• by Harvey Chipkin , Columnist, April 15, 2022

If there’s one pandemic-driven phenomenon almost universally seen as permanent, it’s that many people will work differently than they did before the crisis. That includes doing their jobs remotely, whether it be working from home full or part-time, working from a distant location, or combining work and leisure.

How should travel marketers respond to that paradigm shift? Many hotel companies have created work-from-a-hotel programs, or even created packages that combine work with a mission.

Perhaps the most extreme version of working remotely was undertaken by Lenovo, the technology company. Through a project called Work for Humankind, Lenovo recently hosted a group of volunteers on truly remote Robinson Crusoe Island (well off the coast of Chile), where the volunteers came together to do their regular day jobs -- taking advantage of Lenovo’s advanced tech for remote work --  while also volunteering their professional skills to support local conservation efforts.

Emily Ketchen, CMO of Lenovo’s Intelligent Device Group (IDG), which spearheaded the initiative, said the project encompassed three elements: initiative, impact and inspiration. The initiative was in working with Island Conversation, an NGO that prevents extinctions and restores islands, and the island’s community itself. The impact, she said, was to support the community and biodiverse eco-systems by developing the much-needed connectivity and infrastructure required to do that. Finally, the inspiration involved the desire for flexibility for remote and hybrid work and what that means for workers and society.

Lenovo commissioned global research in advance of the project, talking to over 15,000 millennials and Gen Z-ers about remote work and what the hybrid world might look like. People want to be productive and efficient where they are, said Ketchen. At the same time, she said, they want to do things that are meaningful. The idea behind the Robinson Crusoe project was to bring those two together. The study found that four in five people aged 18-40 believe working from anywhere is beneficial to society, communities, employers, and employees, while 61% said giving back and making a positive impact on the local community is “very important.”

On the island, which relies heavily on tourism and fishing, the volunteers built a technology hub that increased connectivity and Internet capabilities – which will not end when volunteers leave. Part of their legacy was leaving behind Lenovo products like ThinkPads, ThinkBooks, ThinkReality A3-augmented reality smart glasses and more. The goal is to significantly improve the scope and quality of education through tech-enabled learning.

The volunteers were selected by Island Conversation and the island’s community, based on their skills in being able to help protect the environment. Among other tasks, they set up cameras to monitor wildlife. The first cohort was five volunteers and the second nine  -- representing many countries and a variety of occupations. They continued to work their regular jobs, spending afternoons and weekends on the local mission.

One takeaway was that with the right access to technology, “people can be incredibly efficient – doing their own jobs and still being able to take the time to give back,” Ketchen said.

While this was not a specifically travel or vacation-based project, Lenovo’s research and the fact that these volunteers could work productively in such an isolated location should indicate to marketers that they need to keep in mind a young and growing contingent that thinks about work and travel – or let’s say, work/travel – in a whole new way and can only be reached with messages that reflect that transformation.

#