Digital nomads: a savvy enterprise’s newest HR frontier

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is quantify the fast growing and dynamic population of workers known as digital nomads, workers who live a location agnostic, technology enabled lifestyle, traveling while living and working away from their home for extended periods of time. Since the pandemic, companies that embrace remote work policies are winning accolades. But along with the work-from-home crowd, there is another distinct group of employees that companies need to address: digital nomads – a rising new class of traditional job holders that have taken to the road. As human resources (HR) departments rewrite their policies for the remote workforce, it is critical that you put in place a digital nomad policy. Having a digital nomad policy will not only allow your company to attract and retain top talent but will also protect you from regulatory and legal risks. Design/methodology/approach The Digital Nomad data cited in this paper comes from the 2021 MBO Partners State of Independence in America study, which was fielded in July of 2021. This is the 11th consecutive year this study has been conducted. For the 2021 study, Emergent Research and Rockbridge Associates surveyed 6,240 residents of the USA (aged 18 and older). The survey results were weighted to reflect the demographics of the USA. Findings Today, the USA alone boasts 15.5 million digital nomads – a massive 112% increase from 2019 and 42% increase from 2020. With workers untethered from the office, the pandemic drove an increase in digital nomadism; however, the trend is here to stay. Corporations and HR teams need to take note and develop forward-thinking policies that will attract and retain talent. Originality/value Over the past three years, MBO Partners, in partnership with Emergent Research, have collaborated on an extensive digital nomad study that has attracted the interest of Harvard Business Review. The company’s larger State of Independence report is also the longest-running longitudinal study on the independent workforce. Despite the large and growing number of digital nomads, few organizations have formal policies and programs for them. MBO is the first to develop policies and programs to help HR teams embrace this new era of talent who want the freedom to roam.