Hostelworld : Campaigns For Dictionary Inclusion Of ‘Work From Anywhere’ (WFA)

WORDS TRAVEL FAR: HOSTELWORD CAMPAIGNS FOR DICTIONARY

INCLUSION OF 'WORK FROM ANYWHERE' (WFA)

• • Global research from Hostelworld finds overwhelming demand for 'work from anywhere' (WFA) policies to replace the outdated 'work from home' (WFH)
  • Hostelworld pushes for 'WFA' inclusion across 10 English language dictionaries
• 86% of Gen Z's and 80% of Millennials say they're ready to change jobs for flexible
• 
  employers

LONDON, 02 FEBRUARY 2022:Hostelworld, the global hostel-focused booking platform, has today launched its campaign for the inclusion of 'Work From Anywhere' or 'WFA' across 10 English language dictionaries, after new research found the traditional concept of 'Work From Home' or 'WFH' simply doesn't match the desires of workers in 2022.

Four in five (84%) consumers, across seven countries, say WFA is the new WFH, while the research also found that stress levels would plummet from 22% to 6% if companies allowed their employees to work from a blend of locations in their home country and further afield.

Hostelworld is campaigning some of the world's most recognised dictionaries, including the Oxford English and Cambridge Dictionary, across its social channels [TWITTER,INSTA& FACEBOOK] to include this new definition for WFA: 'A form of flexible working allowing those lucky enough to do their job remotely, wherever suits them best, promoting better work-lifebalance.'

With 86% of Gen Z's and 80% of Millennials saying they're ready to change jobs for flexible employers that let them sometimes work from anywhere, it looks as though the next chapter of 'The Great Re-shuffle' may be on the horizon. Currently, only one in five say their company lets them WFA, with favoured places to work from including restaurants (45%), hostels (37%) and the beach (18%).

When respondents were asked about how they would feel when working from anywhere, versus how they felt working from home the past year, there were positive outcomes:

• Motivation levels would skyrocket, rising from 21% to 56%
• Sparks of creativity would be ignited, soaring from 23% to 54%
• Smiles all round as worker happiness would double, increasing from 33% to 68%
• No connection concerns, as workers say they'd feel a stronger bond with colleagues when WFA (28%) rather than WFH (12%)
• Housebound = housebored, with WFH leaving a third (33%) feeling uninterested, compared just 2% of those who could WFA

While only 15% say they can currently WFA, the vocations that most allow for working from anywhere are digital and content marketing, data science and software development, and finance and accountancy. Of those who can WFA, one third (33%) are able to work from a different country between one to four weeks each year.

Jody Jordan, Chief People Officer at Hostelworld, says: "Younger people feel particularly disconnected and lonely after spending two years working from home. They want to explore, connect, meet new people, and still do the work they love and advance in their career. 57% of our customers say they have worked whilst travelling, so it's important that as employers we adapt to changing times to attract young talent.

We're proposing a definition for 'WFA' as we want to highlight that flexible working can be done in a mix of locations, not just at home. Remote workers say they're three times more creative when not WFH, so the impact WFA could have on our future workforce's productivity could be significant."

Hostelworld's research also found that surprisingly 30% of respondents are still bound by businesses to attend the office full time, but unsurprisingly, only 5% would like to do this. For one in five (19%), the ideal number of days they'd like to go into the office is once every few months. This is closely followed by 13% saying twice a week, and 10% saying once or twice a month.

In 2021, 10% of customers booking trips with Hostelworld were quitting their job to travel, but in 2022 this figure could be much higher, as many missed out on trips and are looking to make up for lost time.

For those looking for their next adventure, whether WFA or not working at all, visit www.hostelworld.com

ENDS

Data methodology: The survey was conducted between 28 December 2021 and 11 January 2022. There were 1925 respondents from seven countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, the USA, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.

70% of the respondents were Gen Z and Millennials. The survey was 64% female, 34% male. 57% of respondents say they've worked whilst travelling.

About Hostelworld

Hostelworld, the leading global Online Travel Agent (OTA) focused on the hostel market, inspires adventurous minds to experience new places, meet new people and come back with extraordinary stories to tell. Hostelworld customers aren't your average travellers; they are driven by the need for unique experiences, social connections and empowering adventures. It's the social nature of hostels that turbocharges their global adventures and enables them to Meet the World. Hostelworld has over 22 years' experience, with more than 13.7 million reviews across 16,500 hostels in 180 countries, making it the leading online hub for social travel. Its website operates in 19 different languages and mobile app in 13. The Hostelworld Group went public in November 2015, listing on the main London and Dublin stock exchanges. Headquartered in Dublin, Hostelworld has offices around the world in London, Shanghai, Sydney and Porto.