A complete guide to the benefits of an all-remote company
A brief history of remote work
- 1973: Jack Nilles creates the terms “telecommuting” and “teleworking”
- 1979 Frank Schiff, VP and chief economist of the Committee for Economic Development states that “If 10 percent of those who commute to work each weekday were to start working at home two days each week, this would reduce the volume of such travel by 4 percent” in the Washington Post.
- 1983: IBM runs an experiment and allows 5 employees to work from home. 4 years later nearly 2,000 of its employees were telecommuting.
- 1987: 1.5 million Americans work remotely
- 1991: Wi-Fi boosts the availability of remote work
- 2015: GitLab, Inc. launches with 9 all-remote FTE’s
- 2020: COVID-19 accelerates the validity of all-remote work
What is the difference between “remote” and “hybrid”?
Remote: a work arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work
Hybrid: when workers split their time between conventional in-office work and working remotely
Read more about the ten models of remote and hybrid teams.
In this video, GitLab Director of Global People Operations Carol Teskey shares her view on the many benefits of all-remote, and the competitive advantages that come along with it.
Benefits of remote work
Reimagining how one’s day can be structured, and how that can easily vary from one 24-hour period to the next, is empowering. The freedom and flexibility that comes with all-remote enables employees to view work in an entirely new light.
Rather than forcing one to build their life about a predefined daily schedule that involves an unavoidable commute, all-remote shifts that responsibility back to the individual.
A number of studies from the likes of Google, Buffer, FlexJobs, and IWG show that driven individuals who place a high degree of value on autonomy and flexibility can experience new levels of joy and productivity in an all-remote environment.
In the GitLab Unfiltered video above, two GitLab colleagues discuss the benefits of all-remote. For those with friends and family in various locales, team members are empowered to spend time with loved ones, investing in those relationships, without the dread of counting vacation days.
An added benefit that I didn’t anticipate, but have taken full advantage of, is being able to visit friends and family that are in locales that aren’t necessarily close to where my home base is. Otherwise, I’d have to take paid time off (PTO) just to visit them.
I’ve seen friends and family in Nashville, Raleigh, Iowa, New York, Boston, and all over the west coast. It’s not just visiting for a weekend. It’s being there for friends, family, birthdays, baby showers, and weddings. Across the board it has been a huge benefit [of all-remote at GitLab]. - Jackie G., Manager, Marketing Programs at GitLab
Benefits for all-remote employees
It’s important for employees to truly take advantage of the freedoms and possibilities enabled by remote, rather than simply remaining where they are and switching an office desk for a room in their home. This is the core benefit of remote as compared to work-from-home.
Consider relocating to a lower cost-of-living environment, and look to integrate work into life rather than vice-versa. Remote work enables you to optimize for things like superior air quality and medical facilities, a healthier community environment, and better schools for your children. All of this requires premeditated action — to embrace the reality that work is now decoupled from geography.
In the home, aim to create a dedicated working space (or work from a coworking space, external office, or cafe). It’s vital to intentionally separate work and life to prevent burnout. Moreover, don’t stop engaging with people. You may not fill your social quota entirely from work interactions, which enables you to pay closer attention to family, neighbors, and community opportunities.
Be intentional about replacing your recovered commute time. Whether it’s fitness, cooking, cleaning, spending time with family, or resting, be deliberate about reclaiming that time and using it to improve your overall wellbeing.
- You have more flexibility in your daily life (for kids, parents, friends, groceries, sports, deliveries).
- No more time, stress, or money wasted on a commute (subway and bus fees, gas, car maintenance, tolls, etc.).
- It’s safer. With no commute, there’s no risk of getting into an accident traveling to and from work.
- You can optimize your life for superior air quality and medical facilities, a healthier community environment, and better schools for your children, rather than access to onsite jobs.
- Reduced interruption stress and increased productivity.
- Ability to travel to other places without taking vacation (family, fun, etc.).
- Freedom to relocate, be location independent, or even travel with other remote professionals.
- Less exposure to germs from sick coworkers.
- It can be easier to communicate with difficult colleagues remotely, reducing distractions from interpersonal drama or office politics.
- You can set up and decorate your office or workspace in whatever way works best for you.
- You can choose your working hours based on when you’re most productive.
- You have the opportunity to meet and work with people from many locations around the world, widening one’s view of the world and creating opportunities to learn about new cultures.
