{"id":2676,"date":"2017-05-26T10:27:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-26T09:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/?p=2676"},"modified":"2017-05-26T10:27:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-26T09:27:00","slug":"what-can-corporations-learn-from-digital-nomads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2017\/05\/26\/what-can-corporations-learn-from-digital-nomads\/","title":{"rendered":"What Can Corporations Learn from Digital Nomads?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In your opinion, what would be the trending job-related \u2018wannabe\u2019 and fantasy many people, especially millennials<\/strong>, have these days? I would definitely vote for keywords such as flexibility, meaningfulness, entrepreneurship, global travel<\/strong> and digital\u2026 basically everything that is so well captured and \u2018romanticized\u2019 by digital global work<\/strong>, or a digital nomad<\/strong> lifestyle. Even without looking for specific survey evidence, it is safe to assume that being free from a traditional 9-5 office schedule is something that millennials<\/strong> and the upcoming Gen Z workforce are longing for. And that is not surprising, given the common portrayal of digital nomads<\/strong>. Just try to google for images of \u2018digital nomads<\/strong>\u2019, and you will find a multitude of images that are strikingly similar in their message. They usually contain sun, nature, a beach scenario or a cozy caf\u00e9, mixed with a laptop and \u2018chill vibe\u2019. Who wouldn\u2019t want that? Who wouldn\u2019t want less work, and more fun? Who wouldn\u2019t want less traditional structure and more freedom and creativity? Who wouldn\u2019t want to exchange early mornings with watered down coffee-machine coffee for chilled out afternoons by the beach with a tropical cocktail?<\/p>\n

Naturally, the fantasy wouldn\u2019t be so appealing if it wasn\u2019t so idealized. Similar to the ease of finding idyllic images, it doesn\u2019t take very long to find and read about the real experiences of nomads, who often feel the loneliness of such a lifestyle, wouldn\u2019t recommend sand and sun as a laptop-friendly environment, and definitely work more than a couple of hours each day. Finally, let\u2019s remind ourselves that not all jobs can be done remotely, not everyone is willing to \u2018live out of suitcase\u2019 and do freelance or entrepreneurial work, and last but not least, corporate jobs still constitute the biggest share of the job market. Traditional corporate work culture<\/strong> cannot and should not be dismissed, yet, maybe there is still something to listen to amid all this buzz about digital nomads?<\/p>\n

I would suggest that corporate businesses<\/strong> should not overlook the trending desires for flexibility, excitement and global mobility<\/strong> of the younger generations. Indeed, several progressive work policies are finding their ways into corporate culture<\/strong>. First of all, due to technological development many companies are looking into providing more telecommuting<\/a> opportunities to their employees, which sounds like more flexibility. Second, as discussed in one of my earlier posts<\/a>, there is a growing trend towards \u2018bleisure\u2019 travel, which combines business travel with vacation. Finally, I believe another interesting practice could be borrowed, at least partially, from digital nomads \u2013 the so-called \u2018workations<\/strong>\u2019.<\/p>\n

As described in a relevant Forbes article<\/a>, companies are increasingly allowing digital nomads<\/strong> to come together and embark on travel together, all the while networking, and working remotely. These are also called nomad retreats and, according to CNN<\/a>, there are plenty of programs, lasting from between one month to a year, which provide participants with accommodation, co-working space, travel and entertainment\u2014and all that in one package. Again, this sounds like a nomad\u2019s paradise, yet, some start-up companies seem to have embraced the idea and use such workations<\/a> for the benefit of both, company and employees.<\/p>\n

Taking this idea to the realms of multicultural corporations<\/strong> seems very viable to me. What could be a better way to reward employees, while at the same time creating opportunities for team building, development of cultural intelligence (by bringing culturally diverse employees together), and fueling creativity and innovation? Seems like a win-win opportunity to me J<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In your opinion, what would be the trending job-related \u2018wannabe\u2019 and fantasy many people, especially millennials, have these days? I would definitely vote for keywords such as flexibility, meaningfulness, entrepreneurship, global travel and digital\u2026 basically everything that is so well captured and \u2018romanticized\u2019 by digital global work, or a digital nomad lifestyle. Even without looking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18330],"tags":[451,102558,102555,44741,102559,70249,102536,102556],"class_list":["post-2676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-views-and-news-about-expatriates","tag-corporate-culture","tag-digital-global-work","tag-digital-nomads","tag-global-mobility","tag-global-travel","tag-millennials","tag-multicultural-corporations","tag-workations","megacategoria-mc-leadership-and-people-management"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t