Spotify's “Work From Anywhere” program generalizes the transition to 100% remote work

Spotify, the Swedish music streaming service, has launched its initiative “Work From Anywhere” or “Work from anywhere” in 2021.

After two years of experimenting The new ways of working that the health crisis “forced” us to adopt, 100% teleworking does not seem to be preferred. In fact, only 1% of HR managers consider 100% remote working for eligible employees by 2025, according to a study by BCG and ANDRH in March 2022.

However, as Spotify is one of the few companies that favors 100% remote working, here is a decryption of its “Work From Anywhere” program.

Spotify and the flexible work culture

The health crisis is not at the origin of this “100% remote working” initiative, even though it allowed Accelerate it strongly.

Indeed, the managers and executives of Spotify realized that the missions of their employees are for the most part achievable outside the company's offices And what the productivity of their employees lies in the comfort of their workplace. It is therefore only natural to allow their employees to practice teleworking and thus work from their favorite location.

“Work is not somewhere you go, it's something you do,” says Spotify on its website.

The “Work From Anywhere” program thus testifies to Spotify's very flexible culture. Indeed, it recognizes that employees each have their own work preferences And what some work better in the office, from home or simply with a choice.

The beliefs of the company are thus based on the personality and the will of its employees. Also according to Spotify, the freedom of its employees seems to be the key to their happiness and thus to their productivity..

These certainties allow the company to become a more diverse workplace, respecting the lives and ambitions of their employees or even their work-life balance.

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The “Work From Anywhere” program

How does it work?

“We give our employees the freedom to work where they work best, wherever they are” assures again Spotify.

Setting up the program is very simple:

Step 1 : Employees choose their location and can thus move or stay in their current place of residence.

Step 2 : The collaborators choose their way of working, either in one of the 48 Spotify offices (in a dozen countries), in a coworking space or even from home, with the possibility of combining these modes.

Employees choose one of the options for 1 year, subject to hierarchical validation.

The benefits of the program

Work from anywhere

The teleworking allows employees to choosing their preferred workplace, whether at home, in an office or even in another country.

Enjoy a comfortable work space

And regardless of the location chosen, Spotify allows all its collaborators to benefit from a workspace that meets their needs. Thus, employees choosing to work from home will be offered materials and equipment similar to those available in their former office.

In addition, if the chosen working mode is in a space of coworking, the subscription fees will be borne by Spotify.

The promise of a strong sense of belonging to the company, even virtually

Spotify wants each of its employees, whether they work remotely or in the office, finds its place and its belonging in the company.

“We have adapted the way we do our work in this area, from in-person events to virtual experiences that create opportunities for community and belonging by celebrating different cultural moments throughout the year,” communicates Spotify.

Moreover, the place of corporate culture in the virtual world is an issue that Spotify places a lot of importance on and is trying to amplify.

The promise of equal pay

Spotify is also committed to maintain wages at San Francisco or New York rates for employees who will move to another city or country.

For example, this is not the case with facebook and twitter who will review the salaries of their employees moving.

The disadvantages of the program

Weak social ties

Despite the precautions that Spotify seems to take, by offering virtual meetings or events to its employees who have chosen 100% remote working, this mode of working presents a high risk of social distance.

Indeed, during the health crisis, the problem from which employees suffered the most was the weakening of social ties with the acceleration of teleworking.

And although from now on, there are many solutions that allow consolidate this social bond at a distance, 100% remote working is one of the most important weakening factors.

Difficult disconnection

Over the past two years, with the digitalization of our society and The appearance of teleworking, the Hyper-connection phenomenon accelerated.

This is an increasingly recurring problem, which results in a response to late emails or phone calls outside of working hours.

Some employees may thus suffer from 100% teleworking if the employer does not take the necessary measures to implement the right to disconnect.

Read also: The right to disconnect

Promoting telemIGRATION

La Telemigation Refers to the fact”that people established in one country work from another country”.

And this phenomenon, which is not worrisome at the moment, could become so.

“The problem is that with the trivialization of teleworking, a lock has been broken. Businesses will no longer hesitate. At first, you won't see it. They will not make a social plan in France to recruit elsewhere. They will stop creating new positions here and will have their subsidiaries recruit remote workers to do tasks that are currently done in France. And that will weigh on salaries,” according to two Coface economists, Marcos Carias and Coline Louis.

TelemIGRATION is currently not at all a problem, and on the contrary, young managers who often want to travel while working, can now!

m-work and hybrid work

M-Work is a solution that facilitates the organization of hybrid work for companies, managers and employees.

The solution M-Work allows companies in particular to maintain team cohesion, and a strong employee experience, in a hybrid world.

Are you interested in the subject? Request a demo.