With a team of hundreds of people in more than 60 countries all around the world, Remote has tackled every challenge on global compensation and total rewards for distributed teams. In this post, we will outline exactly how we manage total rewards at Remote, including advice from our public handbook.

If you’re looking for a guide on how to create a total rewards program of your own, you may want to check out our post on how to manage global compensation. Think of this article more as an example of what a comprehensive total rewards program should look like. If you are a prospective Remote employee, this article will tell you more about how Remote compensates our global team members and what it’s like to work here!

Remote’s total rewards program has a simple goal: to guarantee fair and unbiased compensation and benefits everywhere we hire. We do not agree with or engage in cheap labor practices, nor do we encourage our customers to do so. We believe people can live their best lives when they are appropriately compensated for the work they do, and our compensation structures are designed with that philosophy in mind.

When we say “total rewards,” we are referring not only to salary, but to the statutory benefits, supplemental benefits, and global perks we offer as a remote-first organization. Understanding total rewards as a more holistic version of global compensation allows us to provide whole-person compensation packages to our international team. 

The people team at Remote uses a paid compensation data application called Kamsa to set a salary benchmark for every position at Remote. This compensation review includes an analysis for equity and fair pay, to ensure everyone at Remote earns a good wage. All salary offers from Remote undergo review from both a role perspective and a gender perspective to ensure Remote does not have a gender pay gap within the organization.

Remote uses both global pay and geo pay to set salaries depending on the role.

For directors, VPs, and c-suite executives, salaries are benchmarked at 80% of the US global rate. This allows Remote to make highly competitive offers to senior leaders all over the world as we scale our business.

For all other roles at Remote, we use geo pay to set salaries. Geo pay is more generous than location rates for salaries because geo pay allows us to set a regional target based on numerous factors including cost of living and benchmark salaries in relation to the US global rate. After accounting for a candidate’s experience, alignment to the position, and geo pay region, we also benchmark salaries at the 65th percentile of the market. This allows us to make the most competitive and informed offers in every area where we hire.

Any mandatory allowances — for example, the 13th month’s salary in Mexico or the 8% holiday allowance in the Netherlands — are included within the gross annual compensation amount to ensure parity among teams and remain consistent with our benchmarks.

Does Remote publish exact employee salaries?

No, Remote does not publish the salaries of our team members. The data we use to set salaries includes confidential and proprietary information, which means we cannot share exact figures outside Remote.

Remote offers two potential tracks for employees: an individual contributor track and a management track. We further differentiate these tracks between engineering and non-engineering roles.

Individual contributors do not manage any other employees. At Remote, we have eight levels for individual contributors, extending from Role 1 (interns) through Role 8 (senior principals or senior fellows). For engineers, Role 1 includes junior engineers, while Role 8 includes lead principal engineers.

Roles are matched to levels in Kamsa to determine salaries. Role 1 is IC1, Role 2 is IC2, etc. 

Managers at Remote are responsible for managing other employees in addition to performing other duties. Manager roles start at the Role 5 level for both engineers and non-engineers. Director roles start at Role 7, with VPs at Role 9 and c-level employees at Role 10.

For more information on levels at Remote, view the corresponding section in our public handbook.

A geo pay range, or geographic pay differential, is a set of ranges used to adjust salary rates for employees based on where they work. Factors including cost of living, cost of labor, and current market rates are all considered when establishing geo pay ranges.

Geo pay ranges tend to be substantially higher than in-country rates or flat cost-of-living adjustments, which means employees at Remote tend to earn more than their local peers for similar positions and experience levels. Remote uses geo pay to ensure fair and equitable pay across regions with similar costs of living. You can view the geo ranges at Remote at any time. Note that these ranges are always subject to change.

Remote regularly reviews compensation for all employees to ensure all employees continue to receive fair and equitable compensation. We perform these compensation reviews in two phases.

The first phase is a market check-in, which takes place in the second quarter of the year. This review is linked to performance and addresses any employees positioned below the minimum of their applicable salary band, our top performers, and any applicable exceptions.

