The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the entire work setting dramatically and most likely permanently, especially regarding remote work and hybrid working models. One this is sure, working remotely has become the new norm of the decade, and this trend is here to stay, there is no going back.
According to recent statistics, almost 70% of the employees will be working remotely for about a week in a month by the year 2025. And to address this up-to-the-minute work scenery many companies are changing their working policies, and one that has caught the attention of the media recently was Airbnb, which enabled its entire workforce to work from anywhere. Promoting remote work is a good strategy for any company seeking to attract high-level talents in today’s competitive market.
The World Has Changed, And Work Has Too
Our world is in a continuous shift, and with all the modern technologies emerging every day, the speed of evolution has accelerated notably over the last years. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone experienced a new work environment, changing this way their experience and job expectations. In addition to this, the trends in technology have also influenced the way people address work and daily tasks. Digitalization has optimized many processes and imposed new forms of interactions. Remote work has been convenient for many workers since they approach it as an opportunity to gain more professional freedom, obtain a better work-life balance and adapt to the needs of a new emerging market.
Talents Need Flexible, Adaptable, and Personalized Jobs
When it comes to self-care, everyone wants a healthy work-life balance. And now that many organizations have prioritized keeping their employees motivated, productive, and happy, they have chosen to provide flexible schedules and better working conditions as incentives. People want jobs that they can easily adapt to, and flexible work settings that provide them with what they need by allowing them to work on an exceptional and modified timetable. Now that remote working is taking the world by storm, workers desire to be able to work from their beach house, or at least from the comfort of their homes. And to your surprise, it is not only young adults who prefer flexible and personalized jobs, naturally, this work setting is also favored by working parents and those who value a healthy work-life balance. So, in this scenario, many companies are pondering more flexible and personalized job conditions to retain their best talent.
How Airbnb Understood the Needs of Its Talents
While the Coronavirus outbreak brought many businesses to their knees, Airbnb paused and took the time to analyze new opportunities for its customers and creative ways to fulfill the needs of its talent. If you don’t know Airbnb, let us fill you in. This company offers a digital platform that allows you to rent private accommodations from people anywhere around the globe. The company prides itself on always putting the safety and health of its employees on top, this was the main reason why the organization has shifted to remote working. This decision enabled many people to work from any location, let it be from home or any other place around the globe. And that’s not all, they also decided to offer its accommodation for those workers who were willing to embrace a working adventure while working around the world. The company will not only facilitate the typical accommodation expenses but will also guarantee a well-restored place. The workers of Airbnb are also allowed to work abroad for almost 90 days a year. And that is not just it, if the staff prefers to work in their country, this will not affect their compensation. We bet it’s motivating!
New Cities. New Experiences
There is so much to discover and experience. And Airbnb provides just that. Recently Brian Chesky, the company’s CEO, and a team of executives traveled to 16 countries and highlighted experiences as a means for people to make more income by simply doing what they love, for some, that meant hosting their guests, and others to enjoy their travel in a new way. Furthermore, the company added a travel guide for various cities such as Paris, London, and many others. And Airbnb was to go beyond just offering their guests and employees the chance to work in their accommodations, but also to discover the most energetic cities of the world from a different and amazing perspective, which ensures that people have invigorating experiences.
More Connectivity
Airbnb is a business of human interaction, and they provide the most meaningful and valuable connectivity channels for individuals. For this to happen virtual platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams have contributed to the staff and consumers of Airbnb to maintain their relationships. But the pandemic has isolated a lot of people so adding these platforms to the company’s strategy will help improve the connectivity without any restriction. Airbnb strongly believes that a creative work environment can be better nurtured when people are sharing the same space, so they brought this approach to the digital era and have utilized the best meaning of zoom to improve people’s connectivity.
Work From Anywhere
Airbnb has designed a mobilized work environment where you can work or live anywhere in the world. While collaborating in real-time and enjoying the in-person connection that makes Airbnb special. And there are many enjoyable features, for example, you can work from your home or you can resume from the office, the options are available, you only need to choose. You have the complete freedom to travel and work simultaneously. Today, Airbnb is working with several governments to facilitate their workers so they can easily travel and continue with their work anywhere in the world.
Airbnb took a step forward to improve the companies policies toward their employees, and although this initiative has caught the attention of many workers and companies, there are still plenty of things to be evaluated regarding the feasibility of remote work: where should taxes be paid, how are interpersonal connections built, what happens with tech support, or who pays for the work equipment.
The work landscape has changed forever, and we´re just one step ahead of this path that we´re just beginning to walk through.