Is remote work anywhere a dream? Or can it be turned into a reality? What are the barriers to doing so and the opportunities for companies that get this right?
Welcome to the remote work from anywhere series. This is a series featuring some of the leading people around the world in remote work, global mobility and work from anywhere compliance (remote work tax, employment law, etc.)
The future has never looked brighter for people who want to experience the freedom of being a digital nomad. The freedom to truly work from anywhere. That was the inspiration behind this week’s episode moderated by John Lee of The Work From Anywhere Team and we were delighted to be joined by (2:20) Margaux Miller, Head of Community at Toptal, an exclusive network of the top freelance resources in the world, (4:35) Tongayi Choto, co-founder of AfriBlocks, a company busy building the world’s largest network of top African freelance talent and (5:32) Mayur Sontakke, CEO of the NomadGao, a coworking/coliving community in Goa, India acting as pioneers in India’s digital nomad movement.
(7:16) Trends being seen with clients response to remote work. Toptal, a fully remote team for over 10 years now but huge increase in talent looking to work remotely. (9:21) Pre-pandemic there were no Indian digital nomads. Now there are Indian companies looking to embrace the remote side with boot camps and conferences. (11:40) The pandemic as a spring board for people moving towards a side hustle. (13:30) Africa as the youngest population of any continent in the world. (15:00) Toptal’s growth reflects companies willingness to hire freelancers. The pandemic has acted as a catalyst. As companies have the systems and acceptance of working with people outside their immediate city, it decreases the barrier to go across borders. (16:35) Companies still concerned about communication when hiring freelancers.
(19:18) 2021 start-up investment has already eclipsed 2020. Digital Homads: People staying in their country of birth but still wanting to experience a different working environment. (22:18) Africa is in a unique position to fill the skilled resources gap. (24:16) What are the top skills that digital nomads need? Domain expertise and communication. (28:10) One concern with remote work is the lack of human connection. Coworking/coliving spaces help to plug this gap. (29:20) How to bridge the professional gap of missed facetime with colleagues – building a community.
(30:50) Top digital nomad jobs of the future…cloud computing, content production, AI, data science and sales. (32:00) Pros and cons of the remote work lifestyle. (37:12) Will the WFA revolution help reduce the brain drain out of Africa and keep many of the continent’s best talents at home? The pandemic has led to a reverse brain drain as people return home and more expats looking to relocate. (41:33) Ubuntu: The culture of togetherness. (42:36) The Remote Work Playbook – building a company culture based on trust and making the values well known. (46:40) Tips and hacks for the newly digitaI nomad. (49:10) Intercultural communication becoming more important. India’s many subcultures – the culture changes every 100 kilometers! (50:40) Our panelist’s destination wish-list. (54:35) Digital Nomads in 10 Years’ Time: much more variety in the types of people adopting this lifestyle…not just developers. Cultural diversity and working with teams from every culture. The balance of contributing to local communities but not changing it too much for the locals.
Some useful resources discussed during this episode:
- Toptal’s Remote Work Playbook
- Afriblocks Africa and the Future of Work Report
- The Work From Anywhere Team’s Digital Nomad Visas
If you’re interested in becoming a guest on the webinar series, please reach out to us here.
Should you need help with any of your tax or compliance risks related to remote work, The Work From Anywhere Team would be delighted to help you out! Just reach out via our website.
The Work From Anywhere Team
