The New Rules of Engagement in Managing the Modern Remote Worker

Yes, digital nomads want to have fun, but there’s more to this demographic than meets the eye. And hoteliers, or any other accommodation providers, could make a lot of friends if they can meet the needs of what will be an exploding market, going by the millions invested into global employment portals in recent months.

Outsite, a co-living and community platform, held a revealing Q&A on Wednesday. Founded in 2015, it’s one of the more established players in the market. It has 30 properties around the world, where the average age of its member is 36.

Startups like Remote and Deel are meanwhile raising huge amounts of cash. They’re the next iteration of global human resources platforms that take care of the international payroll, benefits, tax and compliance headaches for businesses. The question is: how do they integrate with those nomad-friendly platforms that align with their remote workers’ needs?

First, here’s what we learned from a co-living and digital nomad Q&A.

Feed the Community: Lifestyle hotels are well positioned to take advantage of the shift to remote work. Martina Luger, chief marketing officer of Ennismore, told Skift Live she predicts they’ll become more popular for co-working in the future. But they’ll need to focus on community.

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That’s because a lot of new entrants into the world of remote work will be flying solo for the first time. Boutique hotels may have on-trend interiors, but do they think about the hand-holding some guests will need?

Outsite, for example, has a community manager in each property who sets up a dedicated WhatsApp group to communicate with members. These groups are also the preferred method between members when they coordinate dinners, for example. But Outsite also offers a member hub, where guests can post everything from job openings to surf reports.

Hotel group Zoku, which has just expanded from the Netherlands into Denmark and Austria, is recruiting for its equivalent of a community manager: a sidekick. “They are highly versatile, flexible and focused completely around making people feel at ease during their entire time with us,” the company said in the job posting. “You will need to love sharing advice, looking after people and building a nest for our residents.”

Hotels shouldn’t worry about rival communities either. Trip planning service Remote Year, which runs year-long programs for groups of up to 40 people, aims to be the “most trusted, community-based travel platform for remote working.” And Christina Wiese, Outsite’s head of community and events, is fine with that. “There are a lot of Outsite members who do Remote Year. There’s a lot of crossover with communities, which is really cool,” she said during the online Q&A.

Respect the Rules: To keep costs down, digital nomads will check into co-living properties. For now, co-working friendly boutique brands (like Outsite) tend to offer this way of living, where guests have their own room and bathroom but can make use of shared spaces including kitchens. But bigger brands like Ascott’s Lyf are making their way from Asia to Europe and beyond.

But with co-living comes etiquette and house rules, because some remote workers think they can revert back to their college days. During the webinar, Wiese half-jokingly reminded any potential nomads they have to wash up their plates after cooking, and clean up if they make a mess. “Sometimes people forget because they’re running from meeting to meeting,” she said. Outsite also operates quiet hours from 10am to 6pm. “We are a community of working professionals,” she added.

Discretion Is Everything: Don’t assume all remote workers have had their boss’s blessing. Officially, nomads are encouraged to have conversations with their employers; unofficially, Wiese said sometimes people fly under the radar — and she’s all for that. “Whatever you can do to design the life you want, I say do it. And if there is resistance from your boss? Maybe it’s time to try something new,” she said.

As well as recognizing the discreet remote worker guest, bear in mind their quest for “passive income,” or income that requires minimal labor to earn and maintain. “This is always a hot word on the nomad circuit too,” said Wiese. “Anything you can do, so you can live and enjoy your life in the present moment, the better.”

Being a Digital Nomad Can Be Exhausting: Spare a thought for the city-hopping traveler too. Wiese, herself a nomad of more than three years, admitted she’d been spending periods of just a week in several different cities, which had tired her out. Normally, she’s a “slowmad” — ideally she’d spend between one and three months in a location, giving her a chance to build friendships. At Outsite, the average length of stay is two weeks, but this is creeping up.

Good Connections: It should be obvious, but properties must offer fast and reliable Wifi. Wiese, not wanting to miss an opportunity to take a shot at a rival, said the owner of an Airbnb once emailed her a screenshot of the property’s Wifi speed — “but it’s never that when you get there.” Co-living spaces need to deliver.

Sidenotes

Build it and they will come. Or go, rather — because the idea behind the next generation of global human resources platforms is to help companies recruit, employ and manage remote workers. And building is going well. On Tuesday, Remote announced it had raised $150 million, valuing the company at $1 billion. This Series B round was led by Accel, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia, Index Ventures, Two Sigma, General Catalyst, and Day One Ventures.

Last month, Oyster raised $50 million, while in April another mobility platform, Deel, raised $156 million, according to Bloomberg.

There’s now a gap to plug.

On the one side, fragmented but very remote-work friendly spaces dotted across the world. On the other, these new human resources platforms that will increasingly act as a one-stop shop to look after all of these new digital nomads.

It’s too soon to tell if both sides are talking to each other. During Outsite’s Q&A, one participant asked in the chat area: Does anyone know of an online travel agency focused on co-living/co-working spaces?

There was no reply to this, prompting their own answer: I guess I’ll have to build my own.

The answer may come in the form of perks or add-ons. On Wednesday, group trip startup Tripsha announced it had become a “perks partner” for Deel. “The race is definitely on to provide remote workers with access to in-person services where and when they are,” a spokesperson told Skift. “We’re seeing rising interest in Tripsha from remote work companies who want to offer our one-stop portal as a way for individuals and teams to book curated travel packages across multiple geographies.”

Travel’s so much more than a perk, however, so there’s scope for corporate travel agencies to step in here, or others will.

10-Second Corporate Travel Catch-Up

Who and what Skift has covered over the past week: Amtrak, Booking Holdings, Delta Air Lines, Expedia, OneTwoTrip, Pay-When-You-Fly, Pleo, Porter Airlines, Saudi Arabia, United Airlines, Viajes El Corte Ingles.

In Brief

TUI’s New Permanent Flexible Policy for UK Office Workers

Travel giant TUI will now offer “total flexibility” for colleagues as it shifts to a permanent flexible working approach. The move will apply to 10,000 employees in the UK, who will only be required to attend the office once a month to attend face-to-face team meetings or collaboration events. But its offices are being kept open, allowing individuals to make their own choice about how often they come in. Staff such as pilots, cabin crew, engineering and maintenance, or travel agents aren’t included. It has also created a new UK and Ireland workspace director role, which retail director Belinda Vazquez took on this month. “Work is something we do, not somewhere we go,” TUI said.

Home Improvement Spending Soars

The amounts of money being handed out to employees to feel more comfortable working from home continues to go up. Roughly a year ago, Salesforce said it was giving staff an extra $250, following the same amount handed out in February 2020, to sweeten the home-working experience. Today, the stakes are a lot higher. Microsoft recently announced a $1,500 bonus per employee, which overall costs the company $200 million.

Earlier this year, Dropbox also felt generous. It now gives employees an annual $7,000 allowance to spend on pretty much anything they want, from caregiver and family support such as childcare services, to pet training, home-office gear, food, or a gym membership.

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