In the midst of a global pandemic, this “new normal” we find ourselves in comes with many challenges. In particular, remote work is a new experience for many around the world. Not so much for the tech industry, however.
Many tech companies have favored remote work policies for a long time now. In fact, the tech sector has been a leader of the remote work culture, and its success can be attributed in part to these guiding principles:
- Using the best online tools and ensuring proper security measures are in place.
- Focusing on results, rather than “face” time.
- “Always on” mentality and consistent communication with their staff.
Now, with the current pandemic, according to CNBC, more than 25% of tech employees are now interested in permanent work-from-home positions.
With the lure of more flexible work hours, being able to work within your own space, at your own pace, and with limited outside distractions, it comes as no surprise that—Covid or not—there’s a huge demand for remote work opportunities. Working from home also provides an opportunity for a healthier work-life balance and reduces the chance of work burnout that over 60% of techies experience.
So for those of you who are reading this and feeling it’s hitting a little too close to home (while not being at home), here are few of the best tech companies, with headquarters in the US, currently offering remote opportunities. There are many well-known companies, such as GitLab, and more recently Twitter and Microsoft, who have been leading the way with remote work. But this article will rather explore some of the lesser-known names, as they too have a lot to offer the world of tech remote-work-seekers.
Clevertech
This digital innovation and software development company prides itself on creating a good remote workspace by taking strides to understand that it cannot happen effectively until the team knows how to communicate well. As the company says, “Communication is vital to the success of any relationship and even more important in business.”
Clevertech fosters an environment whereby talking, professionalism, and opportunities are key. They achieve this through:
- Personality typing: They go out of their way to understand the people working for them. They understand that when they know what will trigger an individual, they can go about choosing their words accordingly, and therefore create better communication.
- Leadership training courses: Clevertech truly wants their staff to grow and learn, and thus encourages them to take part in the relevant training that will make the best business practices.
- Assessments: They care about what their employees want and are constantly looking for new ways to help them achieve their goals.
- Focus on the care and the outcome: Clevertech maintains that everything they do is for the care and benefit of the staff and the customers.
Clevertech has many remote software job opportunities open now.
TaxJar
TaxJar is the leading technology solution for busy eCommerce sellers to manage sales tax. Beyond its efforts to offer clients superior services, the company’s unique culture aims to provide the best quality of life for their team members.
Some of the incredible benefits of joining the TaxJar remote team include: competitive salaries, insurance, company summits, Amazon Prime memberships, gifts, gym reimbursements, five weeks of vacation, the newest technologies to assist them in their work, $1k for personal development, internet and phone reimbursement, parental leave, 401k, and much more.
TaxJar prides itself on putting their people first. During this particularly challenging time, they gave their employees worldwide a “day off” to “fully rest up, recharge and focus on family and loved ones.”
View their open positions here.
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Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds, the hotel management software company, is another example of remote tech at its best. With a team spread across 24 countries, they are hugely successful at keeping them integrated and unified no matter the time zone.
The company operates around a “remote-first” mentality. Meaning most of the team work from home, and some work out of the headquarters in San Diego. It ensures everyone is constantly connected through platforms like Slack and via Zoom when they want the feeling of face-to-face communication. Director of People and Culture Jennifer Johnson insists that “Everybody needs to feel like they are on the same playing field.” While some employees work from the office headquarters in San Diego, Johnson adds, “The San Diego office doesn’t get preference just because we’re in the same space.”
From day one, Cloudbeds connects new recruits with an in-house “buddy system.” The buddy system is about becoming friends first, and therefore is able to cultivate a meaningful relationship from the very beginning. This works by pairing new recruits with someone from within the company as the company feels that getting new employees connected with someone real who’s been there a while is what will make them feel part of the team from the get-go.
Managers are also reminded to check in with employees at 30, 60, and 90 days. The company also polls for new-hire feedback.
On Slack, the remote team is encouraged to join their #get_to_know pairings channel, where they can interact with others they might otherwise not have. As Jennifer observed, “I get the sense that as a company we are always looking for more ways for us to feel connected. We all love working remotely, but we also love working with other people.”
They are looking for new talent across the world. Find out more here.
Automattic
At Automattic, the people behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Simplenote, Longreads, VaultPress, Akismet, Gravatar, Crowdsignal, Cloudup, Tumblr, and more—the whole company gets together once a year for seven days so that Automatticians can create bonds that will have a positive influence on team dynamics all year long.
The Automattic team is spread out across 70 countries, and collaborates through WordPress.com blogs, private chat rooms, and Slack. They consider day-to-day social communication as important as meeting up in person, and they make sure to really connect with one another from afar. They do this through “Connectomattic,” which promotes shared experiences on Zoom, some of which include adult coloring, meditation, and open mic nights.
They also have an open vacation policy, with no set amount of days per year, encouraging their staff to take all the time they need to pursue their interests. Automatticians get a home-set-up allowance, life insurance, open parental leave, a paid two to three month sabbatical every five years, and all-inclusive company travel costs, among other benefits.
Work from anywhere with these open positions.
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Embracing the Remote Culture
Like these companies, IOD has embraced the remote work culture from day one. Our tech content creation and research agency is 100% remote and serves hi-tech companies worldwide, delivering expert content in the fields of cloud, DevOps, data engineering, cybersecurity, and AI.
Our team of freelance tech experts and writers is spread out across the globe, including the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Transparency, clear and direct communication, and flexibility are IOD’s guiding principles and, according to IOD Talent Acquisition Manager Ivan Arsenov, the key to managing a successful remote workforce.
The team is diverse yet cohesive and communicates on Slack on a regular basis, sharing work accomplishments, relevant content, or simply chatting about hobbies and interests in the “IOD Lounge.”
Arsenov adds that beyond the obvious perk of being able to work from home in your pajamas, there’s the creative and learning aspect: “Many of our tech experts work full-time engineering jobs. And while they like what they do, they too need a creative outlet, a little more variety.” Perhaps the greatest advantage of working as a remote, freelance tech writer, according to Arsenov, is the opportunity to expand your expertise by working on a variety of different projects and topics you likely wouldn’t even be exposed to at an in-house tech job.
While the tech industry and these companies in particular may be among the “pioneers” of remote work, there has been an evident shift across industries and the entire workforce. Pandemic or not, it’s becoming more and more obvious that this “new” work-from-home lifestyle is the way of the future.
Are you a tech expert looking for remote freelance work? IOD is seeking experts in the fields of cloud security, AWS, Azure, and more. Come work with us!
