Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told Time that “the office as we know it is over.” For the CEO, the format of office work is something from the “pre-digital” era. Chesky, who has worked in several US cities in recent years, said the company’s employees will be able to work from anywhere, including up to 3 months of service overseas.

The Airbnb executive says the office will still exist, but it should represent a collaborative function and be different from what we’re used to. “If the office didn’t exist, I would like to ask, would we invent it? And if we invented, then for what purpose? Of course, people will still be going to hospitals to work, coffee shops to work—these spaces make sense. But I think that for those who work with a laptop, the question is: what is the office for after all?“.

After announcing that its employees will have full freedom to work completely from home, including from outside the country, Airbnb has seen a significant increase in the number of clicks to the “Jobs” page.

The CEO, however, does not believe the office will simply disappear; on the contrary, the office will take over other functions. Chesky believes that not everyone will want to work from home, so the office will offer something that is not available at home.

For him, the offices will offer a collaborative workspace with a significant increase in private offices to meet the needs of employees. The difference is that offices will no longer be the rule, but the exception. “For the last two years I have been working in different cities. I’ve been to Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, Miami, Colorado and it didn’t matter.”.

In an interview with Time, the CEO emphasizes that visions for new ways of working are still in their infancy, and so his views may change as the ways people choose to work take hold. He does, however, point out that the hybrid format, where people go to the office for a few days and work from home the rest, should not be supported in the long run, or as he himself said: “My prediction is that three days a week turns into two days a week. Then two days a week, turn one day a week“.

…..

Are you thinking about buying a product online? Discover the Save the Connected World extension for Google Chrome. It’s free and offers you price comparisons at major stores and coupons so you can always buy at the best price. Download now.

Source: deadline, time