Last year, a survey conducted among business leaders at the London Business School’s Business Leadership Summit predicted a major paradigm shift in how we work: 50% of them believe the world’s workforce will be remote by 2020. In the U.S., remote workers already comprise one-third of the workforce, and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, every single sector of industry saw growth in remote work in the past year.
These predictions and stats shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, 95% of businesses believe remote work is key to their success. While it’s still a nascent philosophy, more and more businesses are starting to shift towards being “remote-first.”
Mobile by design, with their processes and workflows calibrated to accommodate a global network of employees, remote-first companies are changing the meaning of office space. Their employees are encouraged to work when they want, how they want, and where they want, creating an inspired company culture with a focus on work-life balance and worker satisfaction. Remote-first employees are often called “digital nomads,” workers who, as long as they have a laptop and trustworthy internet connection, can travel the world freely.
The companies that have embraced the digital nomad culture are at the bleeding edge of the remote work trend and are testing the waters of remote team structures, businesses operations, and new remote work-oriented technologies and practices, so what lessons can be gleaned from their experiences? How exactly is digital nomad culture changing the workplace landscape?
Automattic
Many remote-first companies tend to forgo the traditional hiring practice marked by rounds of in-office interviews. At Automattic, one of the very first remote-first companies and the creator of WordPress.com, there isn’t even a voice interview. Automattic’s CEO evaluates each resume, the hiring lead conducts an introductory Q&A with the candidate via Skype Instant Messenger, the candidate completes a paid trial project, and finally, the CEO conducts a final review chat with the candidate, again via Skype IM. The process doesn’t require any single member of the hiring process–CEO, hiring lead, or candidate–to share the same physical location and, after a candidate is hired, there is no relocation necessary. The talent pool of candidates is global, and employees can remain global once hired. Automattic’s internationally-minded take on the hiring process aligns with their philosophy and product line: Open Source software that seeks to democratize publishing by providing anyone, regardless of location, a platform to use and share their voice.
The worldwide spread of Automattic’s employees has also lead to unique, streamlined communication practices. They have abandoned e-mail as the primary means of conveyance, instead focusing on chat rooms, Google Hangouts, and an internal blog that alerts employees to posts pertinent to their team. Furthermore, to keep everyone happy and healthy, Automattic provides new hires with $2000 for their own “office” improvements and equipment that will best serve them in their remote work, such as high-end computers and travel-oriented tech. As one of the early remote-first companies, Automattic has made it a point, not only to innovate in their remote work practices, but to make it easier and more comfortable for digital nomads to thrive as employees.
Toptal
Toptal, a vetted freelance marketplace that custom matches top developers and designers with clients, has a rigorous, 100% remote screening process for their freelance network so that they can offer their clients the best talent available around the world. Due to the nature of a remote global network, there’s a focus on English language skills and communication during the screening process, as well as a candidate’s ability to produce quality work semi-autonomously. Ultimately, only 3% of applicants are welcomed into Toptal’s freelance network so that the company can ensure that their clients, including J.P. Morgan and AirBnB, will be satisfied while also giving them a taste of the remote experience.
Even with thousands of freelancers located around the world, Toptal remains focused on community improvement. The Toptal Engineering and Design Blog allows freelancers to share their experiences and expertise, often including musings on digital nomad travel philosophies, remote team management, and technical lessons for programmers and designers. The Toptal Community hosts events all over the world, from professional panels to happy hours, for their network and those interested in the company. This past year, Toptal even sent a group of employees on a three-month road trip through South America to “support Toptal communities, build new communities, [and] accelerate the development of tech talent in the region…” This trip, along with their Toptal Global Mentors program, an initiative to help minority and low-income individuals gain access to and succeed in the world of professional software engineering, makes Toptal a company uniquely invested in the growth of not only their network, but the remote work world at large.
Zapier
Specializing in “easy automation for busy people,” Zapier connects web apps to better automate and streamline tasks. For instance, one could connect their Gmail, Dropbox, and Slack accounts in order to cut down on separate, individual logins and checks–any new attachment sent via Gmail could be automatically transferred to Dropbox, an alert for which then could then appear in Slack. It’s no surprise that Zapier’s focus on automation and streamlining also translates to their coordinated use of web apps to manage communications and operations across their own remote team. With digital nomads constantly changing time zones, it’s important everyone stays in contact on several fronts. Zapier ensures all their employees are kept in the loop with Slack and Trello, up-to-date via their internal blog, and on task with an array of tools like Zoom and Screenflow.
Zapier is so dedicated to the digital nomad revolution that they’ve written a book-length guide on remote work, which outlines what this company of digital nomads has learned since cutting the virtual ribbon in October 2011. Zapier’s “Ultimate Guide to Remote Work,” focuses on issues of building culture on a remote team, best practices for remote meetings and maintaining health in the remote workplace, and how-to’s for boosting productivity while traveling.
All of three of these companies have survived the trials and tribulations of being young companies, while also forging new paths into the unknown territory of the remote workplace.
The benefits of remote work are clear and these companies are living proof of how to make the ultimate transition to remote-first. In the years to come, many businesses will surely follow suit. Do you know of any other remote-first companies changing the way we work? Share your thoughts below.
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