- Onboarding may be less stressful socially.
- Eating at home is better (sometimes) and cheaper.
- Taxes can be cheaper in some countries.
- Work clothes are not required.
From family time to travel plans, there are many examples and stories of how remote work has impacted the lives of GitLab team members around the world.
“The flexibility makes family life exponentially easier, which reduces stress and makes you more productive and motivated. You can’t put a dollar value on it – it’s priceless.” - Haydn, Regional Sales Director, GitLab
Benefits for all-remote organizations
Remote enables a more diverse and inclusive workforce, greater efficiency in workflows, and broader global coverage in servicing clients. It significantly de-risks a business, making it more resilient in the face of crises and able to maintain continuity regardless of whether an office is open or closed.
Companies may need to create a remote leadership team and invest in manager training. However, there is little debate on whether this is an option. Remote work will soon simply be “work,” with global flexibility an expectation. Companies which have multiple offices already have teams which are remote to one another, and thus need a solid baseline of remote fluency to operate in optimal fashion.
Limiting your company’s recruiting pipeline to a certain geographic region, or sourcing employees who are able and willing to relocate, is a competitive disadvantage.
Not only does this create a less inclusive hiring process which reaches a less diverse set of candidates, it forces your organization to compete primarily on the basis of salary.
- You’re able to hire great people no matter where they live.
- GitLab has a truly global footprint, with team members in 65+ countries.
- Employees are more productive with fewer distractions, so long as leadership is supportive in equipping teams with the requisite tools, structure, and culture to thrive.
- For example, GitLab has a KPI of 65 tickets closed per support staff per month.
- Increased savings on office costs and compensation (due to hiring in lower-cost regions).
- GitLab maintains a more balanced payroll than other San Francisco Bay Area colocated companies. Learn more in the Compensation Calculator section of GitLab’s handbook.
- Each function has a new hire location factor target. As an example, marketing targets < 0.72 and finance targets < 0.69. (For reference, San Francisco is 1.00)
- We have a people group KPI for our average overall location factor to be < 0.65.
- All-remote naturally attracts self-motivated people.
- It’s easier to quickly grow and scale your company.
- GitLab does not own/lease office space. As colocated companies scale in size, their spend related to real estate will swell. This not only encompasses office space, but related activities such as security, cleaning, remodeling, etc. It also hampers growth. Hiring too many people in too short a time span will force you to move offices in quick succession, creating massive cost and inefficiency.
- Employees are increasingly expecting remote work options from their employers.
- GitLab sees over 3,000 applicants per week for open vacancies. Each applicant is given access to our strategy and an overview of what it’s like to work at GitLab before they are asked to invest time and energy in applying. We get more qualified applicants due to our transparency, showcased through examples like role description videos hosted on the GitLab Unfiltered YouTube channel.
- Companies often experience lower employee turnover and higher morale with remote work.
- GitLab enjoys a strong year-over-year voluntary retention rate. All-remote contributes to our high retention of people, as they’re able to take their career with them through life’s changes.
- You have fewer meetings and more focus on results and output of great work.
- Each meeting which is avoided by asynchronous communication and intentional documentation saves thousands of dollars in wages. Too, the time savings can be repurposed for generating additional value and empowering people to live richer lives as they work more efficiently.
- You don’t have to pay to relocate someone to join your team.
- GitLab’s talent acquisition department tracks cost per hire, which currently does not have a target.
- With employees located all over the world working asynchronously, contributions can continue even when one time zone’s working day is over.
- GitLab has a people group KPI stating that the percent of sent Slack messages that are not DMs be > 50%.
- There’s also business continuity in the case of local disturbances or natural disasters (e.g. political or weather-related events).
- Greater flexibility can mean greater diversity in your organization.
Benefits for the world
In the GitLab Unfiltered video above, two GitLab colleagues discuss the benefits of living in a lower cost-of-living environment near friends, family, and community.
Research from the University of New Hampshire has found that “35% of rural counties in the United States are experiencing protracted and significant population loss.” Speaking to shrinking towns across Europe, a 2016 report from the European Parliamentary Research Service notes that “younger members of society prefer to migrate to more economically vibrant regions and cities in search of better job prospects as, in most of these territories, professional opportunities remain limited and confined to specific fields (e.g. agriculture and tourism).”
