Airbnb employees can work remotely, from anywhere for good
Airbnb won’t stop its employees from working from their couch, the mountains of Wyoming, or, pretty soon, from a café beside the Eiffel Tower.
The vacation rental company announced in a release Thursday, and in a memo co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky sent to employees, that while a few roles will remain location- or office-specific, the rest can be accomplished from anywhere in the U.S. starting in June, and from nearly anywhere in the world beginning this fall.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, a new world of travel has emerged. Millions of people are now more flexible about where they live and work,” said the company. “In response to this trend of newfound flexibility, Airbnb today announced our approach to allow employees to live and work anywhere, and how we will partner with destinations to help them attract remote workers.”
The company shared the memo that Chesky sent to employees Thursday, pointing to the success of the company even amid the uncertainty and struggles of the past two years.
Chesky predicted that today’s startups’ penchant for having “embraced remote work and flexibility” will be the way of the future.
“This is where the world is going,” said Chesky. “We want to hire and retain the best people in the world (like you). If we limited our talent pool to a commuting radius around our offices, we would be at a significant disadvantage. The best people live everywhere, not concentrated in one area. And by recruiting from a diverse set of communities, we will become a more diverse company.”
For those still hoping to engage with coworkers face to face — as the company “is in the business of human connection above all else, and we believe that the most meaningful connections happen in person” — employees will be given the opportunity to choose whether they’d rather work from home or the office. The company will also host more “meaningful in-person gatherings.”
Compensation will not change based on where workers choose to live and work whether “from San Francisco to Nashville, or from Paris to Lyon.” The company’s single pay tiers — for salary and equity — will start, based on country, in June.
“You’ll have the flexibility to do what’s best for your life — whether that’s staying put, moving closer to family, or living in a place you’ve always dreamed of.”
Chesky announced that starting from September, Airbnb will allow employees to live and work in more than 170 countries for up to three months annually in each location.