The second phase is our annual review, which takes place in the last quarter of the year. This review looks at all eligible employees in the company and is also performance based.

Promotions at Remote do not have to occur within a review cycle. A person can be promoted at any time, provided certain criteria are met.

First, the company must require the role be filled. We call this “role readiness.” Anyone seeking a promotion at Remote should be promoted within one of our career tracks, and the new role should come with an increased impact on the team and the business as a whole.

Next the individual must demonstrate readiness for the new responsibilities. Individuals seeking promotion should have shown great performance for at least six months prior to being promoted. 

Any promotion should be to the next level in the individual contributor track or into the management track. Employees should not move more than one level ahead in a single promotion unless extraordinary circumstances are present. Promotions are not retroactive, and all promotions require approval one level up from the promoted employee’s line manager. Promotions normally include an increase in compensation between 5-15%, depending on the employee’s current compensation and benchmarking.

Performance evaluations at Remote take place prior to both compensation cycles each year. These reviews are not supposed to be surprises but should be transparent feedback sessions between employees and their line managers regarding their growth at Remote.

Remote operates using a simple three-point scale for performance reviews: exceeding role expectations, meeting role expectations, and developing in the role. This simple scale allows us to reduce complexity in the review process and make it easy for employees and managers to understand how they are performing in their roles.

To account for performance in compensation, Remote uses compa-ratios. These ratios help us ensure we reward our best performers well while leaving room for newly promoted employees and new hires to develop in their roles.

When setting salaries, Remote uses 65th percentile positioning instead of 50th percentile. This allows us to base our salaries above the market medians, ensuring people at Remote receive great pay for their work.

Compa-ratios are multipliers applied to the base salary to adjust compensation based on performance. Employees who consistently exceed expectations receive a compa-ratio of 1.05-1.15. Employees who consistently meet role expectations receive a compa-ratio of 0.90-1.05. Employees who are still developing in their roles receive a compa-ratio of 0.85-0.90.

For employees who meet or exceed a compa-ratio of 1.15, we may consider whether a promotion to the next level would be appropriate. Our compa-ratios are designed to provide space within the salary band for future compensation reviews based on employee performance. Most new hires at Remote are onboarded within the lower compa-ratio to allow space for performance-based increases, as are newly promoted employees who have entered a higher salary band.

All employees at Remote receive benefits packages to help them grow with the company and live full lives outside of work. Because our employees are located all over the globe, some benefits may not make sense for employees in certain countries (for example, some benefits could create additional tax obligations for employees). In every case, we strive to provide equitable benefits and choices for employees to opt in or out based on their individual and family needs.

Employees at Remote receive benefits packages that include:

Unlimited paid personal time off, with a minimum of 20 personal days off per year

Sick leave, up to seven consecutive working days without a doctor’s note and up to two months with documentation

Care leave, for Remoters who require more than three weeks off to provide essential care to a family member who is ill or otherwise in critical need

Emergency leave, for Remoters who need two weeks or more to deal with an extraordinary situation

Parental leave, up to 16 weeks during the first year of parenthood, for a minimum of four weeks at a time (maternity, paternity, and adoption leave all eligible)

Extended unpaid leave, with manager and people team approval, of up to four months for leave that does not qualify for any of the other categories

All public holidays in each employee’s local region

Quarterly self-care days, on which the whole company takes the day off

Asynchronous hours, allowing employees to set their own working hours

Health benefits, including health insurance and additional benefits where possible, with 100% of employee healthcare premiums covered in countries without robust national healthcare

Learning budget, up to $1,000 per employee per year to pursue development and growth opportunities

Work equipment, including a laptop, a monitor, and peripherals, to be received by the employee before the first workday

Home office budget, toward the purchase of a chair and/or desk

Oculus Quest 2 headset, for each employee to enjoy and use for team activities

Co-working space allowances, up to $150/month for co-working space costs

Mental health support, through our partner Modern Health

Stock options, provided to all employees with the amount depending on the employee’s level

All employees at Remote receive a grant of stock options upon joining. Employees are responsible for their own taxes related to receiving or exercising stock options.

