The COVID-19 pandemic thrust the world into an unanticipated experiment with remote work. While some companies struggled with the sudden shift, others like Airbnb and Paper seized the opportunity to explore the benefits of hybrid and remote work models. In an enlightening interview with Q Hamirani, former Chief People Officer at Paper and former Global Head of Work Anywhere at Airbnb, we explored how remote work allows companies to achieve more with fewer resources.
Transitioning to Remote Work
Q’s experience at Airbnb offers a compelling case study of how a company can successfully transition to a remote work model. “We transitioned from being an in-person company to a fully remote one almost overnight because of the pandemic,” he recalls. This sudden shift forced Airbnb to innovate and adapt quickly, proving that remote work could be effective.
During the two-year period from March 2020 to April 2022, Airbnb learned valuable lessons about the efficiencies of remote work. Employees saved time by not commuting and were able to engage in back-to-back meetings across different time zones seamlessly. “You’re literally teleporting yourself with Zoom from London to San Francisco to a call across the world,” Q noted, highlighting the enhanced productivity enabled by remote work.
Real Estate and Overhead Savings
One of the most significant advantages of remote work is the potential for cost savings on real estate and overhead. “For most companies with a physical footprint, after employees, their main cost is likely real estate,” Q explained. By facilitating remote work, companies can downsize their physical office space, leading to substantial savings. These funds can then be redirected to other critical areas such as employee development and technological investments to boost productivity.
Moreover, a remote-friendly environment expands the talent pool beyond geographical limitations. “When you are not a remote-friendly environment, you are inherently limiting your talent pool to a particular geography,” Q emphasized. This not only reduces recruitment costs but also enhances diversity of thought, leading to more innovative solutions.
Enhancing Efficiency Through Training
Q stressed the importance of training employees and managers to work efficiently in a remote environment. “If you are more efficient at working remotely, then you do much more with less,” he said. Virtual communication skills, for instance, are crucial. Setting clear norms and expectations for virtual collaboration is also essential. Early in the pandemic, Q observed that without defined expectations, employees were prone to burnout. “Setting norms and expectations, like having a set time where everyone responds quickly, helps facilitate collaboration and prevents burnout,” he advised.
Performance Management in a Remote Setting
Effective performance management is another critical component of maximizing the benefits of remote work. Traditional methods of performance evaluation, which often rely on physical presence and visibility, are less effective in a remote setting. Q suggests a shift towards outcome-based evaluations. “It’s not about checking if someone is online for eight hours a day but about the output of deliverables,” he explained.
Regular check-ins and clear goal-setting are fundamental. Weekly meetings where managers and employees discuss and review short-term goals can provide structure and accountability. This approach ensures that performance is measured based on results rather than the time spent at a desk.
Trust and Autonomy
Building a culture of trust is paramount in a remote work environment. Q highlighted the issue of “productivity paranoia” among managers who struggle to trust their employees when they are not physically present. “Trusting people, believing they will behave like adults, and focusing on outcomes rather than supervision is critical,” he asserted.
When employees feel trusted, their engagement and morale improve, leading to higher productivity and retention. At Airbnb, the remote work policy launched in April 2022 led to the highest engagement and diversity numbers in the company’s history. This success was attributed not just to the remote work policy but also to the supportive infrastructure, training, and clear expectations that accompanied it.
The Future of Remote Work
Looking ahead, Q is optimistic about the continued growth of remote work. He envisions a balanced future where remote work coexists with traditional office settings. “Knowledge workers who no longer need to be tethered to a geographical location will want the flexibility to choose what’s best for their lives,” he predicted.
Technological advancements will further facilitate remote work, making it easier for people to collaborate and stay connected. Innovations in AI, virtual reality, and collaborative tools will address many of the coordination and socialization challenges associated with remote work. “Better technology will facilitate better remote work,” Q concluded.
Conclusion
Remote work has proven to be a viable and often superior alternative to traditional office settings. Companies that embrace remote work can achieve more with fewer resources by saving on real estate costs, expanding their talent pool, and fostering a culture of trust and efficiency. As we move forward, the lessons learned from companies like Airbnb and Paper will continue to shape the future of work, creating a more flexible, diverse, and productive workforce, and I will be sharing these lessons with my clients, who I help address the frustrations of hybrid work models.
About the Author
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was named “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times for helping leaders overcome frustrations with hybrid work and Generative AI. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote seven best-selling books, and his two most recent ones are Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams and ChatGPT for Thought Leaders and Content Creators: Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI for Innovative and Effective Content Creation. His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, French, Vietnamese, German, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio.
