{"id":31385,"date":"2021-01-21T14:50:02","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T19:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=31385"},"modified":"2023-09-19T09:54:32","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:54:32","slug":"supporting-digital-nomads-in-your-business-is-good-for-the-bottom-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/supporting-digital-nomads-in-your-business-is-good-for-the-bottom-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting Digital Nomads in Your Business Is Good for the Bottom Line"},"content":{"rendered":"
Digital nomads \u2014 employees or contractors who work remotely while traveling \u2014 were a small growing trend before the pandemic. With large numbers of workers logging in remotely during Covid, however, their ranks rose dramatically. According to an MBO Partners survey<\/a>, 2020 saw a 49 percent increase in digital nomads compared to 2019.<\/p>\n Like many remote-work trends, digital nomadism poses some interesting questions for businesses. Does it make sense to allow employees to work from the road? How does it benefit the company? How will it impact company policies?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve run a mostly remote company for 20 years<\/a> and am already an advocate for permanent remote work.<\/strong> After my family recently drove from Ohio to California to spend five weeks as digital nomads, I now believe this is the next benefit companies need to figure out both to keep employees happy and refreshed and to attract and retain top talent.<\/p>\n Every day, I logged in early to sync up with east coast time and was usually free to explore by 2 p.m. To my team, this felt no different from me logging in from Ohio. But for me, the time away offered a badly needed escape from the \u201cgroundhog\u201d day feel of 2020 and the endless responsibilities of home life. My work benefitted, too: the change in scenery gave me a surge in creativity and productivity<\/a>, and I returned refreshed and re-motivated. My employees and contractors who have conducted similar experiments have reported the same benefits.<\/strong><\/p>\n There are plenty of signs that both remote work and digital nomadism are here to stay. Tech companies such as Facebook<\/a> and X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>\u00a0are leading the way for the rest of corporate America by making remote work a permanent option. Other companies such as Microsoft<\/a> are taking it a step further, allowing employees to relocate \u2014 even internationally if the arrangement works with their role and responsibilities. Countries are jumping on board, too, with alluring destinations<\/a> like Antigua, Barbuda, Barbados, and Aruba offering digital nomads extended visas.<\/p>\n Companies that want to attract top talent and keep retention high will be forced to offer similar working arrangements.<\/strong> The pros far outweigh the cons. Employees get to take care of their mental health and escape from the humdrum every day for a while. Businesses get a boost from refreshed and recharged employees full of fresh inspiration and ideas.<\/p>\n To support digital nomads, including both full-time employees and nomad contractors, companies need to make the same changes required to support a permanent remote workforce:<\/p>\n These tweaks to company policies and procedures are small compared to the benefit that comes with allowing employees to work remotely, even in far-flung locations. Not only will employees see the opportunity to become digital nomads as a huge perk, but they\u2019ll also feel trusted, engaged and eager to stick around.<\/p>\nHow to Accommodate Digital Nomad Workers<\/h2>\n
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