Investing in a remote lifestyle

Life’s too short not to work remotely and get the best out of it, or so it seems for a new generation of highly focused professionals who don’t need to be in the office from nine until five.
Increasing numbers of professionals are settling in Queenstown, many attracted by the events of the past two years, or simply wanting to escape the city and head for the mountains.
The Mountain Club general manager Paddy Kluts says the club now has 250 members making use of not only its co-work spaces in Frankton and central Queenstown, but its leisure programmes and facilities.
“We’re seeing big growth in the 25 to 45-year-old market, highly engaged, successful people who are coming to town to live and work.” says Paddy. “They’re coming here for the lifestyle. They don’t want to slog for 12 hours a day in an office, but they also don’t want to give up that community aspect.”
Mountain Club members can therefore access everything from its work spaces to hospitality and events facilities. There are two cafés for members and guests. Members can also relax and enjoy a game of pool and a drink at The Mountain Club Bar, says Paddy. Remote workers are still seeking that connection and The Mountain Club offers free yoga, mountain biking groups, free tastings, conversation series and business development classes. Personal development and community are all part of the package, he says.
Some of the growth has come from businesses that started by hiring one desk and now take a five-person studio. That flexibility is important, says Paddy.
“People have only been able to come here from overseas since July but we’re starting to see members from Australia and further afield using our facilities now, and a lot have relocated from Auckland.”
These people want to work to a flexible timetable and create lifestyle changes, so Queenstown is the perfect choice.
“Everyone’s making real choices. We’re not getting people who are wedded to their job but people who are invested in their lifestyle,” says Paddy. “Queenstown used to be the place where you slogged in the city and this was your reward, where you’d buy a big house and play golf every day. Now people invested in lifestyle are coming and bringing young families.”
Every industry is represented – tech start-ups, water quality professionals, property management, lawyers, accountants, designers. “The tech industry is what’s really coming through now as there’s a lot of flexibility in that market.”
Sydney-based Public Sector Network (PSN) has been flying the remote flag since it was founded in 2012 and now has about 140 remote working staff in six countries worldwide, two based in Queenstown.
PSN co-founder and ceo Ross Ashman says as a start-up the company launched with remote staff as it made economic sense and kept overheads low. PSN does research, produces events and offers advisory services for governments globally.
“Pre-Covid our remote model was a really unique selling point to people wanting to join… that we weren’t going to micro manage them from nine to five,” says Ross. “We said, ‘We trust you enough to hire you so we trust you to do the job’. It’s an opportunity for people to be given that trust straight away and then work how best it suits them,” he says. “That opened up a big talent pool in larger states and jurisdictions, and ultimately countries.”
PSN does still have a small office in Sydney where staff can hot-desk at any time, just for that camaraderie. “It’s still a challenge to replicate that community. It isn’t easy. You definitely lose that spontaneous discussion, the ability to turn and ask a question, or crack a joke, but there are other big wins and gains if you’re organised and efficient,” says Ross.
The key for employers is to ensure they’re really organised and using all the various project management tools available to them so that all staff have visibility on what their colleagues are doing, he says. Employees need to be clear on deadlines, but managers still need to manage, support and be there, coaching staff and ensuring they’re okay every day, he says.
Culture comes from employing the right group of people. “The art of a good culture is to not hire dickheads. You can train skills, but you can’t train attitude.”
A newly-released report from Employment Hero, the 2022 Remote Work Report, reportedly found 48 percent of employees surveyed said they would consider quitting their job if their employers forced them back into the office full-time.
Ross isn’t surprised. “The genie’s out of the bottle,” he says. “Young people had been told prior to Covid times that it couldn’t be done but now they’ve seen that it can they want that extra flexibility and time in their day,” he says. “Why would you spend two hours travelling every day, paying for lunch and coffees, that inherent extra cost if you work at the office, when you can have an extra hour, walking the dog, lying in, or spending time with the kids?”

 

Hybrid work is the new model

Director of Research and Innovation Queenstown Limited Johnathan Chen says most companies accept that hybrid work is the new model, given the current labour shortage and how hard it is to retain staff. “It’s important for companies to retain key staff, regardless of where they are physically,” says Jonathan.
“We’re certainly getting business owners and staff telling us remote work is a growing trend,” he says. “People are telling us it’s a real possibility and aspiration to work from Queenstown and that was one area we wanted to tap into with regards to the Research & Innovation Queenstown project.”
The new Research and Innovation Centre, currently under construction at Remarkables Park, is set to open in 2024. Johnathan says there’s already interest in space in the new centre, both nationally and internationally.
It will feature a range of mixed use space across a gross floor area of about 5400 sqm, which will include offices, networking areas, meeting and AV presentation rooms. “There will be a good mix of food and beverage spaces, nice areas for the teams to get together, which is important for the new hybrid work model,” says Jonathan.
Ziptrek executive director Trent Yeo pushed hard for a Remote Worker’s Festival back in 2020. He and Johnathan both believe more can be done to attract the high-yield remote worker market to Queenstown.
“I tried four times as a Covid response to get the festival off the ground and there was lots of interest, but Covid restrictions meant it had to be cancelled each time,” says Trent. There are many advantages, including the carbon neutral aspect, and Trent says, while there are some moves afoot, more could be done to tap into this market.
“We’re already known as a major destination and can outpunch our weight and because of that our reputation precedes us. If we can provide opportunities for meaningful and productive work where people want to be then their life satisfaction and productivity will be higher,” says Trent. “It’s about having a sense of place.”
There are already some highly qualified professionals working remotely flying under the radar, he says, including one from Sony Pictures, and others working for large international venture capital companies.