If you are looking for a great remote job at a company filled with kind people, we would love to hear from you — no matter where in the world you might live! Check out our careers page to see all the open roles at Remote.

To view more information about Remote’s total rewards policy, as well as helpful information about our values, working style, interview process, view our full public handbook.

Remote's total rewards policy

The positive impact of remote work on the environment is significant and lasting. 

In early-2020, when the world was first swept by COVID-19 and forced into widespread lockdowns, we’ve all seen localized versions of the environmental benefits of this change. Rare species emerged from forests and began to reappear in urban waters. Sudden drops in air pollution levels in urban metropolises from L.A. to New Delhi were triggered in no small part by the reduction in people commuting to and working from their offices.

What long-term environmental benefits could we expect if companies across the globe were to continue transitioning to hybrid and remote work business models? 

The prospects make for optimistic reading. This guide will help you develop a plan to reduce your company's environmental footprint by transitioning to a remote-first operating model. We'll outline the tangible benefits you can expect to support your case for going remote.

The impact of remote work on the environment

There is a heated debate on the environmental benefits of remote work. Even though a lot of research has been conducted on this matter, a lack of definitive consensus has led to one of the inhibitors of teleworking’s growth. Neither businesses, nor governments engaged in extensive promotion of remote work as data on the energy savings and environmental benefits previously seemed under-explored and inconclusive. 

Contributing factors mounted up to make the possibility of breaking resistance to changing the status quo an unlikely prospect. Before the pandemic, the following established norms far outweighed any environmental benefits to be gained from some component of remote work:

Traditional reliance on pre-existing work culture

Resistance of leadership teams to trust workers without physical oversight

Entrenched belief that in-person meetings and relationship building is essential

Long-term commercial leases providing financial dis-incentives

If we hone in on commuting, for instance, which is the largest cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the US (90% comes from personal vehicles), it’s easy to see the potential positive impact that remote work could have on the environment. 

Around 90% of workers drive to work daily. 

This constitutes 30% of the annual mileage. 

Eliminating this factor will lead to cleaner air. 

In fact, in 2020, as most businesses started to operate remotely, carbon dioxide emissions from transportation were reduced by 15%. 

However, to answer the question whether remote work benefits the environment, we need to factor in the other supporting elements that extend well beyond the obvious outcomes of a reduction in commuter emissions. We also have to account for employees’ behavior at home if they were to spend more time at home. 

The amount of energy consumed and the sources of this energy will change. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency, during lockdown, the energy consumption of an average household grew by over 20% on weekdays. 

The extent to which remote working will positively impact the environment will highly depend on the employee's behavior. The more eco-friendly they are, the bigger the environmental impact. 

Additional benefits of an environmentally-friendly remote work model

Moving to a remote work model can also result in several positive side effects, not just a reduction in fossil fuel consumption derived from less commuter traffic. Let’s take a look past the obvious immediate outcomes and dive into the secondary and long-term potential benefits.

Cost savings with fixed asset and office related expense reduction

A 2021 study of over 2,300 remote employees indicates that 97.6% of remote employees would like to continue working off-site (at least partially) for the remainder of their careers. 

This explicit message from employees is the central driver of the Great Resignation.

With employees spending less time on company premises or ditching office-based work altogether, many businesses are now finding significant cost savings on their real-estate expenses.

Some companies in the US have decided to move their headquarters to less expensive states. Others, including Yelp Inc. and Salesforce, are currently assessing how much space they’ll need in the foreseeable future and, in some instances, subletting their offices to other enterprises. 

Wall Street Journal reports that the reduction in office expenses alone will save medical supplies’ company McKesson anywhere between $60 to $80 million each year.

If this macro trend continues over time, a secondary evolution in urban planning could see a transition to more green space. As businesses work to reduce their fixed assets and downsize their office footprint, we could see a widespread movement to convert more under-utilized commercial spaces into parks, recreation facilities, and pedestrian areas. 

