Airbnb will Allow its Employees to Work Remotely Forever. Airbnb will not force its employees to return to their offices, allowing them to work remotely forever. The novelty was known in the last hours by an email sent by the CEO of the company, Brian Chesky, to the workers.
Thus, those who work at Airbnb they can choose where to do it from. Those who wish to return to company facilities will have the freedom to do so, while those who choose to carry out their duties from home or while traveling the world will also have that option.
Thus, the temporary rental platform intends to implement a broader strategy to promote teleworking. However, the CEO has declared his intention to organize “meetings and retreats” so that person-to-person contact between his employees is not completely lost.
The world is becoming more flexible about where people can work. We see it in our own business. We wouldn’t have recovered from the pandemic so quickly if it weren’t for the millions of people working in vacant spaces on Airbnb.
Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb.
And what Chesky raises about Airbnb and the importance of remote work makes sense, even when most of the world is back to normal after two years of the pandemic. Let’s not forget that this company was one of those who suffered the most from COVID-19, to the point of being on the verge of ruin. And that forced a shift in strategy that ended up being the tech company’s salvation.
Telecommuting from an Airbnb, the trend that has favored the company
As we mentioned earlier, Airbnb encourages telecommuting among its own employees is no coincidence. After all, the company has been able to stay on its feet thanks to customers booking long-term stays in temporary destinations, and being able to work remotely from there.
This trend has been decisive for the company. As reported by the company, in the second half of 2021 20% of nights booked were for stays longer than 30 days. While some 175,000 travelers have rented homes or apartments for three months or more in the past year alone.
But what’s really interesting is that Airbnb’s new remote work policy will not change employee compensation, even if they move to another city in the country where they already reside. “From June we will have single pay levels per country, both for compensation and equity. If your salary was set using a location-based salary tier, you will receive a raise in June,” Chesky said.
And while permanent international moves still lack company support due to their complexity, Airbnb workers yes will be able to travel the world and complete their tasks remotely. “From September, you will be able to live and work in over 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location. Everyone will always need a permanent address for payroll and tax purposes, but we’re happy to offer that level of flexibility. .” “, they explained.
What Airbnb offers is, without a doubt, very interesting, and could possibly serve as inspiration for other companies. Logically, the implementation of teleworking is easier in some regions than in others, but it’s still a very valid option.
Let’s not forget that many big tech companies – Apple, Meta and Google, for example – have repeatedly delayed returning to face-to-face work; in many cases, due to the refusal of the workers themselves to return to the offices.
