G

oing to the office doesn't mean doing the job better, much less does the office guarantee the employee's motivation and productivity. Working remotely is not synonymous with loss of company culture or loneliness. On the contrary, remote work is about flexibility, freedom and even a digital nomad lifestyle (because why not?).

Although several companies are choosing to maintain the regimes they implemented during Covid-19, especially the hybrid one, they keep going to the office mandatory a certain number of times a week. In the rest of the companies, the idea is that employees are working remotely, often forced to work from their home, that is, without being able to try working from another country or city.

But it doesn't feel to us like remote work is about allowing that geographic flexibility. It does seem to us that it's about not wanting employees locked inside the four walls of their houses while wanting them to have broad horizons and reinforcing the organisation's own spirit of innovation and creativity. And, when it comes to attracting talent, remote work also means being able to reach different geographies and cultures.

If you have the opportunity to work remotely and you no longer want to be within the four walls of your home, we bring you some examples, both from companies and from leaders, that we consider inspiring and can lead you to use your time and work model in a more diversified way.

A digital nomad CEO

In the beginning of 2022, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky decided to embrace digital nomadism. At the time, he said in a Twitter post that he would travel the world and live in houses available on the temporary rental platform.

“The pandemic has created the biggest shift in travel since the advent of commercial air transport. For the first time, millions of people can live wherever they want. Remote work has freed many people — obviously not all, but a large chunk — of the need to be in the office every day", he wrote in that post.

A company that encourages the digital nomad lifestyle

The advertising agency FCB, which works with brands such as Mimosa, Rubis Gás and Paralímpicos de Portugal, christened its work model as fluid and not remote. “We think the expression 'remote work' is ugly and doesn't accommodate what we want”, said Edson Athayde, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of FCB Lisboa, in an interview with ECO.

“We want our employees to be digital nomads, more than workers holed up at home. From now on, they can work from wherever they want: from the beach, from the snow, from another country. This does not disconnect them from the professional ties they have with us. Nor of our obligations to them as a company. And it is already happening,” he added.

A successful co-working place

The Bansko co-working space is perhaps one of the most inspiring in this area. Bansko is a municipality in Bulgaria, where this space is located, in one of the most popular ski resorts in the country. This project started in 2016 with the aim of creating conditions to attract people who worked online and, over time, it grew: today it has a community of around 100 active members. In addition to a fully equipped and digital nomad-ready workspace, Bansko provides a true community. From board game nights to late afternoon barbecues, events and activities are, for many, the strong points of this space.

"Of course we could work from home, but it's very boring. People come here to be surrounded by like-minded people who understand their needs and their visions", pointed out Matthias Zeitler, co-founder of Co-working Bansko, quoted by Euronews. "For digital nomads, it's often a little difficult to bond in big cities. Co-working spaces are full of freelancers who live in the city. Digital nomads often choose destinations like Bansko, Bali or Chiang Mai, where they meet other digital nomads and don’t have to explain that they are not on vacation and that they have to work while traveling".