The pandemic fundamentally altered Taskrabbit CEO Ania Smith’s idea of work, leading her to make a dramatic decision in April: shutter all of the company’s offices.
“We don’t force people to go back into the office, but instead are allowing for connections to happen more naturally,” she said in an interview with The Washington Post. “That’s more likely the way [of] the future, given the flexibility that everyone is craving.”
The decision to shutter four global offices came after a key revelation: Taskrabbit’s more than 200,000 global gig workers aren’t alone in their desire for flexibility. Founded in 2008 and owned by Ikea, Taskrabbit is an on-demand service that connects gig workers to jobs like assembling furniture, repairing household items or cleaning services for a fee.
Taskrabbit rolled out a remote-first strategy in April, after initially allowing employees to work from the office on a voluntary basis. But employees’ habits and desires were clear. So Taskrabbit nixed its corporate offices in lieu of monthly get-togethers and is providing corporate employees with two “wellness weeks” a year, during which workers will get paid time off. It doesn’t plan to adjust pay for workers who relocate and has expanded its hiring practices to regularly seek candidates outside of San Francisco, where the company is based.
Source: Taskrabbit CEO Ania Smith shutters offices for remote work strategy – The Washington Post