Reduced commute time reduces emissions and improves work-life balance

For many workers, more remote work eradicates time spent in cars, trains, buses, and airplanes. Instead of spending a chunk of time each day trekking to the office, remote workers often have the opportunity to spend more time with loved ones, and taking more care of their physical and mental health.

The reduction in travel time also leads to better ability for people to shop local. Peak hour traffic is reduced, leaving more time to either walk, drive, or take public transport to shop. Many remote workers have more time to dedicate to cooking at home which means using less processed food and more fresh food. 

This is another knock-on benefit of the environmental impact of allowing employees time to work from home. 

Of course, there are both strong voices in favor of and against remote work. Many advocate that remote work can have the opposite effect on physical and mental wellbeing.

For instance, while CNBC reports that home-based work can lead to faster employee burnout, a study published by the Institute of Labour Economics points that work-life balance is, in fact, primarily conditioned by their employees’ private lives and habits. In the paper, employment researchers Lutz Bellmann and Olaf Hübler reveal that individuals who work from home are happier than those who’d like to work remotely, but work on company premises. They have also found that “the termination of remote work causes a clear imbalance”, and can lead to a drop in job satisfaction.

It’s hardly surprising, given that 97% of remote workers would recommend their employment model to others.

To sum up, if management makes sure that “remote work” doesn’t mean “more work” or a 24/7 stand-by mode, then you’ll likely see a positive impact on employees’ emotional, physical, and mental well-being. Enabling a healthier lifestyle, more local consumption, and more cooking of fresh food also means incremental reductions in emissions over time.

Ability for team members to live where they want

What makes for a ‘good remote work environment’? The single most important factor is a stable, fast internet connection. For this reason, as we’ll discuss in detail further in this piece, many workers move out of expensive residential areas to live where they please. This might not only help them reduce monthly living costs, but also lower the population density within cities.

With a reduction in density comes less intensity and demand on agricultural production processes. If the population continues to gradually spread more through urban and suburban areas, the transportation requirements will be less severe.

Reduced energy consumption from commuter transport

UK’s DecarboN8, an initiative that seeks to “decarbonate” transport, are clear on their recommendation – “work from home if you can''. What led them to this conclusion? 

Between February and June 2020, they’ve analyzed movement and public transport data for over 23 million devices, and cross-referred these numbers with overall CO2 emissions for 375 local districts. They’ve found that, on average, commuter transport emissions fell by 30-38%, as compared to pre-pandemic data. The highest positive change was seen in the lockdown’s fourth month, i.e., May 2020, when the emissions fell between a range of 40-78%. 

Non-profit EarthShare is consciously enacting a fully-remote business model to take advantage of the opportunity to reduce their environmental footprint. 

Unsurprisingly, the climate protection NGO has been exploring remote work for these reasons and EarthShare has now decided to go 100% remote. Their CEO, Brad Leibov shared in a statement:

“EarthShare began offering remote work opportunities over a decade ago as a tool to attract greater talent without geographical limitations, to promote greater autonomy, and to improve work-life balance by eliminating daily commutes. With the climate emergency top of mind, we hope our recent transition to a fully remote working environment will result in additional benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduced fuel usage, and less office waste”.

Reduction of energy consumed from offices

It’s extremely difficult to give an accurate estimate of energy consumption per office. After all, offices come in all shapes, sizes, and geographical locations. They’re also based in all sorts of places – from old buildings to modern, eco-certified facilities. 

One recent study by 100%-remote tech company, Buffer, gives an indicator of how transitioning your operating model can contribute to the ecosystem in isolation.

By using an external carbon footprint calculator, Buffer estimated their 90-people organization would generate approximately 234 tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) a year, if they were to open an office in California. This would mean 2.6 tons per employee. Interestingly, a household of three generates 1.39 tons of annual emissions. And while Buffer couldn’t find specific data on how much remote work has affected these numbers, analysis of average consumption figures leads the company to confidently infer output would still be much lower than the 2.6 tons for an office-based team member.