We believe all-remote has the power to pause, and perhaps even reverse, these trends of depopulation.
Working remotely gives each person the autonomy to serve in a place that matters to them – a place that has shaped them – contributing significantly to the wellbeing of a population that may be at risk of losing its foundation, should talent continue to flee to the usual job centers.
- There’s evidence that remote work can reduce the effects of urban crowding for many cities around the world. Some states and countries are even offering incentives to encourage remote work. Here are 13 examples around the world.
- For global companies, bringing better-paying jobs to low-cost regions has positive economic impacts and works to reverse the trends of depopulation in rural regions.
The competitive advantage for companies that embrace remote work
Remote enables a more diverse and inclusive workforce, greater efficiency in workflows, and broader global coverage in servicing clients. It significantly de-risks a business, making it more resilient in the face of crises and able to maintain continuity regardless of whether an office is open or closed.
Companies may need to create a remote leadership team and invest in manager training. However, there is little debate on whether this is an option. Remote work will soon simply be “work,” with global flexibility an expectation. Companies which have multiple offices already have teams which are remote to one another, and thus need a solid baseline of remote fluency to operate in optimal fashion.
Top tier talent, without location being a factor
Limiting your company’s recruiting pipeline to a certain geographic region, or sourcing employees who are able and willing to relocate, is a competitive disadvantage.
Not only does this create a less inclusive hiring process which reaches a less diverse set of candidates, it forces your organization to compete primarily on the basis of salary.
Remote organizations are able to hire great people no matter where they live. For example, GitLab has a truly global footprint, with team members in 65+ countries.
Flexible working hours and availability
With employees located all over the world working asynchronously, contributions can continue even when one time zone’s working day is over.
Happy staff and better productivity
Employees are more productive with fewer distractions, so long as leadership is supportive in equipping teams with the requisite tools, structure, and culture to thrive.
Challenges to consider before embracing remote work
Despite all-remote having many advantages, remote work isn’t for everyone. It can have disadvantages for employees depending on their lifestyle and work preferences, as well as the organization. In the spirit of transparency, we’ve outlined potential drawbacks and solutions to these challenges here.
Which is right for your organization?
We’re nearing a tipping point with all-remote. Instead of remote teams having to justify why they do it, it’s going to be colocated companies having to justify why they don’t.
All-remote work wouldn’t be possible without the constant evolution of technology, and the tools that enable this type of work are continuously being developed and improved.
Determining eligibility for hybrid or remote work
While job sites and common conversation can lump each remote role into a single category, it’s important to realize that not every remote role is created equal. Just as colocated roles need to be evaluated in totality, those seeking to transition into a remote role for the first time should ask certain questions during the interview or evaluation phase.
There are various stages of remote work, which can be easily pictured as a sliding scale. From no-remote to hybrid-remote to all-remote, and all points in between, a remote worker’s experience in each setting will likely vary. Below, we’re highlighting key topics to cover when seeking an understanding of how you’ll be treated in a full-time remote role. Additional questions should be considered depending on your specific scenario and familiarity with the hiring company.
While there are a growing number of freelance gigs which can be completed remotely, this article is centered around full-time remote careers.
GitLab remote work manifesto
All-remote work promotes:
- Hiring and working from all over the world (instead of from a central location).
- Flexible working hours (over set working hours).
- Writing down and recording knowledge (over verbal explanations).
- Written processes (over on-the-job training).
- Public sharing of information (over need-to-know access).
- Opening up documents for editing by anyone (over top-down control of documents).
- Asynchronous communication (over synchronous communication).
- The results of work (over the hours put in).
- Formal communication channels (over informal communication channels).
“Remote is not a challenge to overcome. It’s a clear business advantage.” -Victor, Product Manager, GitLab
GitLab is one of the world’s largest all-remote companies with team members located in more than 65 countries around the world.
Our all-remote workforce implementation is featured in The Journal of Organizational Design. It is also the centerpiece of case studies authored by Harvard Business School and INSEAD.
Click around to learn more about what “all-remote” really means, how it works at GitLab, some tips and tricks for remote teams, and resources to learn more.
Contribute your lessons
GitLab believes that all-remote is the future of work, and remote companies have a shared responsibility to show the way for other organizations who are embracing it. If you or your company has an experience that would benefit the greater world, consider creating a merge request and adding a contribution to this page.
Return to the main all-remote page.
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