CEO at Topia, the leader in Global Talent Mobility.
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Remote work has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for many knowledge-based workers, especially as digital nomad visas grow in popularity. Many countries are now offering and actively marketing these visas to attract long-term tourism with various lengths of stay ranging from six months to two years. Some countries even permit travelers to work within their borders without a work permit or special visa when that work isn’t the primary purpose of the trip—for example, to extend a vacation, seek medical treatment or visit family.
Digital nomads can choose from a wide variety of destinations where they can immerse themselves in the local culture. For example, Bali is planning a new digital nomad visa that would allow people to live and work in Indonesia tax-free. While that’s still in the works, dozens of other countries like Georgia, Croatia, Iceland, Germany, Norway and Romania currently offer similar experiences, with varying benefits and lengths of stay.
With the broad availability of Airbnbs, it’s never been easier for employees to pack their bags for an overseas adventure. Even if it’s not for months on end, just a few weeks of an extended “workcation” could give people the change of scenery they need to fuel curiosity, creativity and inspiration.
But for some organizations, this entire scenario sounds like a nightmare. Between the immigration and the tax compliance risk, it’s enough to keep HR leaders awake at night with visions of employees scattered around the globe, each exposing the organization to untold legal and financial penalties.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Giving employees the flexibility and freedom they are requesting is simple with the right policies, procedures and tools. Here’s how.
1. Establish an annual remote work allowance.
Rather than dealing with requests on an ad hoc basis, plan for the upcoming year by giving employees a set number of days for remote work built into their benefits package. Whether it’s 30 days, 45 days, 60 days or longer, establishing this perk as a standard feature (where applicable—see below) ensures employees will know what to expect and can plan accordingly.
2. Set clear policies.
Before your people go jet-setting around the world, you’ll want to be clear about who is eligible and for how long. For example, some counties may have restrictions for people in revenue-generating roles, so it may not make sense internally for directors or those with core in-office roles to work abroad while traveling. You may also want to set limitations on the length of stay for each experience or based on the destination, especially with regard to tax or immigration compliance.
3. Make the process simple.
Employees are quite skeptical of some employers’ remote work policies: My company's survey found that 48% feel the policies are in place just to make requests easier to reject. That’s a problem, considering that 60% of employees are looking for remote work opportunities in 2022, according to findings from Zip Recruiter. To avoid losing great talent, employers should embrace remote work options that make it easier to say “yes.” That means implementing a simple process where employees can submit their requests and have them approved quickly and easily without waiting weeks or dealing with a constant back and forth.
4. Implement immigration risk assessments.
One of the biggest obstacles most companies have when enabling digital nomads is the traditionally slow, expensive and cumbersome immigration process. In most cases, companies would have to submit each request to an immigration lawyer to process the paperwork, which might take weeks—not worth it for a two-week trip and it defeats the concept of having an agile, nimble workforce.
Immigration risk assessment should be a priority for those companies offering permanent remote work opportunities. Employees can complete a risk assessment as part of their remote work request. Having a plan and the technology in place not only makes the process faster and smoother but also helps to manage expectations for employees. Let them know what’s allowable before they begin making travel plans. (Disclaimer: My company, Topia, is a provider of immigration risk assessment technology).
5. Encourage exploration as part of career growth.
Indeed reports that international travel experience can lead to personal and professional growth, helping to enhance leadership, networking, cultural sensitivity and communication as well as build confidence and adaptability. With a simple and efficient process in place, your organization can make global experiences an integral part of your talent development to cultivate stronger leadership, depth of experience and diversity in the organization.
The truth is that it’s likely only a few employees will actually have the ability and/or desire to embrace the full global digital nomad lifestyle. The vast majority of remote work arrangements will likely feel a lot like one of those Instagram versus reality comparisons: Rather than the cocktail and laptop on the beach, it’s a laptop on the kitchen table at the in-law’s place when visiting for the holidays.
But regardless of whichever scenario your employees choose, having the right policies and tools in place can streamline the remote work process, give them the flexibility they want and/or need and keep HR from losing sleep over the risk to the organization.
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