When Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky stated that “the pandemic has disrupted the way we live and travel forever,” I found myself scouring their available data for insight into how that disruption might impact the future. And what I discovered told me we’re probably just at the start of a period of profound and sustained change. And no, I’m not talking about the future of tourism, but the future of work.

Right now, guests are booking longer stays at Airbnb rentals than at any point in the platform’s history, with around 20% of bookings for one month or longer. The likes of WIFI, pet friendliness, and self-catering facilities are now the top filters for this growing body of long-stayers.

This ties in with a recent survey, which found that 63% of respondents now expect more flexibility from their employers, with a third revealing they plan to live somewhere else for a time while working remotely.

In short, we’re currently seeing a new era of free-roaming remote workers, untethered from the commute, and eager to take advantage of the freedom many employers are offering.

In the last year or more, I’ve heard some of the largest organisations in the world announce plans to extend remote working indefinitely. I’ve also heard the same said by some of our clients at ABSTRACT.

We believe this will prove to be a long-term shift in working patterns, and not because the ‘big players’ are leading the way. In fact, we don’t believe the choice in whether remote working is the way to go or not will be decided in the boardroom.

That decision has already been made, I suspect, by the people who make up bulk of our workforce. We’re seeing it play out right now as millions of people around the globe, many of whom are in mid-career roles, quit their jobs. They’re rethinking what they want from their careers and lives, looking at what their employers are offering, and then leaping headfirst into what has become a very buoyant jobs market.

A time of opportunity… for some

We’ve been astounded by the volume and quality of candidates applying for our latest role here at ABSTRACT. People with rising careers in large and well-known organisations, are eager to take on a new role that offers flexibility and freedom.

This also tells me that a lot of organisations, both huge and small, are going to leak a great deal of mid-career talent if they don’t find a way to adapt to the new landscape. They’re going to find themselves with graduate level entrants, senior leaders, and not much in between.

The future of your work

Now is the time to ask yourself: What am I doing to engage, retain and develop my most talented people? What am I doing to attract the abundance of talent that is out there right now?

When it comes to retaining and engaging your people, ABSTRACT’s range of mid-career development programmes are the perfect first step. These courses will equip your managers with the tools to lead and inspire, and provide your mid-career talent with the support and skills they need to stay loyal to your brand, and re-calibrate their career objectives to a new era.

And with fresh masterclasses regularly added to our events library, including the likes of ‘developing a commercial culture in a hybrid world’ and ‘promoting personal brands and profiles’, we’re here to ensure you keep pace with sweeping changes.

Call this a warning, or a wake up call, but at a time when people are looking for ways to change how they work, your business needs to adapt if you want to retain your best people, and attract new talent.  

ABSTRACT will provide you with the capability to thrive during the great resignation. Get in touch today.

Sources and further reading:

ABSTRACT; How to ensure productivity and engagement in the new era of hybrid working

https://www.abstractuk.co.uk/how-to-ensure-productivity-and-engagement-in-the-new-era-of-hybrid-working

Airbnb; The “Live Anywhere” Travel Revolution is here to stay

https://news.airbnb.com/en-uk/author/airbnbpress/

Harvard Business Review; Who Is Driving The Great Resignation

https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation

FT; The Great Resignation is a good story — but not what most people want

https://www.ft.com/content/7d6f2208-3c32-4226-a87b-8f05a9d8ce6a

CIPD; Flexible working during Covid19 and beyond

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/flexible-working/during-COVID-19-and-beyond#gref