Airbnb introduces flexible working initiative

Airbnb extends remote working policy to August 2021Holiday rentals firm Airbnb is to give its employees the flexibility to work remotely while also being able to live and work in other locations.

Co-founder and chief executive officer Brian Chesky revealed the plans in an email to all staff, stating that he wanted to hire and retain the best people in the world and that, by recruiting from a diverse set of communities, Airbnb would become a more diverse business.

According to the organisation, which has states it has had the most productive two-year period in its history, it is giving the vast majority of staff the flexibility to decide whether they want to work remotely or not, based on where they feel they are most productive.

However, a small number of roles will still be required to be either in the office or based from a specific location in order for employees to perform their core job responsibilities.

Employees will also be able to move anywhere in the country they work in without seeing a change in their compensation, which the organisation believes would enable people to have the flexibility to do what is best for their work-life balance.

From June, it will introduce single pay tiers by country for both salary and equity, with staff whose pay was set using a lower location-based pay tier receiving an increase next month.

Furthermore, from September, employees will be able to live and work in more than 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location, although they will still need a permanent address for tax and payroll purposes.

Chesky stated in his email: “I’m excited about this new design and giving you the flexibility to live and work anywhere. I think it will unlock some amazing creativity and innovation and make working here really fun. The past two years have been some of the most defining in our history. I’m so proud of each one of you and everything you’ve accomplished. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter together.”