Buffer’s Julliet Chen also points to other aspects of remote work, which contribute to lower CO2 emissions, with the move from on-site to cloud-based servers being one of them.

Ian Hambelton, Cofounder at Ecologi, also shares an interesting perspective on embracing a carbon neutral business strategy:

“There’s both a carrot and stick at play when it comes to transitioning to a net zero business."

Recent news from COP26 shows large UK firms being obliged to set Net Zero strategies, which should be expected to occur in many other nations, too. 

These pressures contain a huge inherent opportunity for businesses ready to take the lead. Meta analyses from the likes of Oxford University and Harvard Business School show that sustainable companies outperform their less environmentally-minded peers, with 88% of studies showing better operational and cash flow performance, and 80% showing greatly improved investment performance. 

The move to Net Zero business is shaping up to become “the fastest economic transition in history”. Innovative, growth-focused companies leading the change will reap the benefits ahead of their competitors. 

Remote work makes it easier for individual’s to reduce their emissions

McKinsey has put their AI models to work, checking whether many office-based employees genuinely have to do their work from company premises, or if this is likely to be more of a company preference. 

They’ve analyzed the completion of over 2,000 different tasks, for over 800 roles, based across nine different countries. The research company found that at least 20% of employees don’t need an office to get their jobs done, and could be working from home either fully-remotely or at least three times a week. 

This raises another question – what would happen if these individuals were allowed to work entirely off-site? An estimate by IEA provides some answers. 

They’ve decided to look at the CO2 emissions change in a scenario, where everyone is allowed to work from home for just one day a week. 

We’d be looking at a reduction of 1% of global oil consumption per passenger, which translates to 24 million tonnes of CO2 a year. This is equal to the entire annual emissions of Greater London.

Remote workers tend to be more energy efficient 

It’s hard to ignore the fact that employees who turned their homes into offices face higher energy bills. However, a remote work environment motivates them to function more efficiently and find ways to reduce their carbon footprint. 

For example, by avoiding leaving the light on unless necessary or keeping an optimal interior temperature. Telecommuters tend to be more environmentally aware, as expenses they incur while working from home often come out of their own pockets.

It’s worth noting that many employee-focused companies are considering this financial impact and developing stipends as part of a modern benefits package. To supplement the costs of working from home, employers can provide an equipment allowance for a desk and chair, and an energy or internet payment. These benefits are still exponentially more affordable than the fixed costs of commercial office space, and they demonstrate understanding and care to your team (helping you attract and retain better talent over time).

One of the undeniable environmental benefits of remote work is reduced air pollution. As companies reduce their reliance on in-person meetings and transition to implementing remote-first and asynchronous work practices – the need for air travel will dramatically decrease.

For instance, New Delhi is considered one of the most polluted cities in the world. Air pollution levels have dropped by 42% in 2021. 

The same phenomenon can be observed in Los Angeles, with a 25% improvement in air quality. 

This is the result of a drastic reduction of vehicle usage caused by lockdowns and the necessity to work from home. A huge chunk of this air traffic reduction can be attributed to the halt on tourism and leisure travel, but the reduction in business travel also has a massive part to play.

Remote work improves quality of life, as people don’t have to move to polluted cities

Remote work gives people the option to choose where they want to live. Removing the reliance of proximity to work on this decision means people can vote with their feet and leave cities and regions where pollution levels are high.

Mass movement away from highly-polluted urban centers should also fast-track policy change to reduce this pollution in order to maintain economic stability.

Remote workers don’t have to be based in the same location as their employer. They can move to smaller, greener areas. Santa Barbara serves as a great illustration of this in action. The Californian region experienced a 124% net inflow population increase in summer 2020. The area is much cheaper than Los Angeles, with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. 

This trend isn’t limited solely to individuals. It’s been also picked up by entire companies who decided to ditch urban centers and move to lower-density locations. Both Oracle and Hewlett-Packard have opted to move their headquarters from Silicon Valley, and if this trend morphs into an exodus, we can expect positive environmental consequences.

