Airbnb positions itself as a remote-centric company
Yesterday, CEO Brian Chesky unveiled a new flexible work arrangement policy
On April 28, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky introduced a new flexible work arrangement framework for most employees around the world.
Such is based on 5 pillars:
1. You can work from home or the office
2. You can move anywhere in the country you work in and your compensation won’t change
3. You have the flexibility to travel and work around the world
4. We’ll meet up regularly for team gatherings, off-sites, and social events
5. We’ll continue to work in a highly coordinated way
As you can expect, the language is sometimes open to interpretation yet the official press release is definitely worth a read.
Why is the company doing this? The main reason is probably to differentiate itself from other tech firms which have had a “bring people back into the office” mentality (e.g. Google). This competitive advantage could increase talent attraction and retention, especially in highly sought-after fields (programing, data science, etc…).
And to some extent, there is a “goodwill” aspect when a company that essentially rhymes with travel and hospitality decides to give more freedom to its workforce (6,100+ employees as of December 2021).
One thing is for sure: other companies will be watching this very closely.
This story was first published on The PhilaVerse (my Substack newsletter).
