Airbnb to let staff work from home indefinitely

Airbnb is to let its employees work from anywhere for as long as they like, the accommodation platform has said.

Its staff will be able to work from home or the office and move anywhere in the country they live without their pay being affected, the company said.

The move is in contrast to the likes of Google in the US, where staff who work from home may see their pay cut.

Other tech firms who have flexible working policies include Cisco and Microsoft.

Airbnb chief executive Brian Chesky sent employees an email on Thursday detailing its new flexible working policy.

He predicted that in 10 years, flexible working would be the norm for many people.

"If we limited our talent pool to a commuting radius around our offices, we would be at a significant disadvantage," he said. "The best people live everywhere, not concentrated in one area."

He added that employees would have "the flexibility to travel and work around the world" from September for up to 90 days.

• Hybrid working is here to stay, say managers

Despite this, Mr Chesky still wants employees to meet up regularly for meetings and social events, structured around two major product releases per year.

"Airbnb is in the business of human connection above all else, and we believe that the most meaningful connections happen in person," he said.

"Zoom is great for maintaining relationships, but it's not the best way to deepen them. Additionally, some creative work and collaboration is best done when you're in the same room."

Airbnb had a flexible working arrangement with employees throughout the pandemic, but Mr Chesky's announcement is a "long term commitment", a spokeswoman said.

Airbnb boss Brian Chesky believes home-working will become the norm

Networking technology firm Cisco said in July 2021 that it would allow tens of thousands of its employees to permanently work remotely. Microsoft lets its staff work from home for up to half the time.

In August last year, Google said that US employees who opted to work from home may get a pay cut.

The search and advertising giant developed a pay calculator that let employees see the effects of working remotely or moving offices.

Some remote employees, especially those with a long commute, found they could have their pay cut without changing address.

Home working surge

The coronavirus pandemic caused a huge shift in working patterns after countries were forced into lockdown.

Many people in the UK continued to do their jobs from home, but after guidance was relaxed in July 2021, the government again advised remote working to try to curb the spread of Omicron in December 2021.

That guidance changed in January but, according to data from Remit Consulting, the UK's average office occupancy rates has been running at about 20-25% in recent weeks.

The Covid pandemic saw a "significant shift to more home and hybrid working" according to Ben Willmott, head of public policy for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

From an employer perspective, hybrid working lets firms widen the net when recruiting to try to tackle skills shortages, and it can improve productivity and job satisfaction, he said.

For employees, it lets people who have caring responsibilities or a disability have more job options, and can improve work/life balance, he added.

However, there are also potential downsides to hybrid working, Mr Willmott said, including the possibility of "a two-tier workforce of those who have lots of flexibility and those who can't work from home".

Firms may need to offer other forms of flexible working for employees, such as flexitime, to stop this happening, he said.

Working from home may also not suit some employees, who may have problems with finding space or with isolation, Mr Wilmott added.

The UK government said in September 2021 that would like to give workers the right to request flexible working when they start new jobs from day one, and is reviewing more than 1,600 responses to a consultation that closed in December 2021.

However, this week Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg was criticised for leaving notes for civil servants, saying: "Sorry you were out when I visited."

The note, printed on government paper with Mr Rees-Mogg's title, was left at empty desks and read: "I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon."

FDA union boss Dave Penman said the note was crass and insulting, and undermined civil service leadership.