trip, I was away two weeks and only used 6 days annual leave.

How often do you work from a location outside of your usual home or office? What was that experience like?

I work abroad a couple of times a year. We have a family property in Spain so it also allows me to take extended trips there. 

How does SAP support employees in setting up and maintaining a productive remote workspace?

Being a software company we are very well equipped for remote working. We have an app in which we can log where in the world we are working from for insurance purposes. It’s reassuring to know that even if I am working in Spain I am covered in the same way I would be if I were working from my home office in Oxfordshire. 

What tools or platforms make collaboration seamless across different locations and time zones?

My team is global and so we are already collaborating across timezones. My travel sometimes means I am closer to my team and we can be even more collaborative. Especially on the recent visit to Singapore. Usually we only overlap for a few hours but spending whole days together meant we got weeks’ worth of conversations in. 

How do you stay connected with your team and maintain a sense of community while working remotely?

Given we are all mostly remote and in different timezones I don’t need to do anything different.

Has working from anywhere improved your work-life balance? If so, how?

This flex policy has been incredibly important to me. I have built stronger relationships with colleagues around the world. 

Do you feel trusted to manage your own time and workload in a remote or hybrid setup?

SAP’s flex work policies are all trust based – flex location and flex hours. My boss in the US, I am in the UK, and my team are in the US, Germany, Czechia, Singapore and China. I have managed my own time and workload since day one. Travel doesn’t change that.

Have you noticed any changes in career development opportunities while working more flexibly?

I am currently studying for a level 7 executive leadership apprenticeship. Whilst working remotely in October I completed several modules and got a lot of additional reading done due to the change of scenery. I planned my day to start later and work into the evenings to keep meeting commitments, but it meant I had my mornings to sit with a coffee in the sun and focus on development topics. A change of scenery can sometimes shift your mindset and that’s what I love about working whilst travelling. 

What advice would you give to someone joining SAP who wants to take advantage of the work-from-anywhere policy?

Be prepared to work crazy hours. My first day in Singapore I still had to do regularly scheduled meetings. Sitting on calls at 10pm at night in a hotel room gave me a greater respect for colleagues in Asia who frequently have to accommodate late night requests. A flexible approach and a growth mindset is essential at SAP, whether working from your local office, home or abroad.

What’s your favourite part about SAP’s approach to flexible working — and why does it work so well for you?

The trust SAP puts in its employees is why I am still here eight years on. I am empowered and supported to work when and where I am most productive. I could not go back to a full time office based 9-5 role now. It’s not a work life balance, it’s a blend.