🌮 City of Austin: great remote solutions, bad remote policy

Good Morning,

Special shoutout to the several hundred who joined Remote Source last week via @WhenWhereWhatAustin.

We always cater to remote workers across the US, but y’all might appreciate the Austin references in this week’s newsletter.

Beginning with this: only one day left to enter the giveaway for the Tri-Screen 2 from Austin-based Xebec! You can sign up to win here.

Travel

Wander.com, also based in Austin, has carved out a unique niche in short-term home rentals: they aim “to build a network of smart homes across the globe guests can access with the tap of a button.”

These homes can be ideal for getaways where you’ll need to get some work done; they’re fully furnished with the guest experience in mind, and Wander has top-tier manufacturer partnerships - including one with Herman Miller.

But what’s the main reason Wander is different? They actually own all of the homes (via a REIT for you finance nerds) so they can ensure the experience is optimal and aligned with their brand for every guest.

Today they have 16 properties to choose from across the US, at places like Bandon Beach, Vail, Joshua Tree, Hudson Woods, and Cave Creek.

The founder, John Andrew Entwistle, talks more about his company’s business model on this Why We Strive podcast episode for those interested in learning more.

Need to know

Travis County (home to Austin, TX) and the City of Austin are taking opposite approaches to remote work policies.

In this article from the National Association of Counties, Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea shares that their remote policy has worked incredibly well for a number of reasons:

• Productivity and job satisfaction increased

• $1.3 million in cost savings due to decreased office power and HVAC needs in 2020-2021

• More job applicants, up about 25-30% from pre-pandemic levels

• Reduced long-term real estate needs

• Reduced greenhouse emissions from employee commutes

While the County sees the benefits of remote work, the City of Austin’s Interim City Manager Jesús Garza recently announced a policy that will require employees to work in-person far more often than they do today.

Beginning Monday next week, Austin leaders will have to be in-person 5 days per week. All others eligible for remote work will need to be in-person 3 days per week beginning in October.

Employees in this FOX 7 Austin video say there has not been any explanation or logical justification for the policy shift.

They also say they have been more efficient; and while they don’t present data in these interviews, one might imagine their efficiency boost is similar to their Travis County counterparts.

The FOX 7 news organization also polled its local audience, asking whether they believe City of Austin employees need to be in-office. 75% voted “No.”

When remote work is possible, the talent is going to push for flexibility, or find work elsewhere. Hopefully the City of Austin realizes this before they start losing key employees to an outdated policy.

Elsewhere

• Companies should embrace remote work to retain caregivers (Yahoo! Finance)

• 🎥 The battle over working from home intensifies (CNN Business)

• Remote work’s effect on office real estate is worse than expected (Fortune)

• CEOs blame remote work for drop in productivity, but here’s the real picture (Forbes)

• Working from home and realizing what matters (NYT Opinion)

Last week I was introduced to Sable Flow, which makes one of the coolest home office products I’ve ever seen: the “Secret Whiteboard,” a wall-mounted, magnetic whiteboard that folds into framed decorative art.

They’re based in - you guessed it - Austin, and they have three sizes to choose from. You can check them out here - and as a disclaimer, this is an affiliate link, so if you buy one here they’ll send us a small share of revenue.

Now it’s time for some breakfast tacos. Catch me at Veracruz 🌮

Cheers,
Grant