A digital nomad visa allows an employed individual, whose work can be done entirely remotely, to work from a specific country outside of the UK for an extended period of time. As a small business owner, an employee wanting to work for you abroad will probably sound like an excuse for a paid holiday at your expense. But hold that thought.
Why your small business should embrace digital nomad visas?
A digital nomad visa allows an employed individual, whose work can be done entirely remotely, to work from a specific country outside of the UK for an extended period of time. As a small business owner, an employee wanting to work for you abroad will probably sound like an excuse for a paid holiday at your expense. But hold that thought.
Here, 1st Formations explain why digital nomad visas actually provide small businesses with a fantastic opportunity. Let’s take a look at how.
Retain your top talent
Typically, if a valued team member told you that they wanted to experience a new way of life by moving overseas, your choices would be limited. You could try and convince them to stay by offering an increase in salary or an improved job role, but would their urge truly disappear? Or would you thank them for their service and wish them the best?
A digital nomad visa gives you both a mutually beneficial alternative. Your employee can move to a foreign climate without the need for securing a new job and the visa complications that this comes with it, as digital nomad visas are relatively easy to secure. And you get to keep your top talent. Win-win.
Attract new recruits
For your business to succeed, you will want to attract the very best people. Curious individuals looking to grow their experiences in work and life.
If you work in a competitive industry where recruitment is a challenge, as well as offering a good salary, enjoyable work and opportunities for growth, you should look at introducing perks to make yourself stand out. Providing your team with the chance to work abroad, via a digital nomad visa is a benefit that you could use to lure skilled people across to your business.
Give your business a different perspective
As part of living abroad, your employee will gain a whole new perspective, including a fresh look at how business is done in that country. This could act as inspiration for your business, that if implemented back home, could give you a competitive edge.
They may notice an interesting new marketing trend that is catching on. A product or service that is becoming popular. An employee benefit that’s unheard of back in the UK.
You could even have your employee actively research businesses working in a similar sector to you and report back on how they deliver their service – and the aspects that you could borrow.
Broaden your business contacts
Whilst your employee is working overseas, they may meet people who could bring value to your company. This could be a new supplier, a talented individual who you could recruit, or even a whole new stream of clients.
Generally speaking, someone working on a digital nomad visa solely does remote work (so they wouldn’t be out and about hosting meetings), but they can certainly keep an eye out for opportunities and make you aware of these.
A new life for you
As a small business owner, you may find that your life has become somewhat restricted and probably quite stressful. If your work can be done entirely remotely, and you have facilities in place to manage your existing team (or your team is working remotely anyway), you could take advantage of a digital nomad visa yourself.
This could be a chance to experience a new life for a period of time, whilst still reaping the benefits of managing a business and being your own boss.
So there you have it
It’s understandable if you have misgivings about allowing members of your team to work abroad. However, we hope to have demonstrated how digital nomad visas could actually help your business in the long term. Thanks for reading.
1st Formations are a company formation agent based in Covent Garden, London. They have registered more than 1 million UK limited companies and have been rated ‘5-star’ by thousands of business owners around the world.