In fact, even prior to COVID, many cities were already pedestrianizing traffic and introducing so-called 15-minute cities, where everything from shopping to services could be reached by foot. If more employers were to introduce full-time remote work, urban planners could finally see these and other eco-friendly changes come through.

Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen, IS Global’s Director of Urban Planning, Environment, and Health Initiative, leads the organization’s air pollution reduction programme. Mark agrees that “we should encourage and incentivise teleworking even if only for at least a few days a week”.

Barcelona is a great example of a city that has been consistently pushing motorized vehicles away from central districts. These changes fall perfectly in line with the expected, remote-first reality we’re likely to see post-COVID.

The city has decided to create a so-called “superblocks model”, with over 500 different areas restricting car movement in favor of pedestrian traffic and green space. The reduction of office space demand and a drop in commuters since the beginning of the pandemic have only reassured the city authorities that this has been the right decision. 

Remote work can lead to a massive decline in single-use plastic and food waste. However, there’s one condition – whenever possible, employees should dine-in, either at home or at restaurants, where there’s reusable cutlery.

By working from home, employees can certainly reduce waste resulting from snacks and take away coffee, which have both been long time staples for nine-to-five workers. In fact, this positive trend has already been observed by the EU’s European Environment Agency, who’ve reported a drop in sales of on-the-go food and beverage during the COVID-19 lockdown.

If employees chose to cook themselves or dine at restaurants that are free of single-use utensils, then we can expect to see a long-term positive influence of remote work on plastic waste.

The reduction of paper usage is another environmental benefit of remote work worth acknowledging. According to research by the University of Southern Indiana, an average American uses 85 million tons of paper yearly, which translates into about 680 pounds per person. 

When we work remotely, we have no choice but to share all our files online, through email, Google Drive or Slack. This way, remote workers are able to eliminate the use of 247 trillion sheets of papers, and as a result save up to 16 trillion trees a year! 

Practical steps to reduce your company’s environmental footprint

There are several ways you can make sure that you’re not ‘just’ implementing remote work, but are, in fact, investing in an environmentally-friendly remote work model. 

For starters, it’s worth giving Ecologi’s Climate Positive Workforce Initiative some thought. When a company signs up to their carbon offsetting program, Ecologi begins by finding a way to compensate for their CO2 emissions. Things like planting trees, funding renewable energy plants, or climate action are all practical contributions your business can make now to make a difference, while you plan a more structured transition to remote work.

Next, you should work with all relevant stakeholders to define your company’s environmental goals.

Implementing a fully-remote, eco-friendly operating model is a powerful objective to work towards, but you can break down the journey into smaller milestones along the way.

If you do have an office, make sure you use a renewable energy provider, and incentivise your remote workers to switch to a renewable energy provider at home too. 

Measure your carbon footprint as a business. From this benchmark, you can see where your emissions come from, which might be quick wins to reduce, and which will take more time and planning. 

For measuring a carbon footprint, you can either work with a consultancy (e.g. The Planet Mark), or use an automated footprinting tool such as Ecologi Zero.

What are the environmental benefits of remote work? Find out with our dedicated guide to reducing your company's environmental footprint by transitioning to remote work.

The Powerful Environmental Benefits of Remote Work

The powerful environmental benefits of remote work

Some day, we may look back and wonder why we differentiated between “remote work” and “work” at all. Until then, however, we must be deliberate as we build the foundations of remote work for our companies, our employees, and our own lives.

Every global trend in 2022 points toward a continued increase in remote work around the world. Not only have employees become accustomed to the flexibility offered by remote work, but companies are realizing that access to talent outside their local markets is a serious competitive advantage. The better a company becomes at remote work, the more likely employees are to want to work for that company.

In the spirit of doing remote work the right way, this guide is the official guide from Remote about all things remote work. We’ve included a variety of useful resources and guides that will be helpful for everyone, whether you are a new remote worker or the leader of a company with a distributed workforce of thousands.

