Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, in an interview with The Verge’s Decoder podcast stated his fears on the consistency of supervisors insisting employees report to the office while presumably enjoying their own remote work privileges. Chesky chastised CEOs who want their offices back in New York City, proposing they go to the Hamptons for the summer or fly to Europe in August.
According to surveys, there is a gap in distant employment prospects. According to the Future Forum’s April 2022 study, just 19% of executives commuted to work every day, compared to 35% of non-executive workers. Meanwhile, managers have repeatedly expressed reservations about remote labor, claiming decreased productivity.
During his interview, Chesky expressed an opposing viewpoint, wondering if a physical office presence and restricted employment within a commuting radius were required for maximum efficiency. Even for professions that need in-person work, such as creative teams, he highlighted that employees are unlikely to need to be together for the full year.
He highlighted the need of flexibility, noting that if people wanted to take summer vacations, they should be able to do so. Airbnb established a permanent “work from anywhere” policy in April of the previous year, resulting in a million individuals accessing the company’s employment website, according to Chesky.
The sources for this piece include an article in Fortune.