Airbnb is pushing the boundaries of telecommuting and hybrid working even further. The boss of the platform, Brian Chesky, has just told his employees that they will be able to work from home indefinitely and move anywhere in their country without their salary being adjusted. The measure, announced in an internal memo released this week, avoids the thorny wage problem created by some companies that allow their employees to work remotely permanently but also adjust their wages downward if they move to another location. region where costs are lower.
Airbnb clarified this week that all of its approximately 6,000 employees worldwide can move anywhere in a country, for any reason, without their pay being affected. They’ll need to discuss work expectations, time zones and availability for Zoom meetings with their managers, but any reason to move is valid.
“That means you can move from San Francisco to Nashville, or from Paris to Lyon. You’ll have the flexibility to do what’s best for your life – whether that’s staying put, being closer to family, or live in a place you’ve always dreamed of”, argues the boss of the Chesky platform. And to add (to the delight of his teams): “if you move, your remuneration will not change”.
Attract (and retain) top talent
Starting in June, Airbnb will have country-determined “single pay tiers” for both salary and company equity. This could be good news for employees whose salary was previously set on a lower compensation level based on the workplace. These employees will receive a raise in June, the platform’s management said, without specifying the impact this would have on staff whose salaries were set at a higher level depending on the location.
Airbnb won’t support permanent international moves this year because they’re much more complex, Chesky said. For Brian Chesky, this policy change has the stated objective of attracting and retaining the best talent: “If we limited our talent pool to a radius around our offices, we would be at a serious disadvantage. The best people live everywhere, they are not concentrated in one area. And by recruiting from a diverse set of communities, we will become a more diverse company.”
This talent acquisition and retention strategy could pay off for Airbnb, especially in markets experiencing what is known as the “great resignation,” which is more pronounced in the United States in the area of technology, but less common in Europe.
Source: ZDNet.com