“My boss told me not to do that again.”Jen Hughes working at the beach in Cumbuco, a fishing village on the northeast coast of Brazil. It’s not like being permanently on holiday because I’m working full-time. “There’s a stereotype with working remotely that almost makes you work harder, because you don’t want to fall into that trap,” she says. At Unilever, employers in New Zealand and Australia can request to work remotely from overseas or interstate for up to 20 days a year. Her immediate supervisors were happy for her to continue to work remotely from New Zealand, which she did for the next five years.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 21, 2026 21:31 UTC