It's work from anywhere for some firms' staff

Some firms have given their staff the option to work from anywhere. PHOTO: UNSPLASH

SINGAPORE - Short-term home rental firm Airbnb is allowing its employees to work from anywhere permanently - be it from their homes, the office or while travelling.

The United States-headquartered company had previously planned on having staff back in the office by September.

Airbnb is among a growing number of companies embracing remote work permanently.

The Straits Times looks at some other firms that have given their staff the option to work from anywhere.

1. Spotify

The audio streaming provider introduced its work from anywhere policy for all employees in February last year.

It gives staff the flexibility to work from various countries and cities, and the choice of whether to work from home or an office space - be it a Spotify office or a co-working space, depending on location.

The company has also shifted the majority of its learning and development activities online, including live facilitator-led sessions and self-initiated online courses.

2. LinkedIn

Professional network platform LinkedIn announced its decision to embrace flexibility and trust its employees to work from where it suits them best last year.

Chief executive Ryan Roslansky said that it was moving away from a one-size-fits-all policy, allowing for both hybrid and remote roles.

At the same time, he also noted that with some employees still wanting to come back to the office, the firm would continue to invest in workplaces for everyday work and larger group gatherings.

3. PWC

The professional services firm announced last October that its employees in the United States would be able to work outside of the office.

However, it noted that if staff members relocated from a higher-cost location to a lower-cost one, they would have to take a pay cut to match the compensation levels of where they would reside.

4. Dropbox

Cloud storage service provider Dropbox adopted a virtual-first approach from October 2020.

This meant that remote work would be the day-to-day default for staff, although it looked to facilitate in-person gathering through its offices and other flexible-use spaces.

It said that it hoped the virtual-first approach would allow it to better understand the needs of its customers.

5. Standard Chartered

The British-headquartered bank has extended flexible work options to most of its staff globally, giving them the options of working from home, the office, or from co-working spaces.

The approach, which is available in Singapore, is also practised in its other markets like Hong Kong and Dubai.

At the same time, some staff members also have flexible working hours.

Last year, StanChart signed a deal with co-working space operator IWG that provides the bank's staff with access to around 3,500 IWG offices around the world. This was intended to give employees the option to work in locations which are more convenient and closer to their homes.

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