2 Sep 2020

Temporary relocation and flexible options allowed for Airbnb Employees

Airbnb are giving remaining Employees options that allow them to temporarily relocate and also flexibility to those who can't work right now, if they're caring for a family member due to illness or closure of a care facility etc......the move comes after nearly 1,900 employees from a global workforce of over 7,500 were made redundant back in May.

190 staff in Dublin were impacted by the redundancies at its European headquarters in Grand Canal Docks as a result of the massive decline in its online bookings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the start of the pandemic, Airbnb like many other businesses closed their offices immediately to protect the health and safety of their employees around the world. The extension to work remotely through to the end of August 2021 was rolled out to remaining staff.

They said they are offering the remote working extension to give employees the ability to plan further ahead and make the choices they need around school calendars, being closer to family, caring for vulnerable family members, and other personal decisions.

Co-Founder and CEO Brian Chesky, said in his statement last month that the company had been “hit hard” by the sudden downturn in business, with revenue this year forecasted to be less than half of what was made in 2019.

He said “We are collectively living through the most harrowing crisis of our lifetime, and as it began to unfold, global travel came to a standstill.” The company raised $2 billion (about €1.8 billion) in capital and “dramatically cut costs” in response to the crisis.

 With such a difficult situation on his hands Chesky sent a transparent and vulnerable message outlining key protections for affected workers as the redundancies were announced.

In the letter he said “For a company like us whose mission is centered around belonging, this is incredibly difficult to confront, and it will be even harder for those who have to leave Airbnb,” he went on to reveal exactly how and why the tough decision was made—which can give workers closure—and laid out the many ways the company was going to help those who’ve been terminated.

Among those plans:

  • Every US ex-employee will receive a generous severance of 14 weeks’ base pay, plus an additional week’s salary for every year the staffer has been at the company. Many companies give just a week or two per every year worked with no cushion.
  • Every departing US employee, even if they haven’t worked the previous minimum of one year, will have equity in the company.
  • The company will cover COBRA costs for 12 months, so every US ex-employee keeps their health insurance for another full year.
  • Much of the internal recruiting team will be redirected to help secure new external roles for former workers.
  • Terminated staffers can keep their company-issued laptops because “a computer is an important tool to find new work.”

Besides those truly supportive actions, Brian shared poignant final words to those who were let go:

“I am truly sorry. Please know this is not your fault. The world will never stop seeking the qualities and talents that you brought to Airbnb…that helped make Airbnb. I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for sharing them with us.”

Source

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