Millions of workers all around the world who have previously started and ended their day with a commute have found themselves working from home, and this has had an impact on a work-life balance. In the vast majority of cases, this impact was positive. And now that the vaccines are being rolled out around the world and things seem to return to normal, many people understandably feel reluctant about returning to an office environment.
And why wouldn’t they?
There are so many positive aspects about working form home, not least having more free time to spend with family, friends and also free time to enjoy relaxing time. Lounging on the sofa playing your favourite video games for an extra hour each day sure beats sitting in the traffic every morning, and sipping your coffee while playing a few hands of blackjack on your patio is certainly better than downing a cup of overpriced espresso while running up the stairs to your office.
The pandemic has shown us that actually being present at the office can be optional. Workers, of course, are eager to spend at least some of their time working away from the office - and companies increasingly tend to allow them. And since remote work is inherently location-independent, this will translate into an increase in the number of location-independent workers - or “digital nomads”.
Countries Embrace Remote Work
The question of migration almost always leaves a bitter aftertaste, with talking points like taken jobs, among others. But digital nomads are not looking for a job - they already have one - but a fun place with a good internet connection where they can work from. Thus, many countries embrace them, even offering them special visas to ease their stay.
The so-called “Digital nomad visas” have emerged in many countries around the world, offering location-independent workers a permit for a lengthy legal stay. These visas are issued as we speak by many countries, including Greece, Portugal or Croatia in Europe and Barbados, Mexico, and Thailand, among many others. These permits can be different in their details but they all have one thing in common: they were created with full-time remote workers - digital nomads - in mind.
Industries Encouraging Working from Home
Airbnb was known, for a long time, as a modern alternative to hotels where you could rent a room or even an entire apartment for as little as one night or as long as a week or two, for a city break or a vacation. Now, in turn, Airbnb’s focus is slowly shifting from short-term rentals to long-term, flexible stays. Moreover, it is becoming more than just a platform to seek out a room to rent - it has recently introduced a function that recommends a “new city” to try before moving there, now that some employees no longer have to live close to the HQ of a company to work there.
And the numbers seem to be on their side. According to a recent survey, the percentage of longer bookings (at least 28 nights) on the platform has more than doubled in the first months of 2021, especially among the platform’s users in Germany, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the US.
Reasons to Love Working from Home
- Work from anywhere in the world
- Better work/life balance
- No stressful and time consuming commute
- Save money e.g. not paying to commute or eating out
- Environmentally friendly - reduce carbon footprint
- Spend more time with family
- More free time to enjoy
- Be more productive due to getting more sleep
The pandemic has indeed had a serious impact on the way we work and travel - and both. It has unbundled the employee from the office, allowing workers to do their jobs from wherever they like, no matter if it’s their own patio or a chalet in the Alps.