Since the onset of the “new normal,” remote work across the world has recorded massive gains, with up to 400% YoY growth. Working flexibly offers knowledge workers a window into the global economy where businesses across the globe can hire anyone. Along with this shift come lifestyle flexibility, work-life balance, and a reduced environmental footprint.

In the bigger equation of remote working, businesses soon realize there are unique challenges with managing payroll, compensation, national tax regimes, IP rights across different jurisdictions, and the ever-present risk of hefty fines for misclassifying employees.

To adapt, global businesses either have to expend lots of resources to manage hiring, effective communications, and employee onboarding or scale faster with an employer of record.

Add to that a healthy remote-first culture where employees can work asynchronously alongside their on-site peers, communicate in detail, and get a big picture of where the entire organization is headed from day one — that’s how you build a world-class remote-first team.

Remote-first recruiting practices: How we do it at Remote

From the start of 2020 to the start of 2022, Remote’s global team grew from around a dozen people to more than 900. Growing at such a rapid pace with zero offices presented plenty of challenges, especially in recruiting, but our deep experience in asynchronous remote work made it possible.

Along the way, we’ve learned a lot of what makes recruiting work, especially when you’re building a remote-first team. You need to build a scalable system that makes it natural to attract and engage employees through the hiring process.

Remote interview tips: 5 tactics to ace your job interview

But getting 1:1 on Zoom can be intimidating for remote employees interviewing for new roles. Drawing from our experience, this blog is our quintessential guide to acing remote interviews.

Practice and familiarize yourself with the tech the interview will require — microphones, webcams, software, etc.

Make your best impression with great attire and an even better background.

Do your homework on the company and seek to connect with your interviewer from an employee’s perspective.

Build rapport with your interviewer — yes, you can be informal if that’s what it takes to get the ball rolling.

Remote interviews can be mentally demanding even after you’ve put in your best. But putting in your best keeps you a step ahead and helps you maintain composure throughout the entire interview.

Successful remote-first recruiting must be built on offering potential employees to be their best self throughout the process and ultimately make a value decision whether they’ll be a great fit for your company. At Remote, our recruiting process is tailored to our internal values that ensure we’re consistent with our mission before ever bringing employees along.

Even with your mission-driven recruitment engine, it takes a culture of documentation to keep applicants engaged throughout the hiring process while ensuring their privacy is respected within your company.

Ultimately, the success of remote-first recruiting is determined long before an interview holds: 

Open roles must be documented in detail with key stakeholders.

Candidates’ locations and preferences should be factored into interview scheduling.

Build a sustainable culture where applicants have a healthy opportunity to join your team sans undue bias.

An intentional remote-first recruiting culture will help you build a truly welcoming workplace where great talent feels at home — before you ever interview.

Hiring independent contractors abroad: your expert guide

Managing independent contractors working abroad is a simple, fast, and productive way to scale. Using international contractors can be onboarded quickly. This option also gives you access to the best talent in the world. You’ll want a good system to scale your hiring process, especially if you’re working with contractors in multiple countries. Using a contractor management platform lets you kickstart the whole process.

Because here’s the deal — every country has their own employment rules and regulations. These include different labor laws and tax obligations. If you’re working with independent contractors abroad, being legally compliant from the very beginning is going to save you countless headaches and keep you out of trouble with local authorities. It’s not hard, but it is serious business.

Read on to find out everything you need to know to onboard, pay, and manage the best talent for your business, anywhere in the world. This expert guide is designed to give business owners and hiring managers the blueprint required to protect their team and their business. You can focus on scaling and growing your operations knowing you’re working to international hiring standards and ensuring compliance.

The remote work revolution goes both ways. While workers compete for the best jobs, hiring managers, founders, and HR teams are always on the lookout for rockstars to advance their mission.

This article outlines several tactics for managing the search for remote work/talent into simple tidbits:

Make sure you’re able to work from your desired location — i.e, ensure you have legal compliance and the infrastructure to support your career before starting your search.

Assess the current distribution of your potential employer’s team.

Consider citizenship and legal work status.

