Hiring digital nomads can help you unlock access to new talent and knowledge.
However, it requires a different approach from hiring and supporting office-based employees or those who work from home.
18.1 million US workers now call themselves digital nomads. The number working traditional jobs has more than tripled since the beginning of 2020. What’s more, the number working independently increased by 20% in 2024 alone.
Despite these huge numbers, 14% of employees haven’t shared with their employer that they’re digital nomads.
A further 22% say their company has no policy for digital nomads but they have permission to work nomadically.
As a result, around a third of employers have no idea where their employees work from. This is despite all the benefits that can come from travel, having employees working in different time zones, and experiencing different cultures.
What are digital nomads?
Digital nomads are people who work while traveling. They never stay in the same place for too long. In fact, almost half say they’ve stayed in some locations for less than a week. 50% change locations within a couple of weeks of living/working somewhere.
Digital nomads use technology to help them perform their roles, balancing work commitments with their desire to travel.
As digital nomadism increases in popularity, there are online forums to support the lifestyle and many coworking spaces designed to support them across the globe.
How to hire and support digital nomads
Now that you know what digital nomads are, let’s look at ways you can hire and support them.
Utilize freelancers
Freelancers come with many benefits, including not needing to actually give them any benefits, which can save you money.
However, if you want to get the most out of freelancers, you also need to not treat them like employees. Don’t expect them to attend meetings unless you plan to pay them for their time, and trust their knowledge and experience. After all, that’s what you’re paying for.
Be flexible
Digital nomads travel. A lot. Which means they may not always be working from the same time zone as you. That doesn’t mean they can’t still get the job done, though.
It just means don’t ask them to clock in at the same time every day if you know they’re on a different continent.
Trust them to get the work done
Some managers may be tempted to micromanage, especially when they can’t see what someone is doing or they’re working different hours.
But if you’ve agreed to hire and support digital nomads, you have to follow through. Otherwise, you risk damaging your reputation as an employer and attracting fewer candidates as a result.
Digital nomads are used to working alone in their own space and on their own time. That’s not to say you can’t give them deadlines. You just have to respect those deadlines and expect the job to be done by then.
Check tax criteria
There may be different rules or regulations in your area in terms of hiring digital nomads or freelancers. So do your research and keep this in mind before working with them.
Embrace asynchronous communication
Organizing meetings is already hard. It can be even harder if someone is in a different time zone.
The simplest way around this is to ask yourself: does this really need to be a meeting? Or can it just be an email?
Most of the time, solving something isn’t urgent. Which means it can be resolved in a message or two and you can afford to wait for a response before taking the next steps.
And sometimes, writing down what you’re thinking in the email can help you clarify your thoughts and get closer to solving the problem.
Use the right tools
To truly get the most out of digital nomads, you need to give them access to the right tools. In addition to a laptop if they’re a traditional employee, you also need to use the right software.
Planning tools like ClickUp or Trello; messaging tools like Teams or Slack; video tools like Zoom or Teams, the list goes on.
Then there’s Workrowd. Workrowd can help you share information with team members in different time zones, organizing everything in one easy-to-access place. So then no one has to wait around for someone to come online to find what they need. It’s all there, whenever they need it.
Workrowd can also help you manage your employee groups and programs so that your digital nomads still feel like a part of the team, wherever they’re working from.
Create a policy so everyone knows the rules
If you’re serious about working with digital nomads, it helps to create a policy so that everyone knows what to expect and where they stand.
That way, if you hire any managers who are new to working with digital nomads, they understand how the relationship works, how it’s different, and what they need to do/expect.
It also ensures any employees who are working as digital nomads, or considering becoming one, know what you expect of them.
Conclusion
Hiring and supporting digital nomads within your organization can save you time and money while tapping into new expertise. It can also help you retain existing talent who may enjoy working with you but not want to stay in the same location too long.
To get the most from digital nomads, you need to use the right tools. Workrowd is one of them. It can help with everything from knowledge sharing to community building. Get in touch today to book your free demo and find out more.
