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Last year, Helen Bevilacqua, a senior associate at consultancy PwC, swapped her role in London for four months to work in Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
This change of scenery was made possible by one of the company’s secondment programs, which sends staff on short-term assignments to overseas teams. “One of the things that drew me here was PwC’s global presence and the opportunity to move around,” Bevilacqua says.
Her experience is part of a new push by some employers to expand flexible working arrangements adopted during the pandemic, allowing staff to work overseas for several weeks or more a year. Policies are being developed to encourage or encourage
For example, staff at vacation rental platform Airbnb can now work remotely or from the company’s offices from different countries for up to 90 days a year. Audio streaming service Spotify is getting even better. If you have a Spotify location in your chosen country, your staff can choose where they work year-round when hired.
Airbnb has benefited from its work-from-anywhere policy since it introduced it in 2022. “In the first year after the announcement, people visited our careers page nearly 10 million times, more than double the number from the previous year,” said Ian Roberts, head of employee experience at Airbnb. Masu. “Flexibility inspires creativity, attracts talent, and keeps teams around the world engaged.”
Spotify announced that its attrition rate has decreased by 50% since implementing its unique policy in 2021. The time it takes for the company to hire has also been reduced. “As a global company, we leverage our multinational presence to tap into a diverse talent pool… We adapt to employee motivation,” said Katarina Berg, chief human resources officer at Spotify. I say.
Research by HR software company Jobbatical shows that more than half of all UK employees say they would like to work abroad and would stay with their employer for a longer period of time if given the opportunity. More than two-thirds of workers between the ages of 18 and 34 said they would choose a company that allows them to work overseas over a company that does not.
Workplace consultant Lucy Kemp argues that it makes sense for multinational employers to offer such opportunities because of their highly motivated employees. “If we already have the infrastructure in place, we should take advantage of it,” she says. “This is a smart retention strategy.”
However, providing flexibility in the field comes with complexities. Asma Bashir, founder of multinational deployment platform Centuro Global, said companies need to comply with legal and regulatory requirements and consider salary adjustments depending on “length of stay, purpose of assignment and location”. It states that there is.
Shorter terms avoid such challenges and make it easier for companies to realize the benefits. Law firm Reed Smith operates an inter-office secondment scheme that allows early to mid-career employees to work for two weeks in one of its 31 offices around the world. Jeni Taylor, HR director at Emea, said participants would “bring a wealth of knowledge” upon their return, “helping us build the best teams to support the most complex cross-border client needs”. Ta.
While on assignment, Bevilacqua spent weekends traveling alone throughout Europe. She says it boosted her confidence and helped with her career skills. “Experiencing different ways of working gave me a deeper understanding of global business practices,” she reflects. “Living in Warsaw has allowed me to immerse myself in a new culture.”
Lorna Hughes, managing director of PR firm Harvard University, another employer that encourages employees to work in offices around the world, said that, especially among younger employees, career-related We believe that it is unlikely that the demand for such liquidity will disappear.
“A lot of people who are now in their second or third year of their careers have grown up during the various lockdowns due to COVID-19,” she says. “I understand where that hunger (for travel) comes from.”