Ask for any hybrid work requirements early on.

Check the job’s employment agreement and classification — are you coming aboard as an employee or independent contractor?

Evaluate company culture on aspects such as effective meeting policies, time off, and compensation.

Your remote work search can be an adventure hunting for companies that already operate a version of your desired work environment, and being intentional will help you find them. 

The unexpected value of international talent

At one point, hiring internationally was reserved for large multinational corporations that had the resources to maintain huge branches globally. With the advent of remote work, companies of all sizes can hire anyone across the world, scale globally, and build dynamic teams without lots of capital.

This article lays out the key advantages global hiring offers companies and brands looking to go remote.

An enhanced culture with employees from diverse backgrounds

Better creativity and problem solving — workplace belonging and increased productivity

Valuable, real-time insights into new markets and verticals

To achieve the vision of building a remote dream team, here are several tactics to employ:

Focus your efforts on markets with higher concentrations of your desired candidates.

Localize your global recruiting strategy, i.e., adapt to the needs of employees in whatever market you’re looking to grow your team in.

Understand worker classifications and stay compliant.

An international team will help you transform your reach, grow your revenue, and build a truly progressive workplace in 2022 and beyond.

The pandemic forced the greatest labor experiment in history with as many as 88% of companies switching to remote working in just weeks. To understand how this pivot has affected knowledge workers and the technology industry, we surveyed 1,528 workers across the United States and the United Kingdom.

The essence of this survey was to understand how the pivot to working remotely — at least temporarily — affected decision-makers and knowledge workers in tech and to use that to project where the future of work is taking us.

The results showed strong interest in a remote-first future that's here to stay. Among others, our data points showed that:

One in 10 UK tech workers and one in 5 US tech workers saying they have requested to relocate to another city, state, or country following the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions,

81% of tech workers say they would move to a different state or country if they could do so without if affecting their employment or remuneration (79% in the UK and 83% in the US).

The complete handbook to remote work by Remote, where you can learn everything about what Remote work is, as well as advanced remote work tips, tactics, and guides from the experts.

Remote Work

Remote's total rewards policy

The powerful environmental benefits of remote work

What is remote work? Remote work handbook [2022]

The role of HR teams in corporate cybersecurity

How to run remote meetings: best practice guide

Written by • Preston Wickersham

10 inclusive workplace practices for your remote team

How to build a strong and supportive remote work culture

Psychological safety tips for remote teams

Remote work jobs for refugees: how to improve lives with livelihoods

How to find the best remote jobs

5 tactics from recruitment experts to find your dream remote job

Remote interview tips: 5 tactics to ace your job interview

Remote-first recruiting practices: How we do it at Remote

How to manage remote employees effectively

How to build belonging for women in remote work

Onboarding remote employees: processes, tactics, and advice from experts

[Webinar Recording] Does your company need a head of remote?

8 experts discuss mental health tips for remote teams

Experts Reveal the Best Ways to Reduce Stress for Remote Workers

Women in the era of remote work: What’s new and what’s next?

Post-pandemic remote strategy: What every company should know

What is it like for your employees when you use Remote?

Introducing the 2021 Remote Influencer Report

A brief introduction to remote work for transitioning businesses

[Updated] How to calculate compensation for remote employees

Easy communication guidelines for remote teams

The most common mistakes companies make when going remote

Build the perfect home office on a budget

Email is not the right communications solution for remote teams

What values-based benefits do remote workers expect from remote-first companies?

Set up an ergonomic home office on a budget

Mastering remote work-life balance when you work from home

Affordable perks small businesses can offer remote teams

How to support employees who don’t like working remotely

Common mistakes of first-time remote managers

How to avoid micromanaging your remote workers

How remote work welcomes workers with disabilities

Where do remote employees pay taxes?

Creating your home office with mental health in mind

4 essential elements of a sustainable remote work culture

What's wrong with your time zone?

How I built my home office for maximum productivity

Bonding remotely: Question of the day

Why you should be working asynchronously in 2022

Solving global employment through Remote