This article from News Limited makes for fascinating reading. Why, because you don’t have to go to this expense to master a healthy corporate culture. Culture is not about the toys.
A fashion designer’s Brooklyn loft makes an inspiring setting for a chat. Source: New Limited
PULL back the gauzy curtains concealing the entrance to an opulent Bedouin tent and feast your eyes upon sumptuous velvet couches, deep-pile rugs and ... an office meeting between a group of young people in shirts and jeans.
This is the headquarters of the world’s most popular — and divisive — home rental website, Airbnb. Rivalling Google and Facebook’s famous HQs, this whimsical building recreates the most magical of the company’s 1.5 million listings: from a chic Parisian apartment, to a mushroom dome cabin in the Santa Cruz hills, to a Danish houseboat reception area.
A trendy Brooklyn loft acts as a meeting hub, complete with squishy tan leather couch, and employees can leave their dogs at kennels dotted around the building while they travel around on scooters and skateboards.
But what makes this company so unique is its concern with culture and people. Speak to anyone here about what makes Airbnb special, and they’ll mention the “culture” word. Co-founder Brian Chesky famously published a letter to his team telling them not to “f*** up the culture”, which he said most companies inevitably do after reaching a certain size.
Write a report in a deckchair. Source: New Limited
Each room is based on an Airbnb property. Source: New Limited
Every employee knows the values by heart, values that include “simplicity” and “be a cereal entrepreneur” — a reference to the three co-founders’ eBay sale of election-themed cereal boxes to raise cash for their fledging startup.
The walls are covered with photos of Airbnb hosts and guests, and the founders try different ways to connect with their 1000-plus employees in San Francisco alone — most recently, taking selfies with the latest round of new hires.
The firm’s motto, “Belong Anywhere”, was brought in during last year’s rebranding, along with the “belo” logo, which is meant to represent a person with hands joined above their head. Unfortunately, some observers thought it looked more like part of the anatomy, causing a flurry of amusement on social media when it was released.
But the staff here, many of whom interviewed around 10 times before they joined the company, are evangelical about its meaning. “We really believe in it,” head chef Anisha told news.com.au.
Not only have these employees been rigorously assessed for culture fit, they are given personality tests when they join the firm, to help them better understand how to work with others in their team.
Meet in a cabin, at a grand dining table or simply in a ball pit. Source: New Limited
It’s clear that not just anyone would belong here. But Airbnb has built its empire on the concept of belonging, sponsoring the New York Marathon with a #gotheextramile campaign and launching the Big Gay Stay with a hot-pink house float at Sydney Mardi Gras.
Australia has become a testing ground for Airbnb’s smart marketing, in part because Aussies have been such eager users of the service. “Australians travel in a really adventurous way,” said chief marketing officer Jonathan Mildenhall. “Australians are so worldly and so local in how they travel. They don’t like to be kept in a bubble of five-star service, even wealthy Australians want an authentic experience.”
What Airbnb is selling is simply a home rental service, but it feels like a lifestyle.
A recent campaign was mocked on social media for being “creepy” after it advised guests to “look through their windows” and “sleep in their beds”. But Jonathan is comfortable with moving through the awkwardness.
Morocco, Bali and Brazil are all represented in this highly diverse space. Source: New Limited
“Sometimes we have to have uncomfortable truths in marketing. We have to talk about strangers and we have to talk about the awkwardness of embracing somebody you’ve just met.”
That’s lucky, because Airbnb is no stranger to controversy. Its home-sharing model has ruffled feathers in the hotel industry, with some big chains and small bed ‘n’ breakfasts claiming the service is damaging business. Landlords have complained about tenants subletting through the website, and about other landlords using it for long-term rentals and avoiding tax.
But Airbnb has played the game more cleverly than other ‘sharing economy’ businesses, eschewing much of the vitriol directed at car-sharing service Uber, which has endured furious protests from taxi drivers and angered government across the world.
Airbnb insists it welcomes legislation, and has actively sought out politicians and policy-makers to nail down “clear, fair and progressive” regulations in different countries. It says the average income of an Airbnb host is just $7000, and they don’t operate as small businesses or threaten the very different proposition of hotels, which continue to grow.
Seventy per cent of its properties are outside areas that are traditionally popular with tourists, for example, in western Sydney’s Parramatta and Blacktown. Airbnb insists it is growing the tourism economy and diversifying where the tourist dollar goes, to different cafes and businesses.
Book your chat in Cairo on an iPad. Source: New Limited
There are maximum lengths for stays, usually between 60 and 90 days depending on the location. And Airbnb has had plenty of success in creating new laws. The fact that it skipped a step in the beginning doesn’t seem to matter any more, in a world that is changing rapidly thanks to technology.
As a final get-out clause, it encourages hosts to find out local regulations from their states and councils — so any misbehaviour isn’t officially Airbnb’s fault.
In one recent scandal, Airbnb guests held a “drug-induced orgy” at the home of a Canadian couple who put their house on the site. The damage was covered by the Airbnb $1 million guarantee, and the guests were banned from the site. But the Calgary couple said they felt “violated”.
The company says almost all of its 40 million users have had positive experiences, and insists that most disasters happen when people go “off platform” — for example, when squatters refuse to leave.
The peer-review system is something of a safeguard. Guests have to have stayed somewhere to leave a review and hosts can mandate that their guests have a real-time photo and verified ID.
The ambience in the office is unconventional but deliberately homely. At the cafeteria, chef and “experience guru” Anisha Jagtap oversees the preparation of four free meals a day, all of which are sustainable, locally sourced and inspired by a listing.
Staff travel by scooter. Source: New Limited
During my visit, we lunched on a Mexican feast of carnitas, avocado, beans and rice; and a Mediterranean spread the next day, featuring beef tagine, lentils, cous-cous and salads. Healthy pick-me-ups are available from the kitchens in the mornings and afternoons: I grabbed a few cacao-nib coconut cookies and chia balls, along with a low-cal energy-boosting soft drink from a tap, since plastic bottles are banned.
Leftovers become snacks and muesli bars for the next day, or are donated to shelters. Non-profits can use the cafeteria for free or at a low cost, mingling with staff. Even the espresso machines are “intentional” — workers are taught to use them, and if they see someone who hasn’t been trained, they are obliged to assist.
Walking from Amsterdam to Rio de Janeiro to a retro Aussie camper van within seconds makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland, an impression that the Alice-themed bathroom does little to dispel.
Other bathrooms are decorated to look like submarines, planes and forests (decked out with ‘glamping’ essentials including dry shampoo and hair straighteners), while chillout spaces offer hammocks, beanbags, inviting-looking beds and even a ball pit in a room with padded walls, where staff can hold seriously relaxed meetings, booked on an iPad, of course.
If they want some exercise, on the other hand, there are stand-up desks where you can hook your laptop up to a monitor.
