If you’re looking for remote work, try searching for remote-first companies
You’re tired of being promised fully remote work, only to realize that it’s all a joke. Little by little, your employer’s leadership team and your manager pressure you to come back to the office, for one day a week, then it’s twice weekly, and then, before you can even blink, they’re mandating return-to-office (RTO) three to five days a week, in the name of hybrid working.
But this is not what you signed up for. This is not what was agreed years ago.
A recent story by U.S. political paper The Hill uncovered some striking insights and shed some light on the future of fully remote work (and even hybrid work for that matter):
“A new study by job-seeking website Ladders found that high-paying remote jobs fell nearly 60%, while hybrid job availability fell 95% over the past year. Plus, a survey by Resume Builder found that 90% of companies out of the 1,000 surveyed said they expect a full five-day week return to the office by the end of this year. For those looking to make $250,000 or more annually, only 4% of those jobs are available for remote work. A year ago, it was 10%.”
So now, you’ve already moved away from your job, thinking that your role would remain remote forever. You already have caring responsibilities that prohibit you from attending work in person every week.
But unfortunately, if you were to leave now, the chances of landing a high-paying, remote white collar job elsewhere are pretty slim.
However, while the availability of fully remote jobs appears to be on a rapid decline, all is not doom and gloom. There are still a good number of companies that are actively hiring remote roles in 2024, and it doesn’t appear that this will change, as these employers are usually remote-first companies. When remote is in a company’s DNA and part of their ethos, you stand a better chance of being assured that your role will, indeed, be fully remote.
Another great thing about these remote/remote-first companies, is that many of them hire their workforce from all over the world, spanning multiple time-zones. This allows you to live and travel anywhere you please, and even opt for being a digital nomad using their work-from-anywhere policy, while getting the job done.
Below is a list of 10 of the best companies that are actively hiring remotely (at the time of writing):
1. Gitlab
Not to be confused with GitHub, Gitlab is an AI-powered DevSocOps platform that allows software developers to collaborate and deliver projects with full compliance and security. The company currently has a broad range of over 100 remote job openings across its various departments in sales, marketing product and user experience, engineering, security, admin, HR, and legal, amongst others.
2. Buffer
Buffer is a social media marketing software company, whose product is used by marketers all around the world. They are actively seeking to add to their remote team with roles for a senior front-end and senior back-end engineer.
Remote-first companies often tend to be technology start-ups and provide exciting, innovative … [+]
3. Automattic
This company has an interesting hiring philosophy that would be attractive to most candidates. They do not use AT software to scan resumes, but guarantee on their website that an actual human being (whether hiring manager or recruiter) will review it. Automattic also is a firm adherent to using a paid trial before you commit to the actual job offer, so they can see what it’s like to work alongside you, while compensating you fairly for your time. They also allow you to determine your own schedule and complete the trial in the hours that suit you.
They currently have fully remote jobs for Chief Financial Officer (CFO), sales rep, and senior systems engineer, amongst others.
4. Toggl
Toggle is a company that produces its flagship time-tracking software for work. The breadth of fully remote jobs they currently have available include a head of sales position and some engineering roles.
5. Kona
Kona is a start-up with a work-from-anywhere policy that is currently hiring a software engineer to help them in their mission to improve company culture for employers globally. At the time of writing, they have a software engineer role available.
6. Appcues
Appcues is a product adoption and user onboarding platform, and its team is located all over the world. Central to its remote-first culture are its values that include “always be learning” and “empower others,” values that are actively embodied in their hiring and people management ethos.
For example, they empower their team members to work from home with a remote office stipend, or alternatively, to work from a co-working space and get reimbursed for the fees if ever you feel like getting out of the house.
7. Constructor
According to its website, Constructor helps “ecommerce and media site owners give their customers a better way to find products more quickly, more easily, and more intuitively.” They are hiring for a range of engineering and data analyst roles.
8. On The Go Systems
This company produces WordPress plugins and boasts an AI-powered software translation system. Their team hails from more than 40 countries around the world, and are hiring for UX/UI and developer roles at the moment.
9. Doist
If you’re passionate about enabling productivity, you might consider working at Doist, who are the company behind their work and time management productivity apps. There was recent hiring activity for a head of marketing role and some other remote jobs, so although they do not have open positions as of now at the time of writing, it’s worth keeping an eye out.
10. Dollar Flight Club
Finally, Dollar Flight Club is another remote organization with a fully remote team that specializes in helping travel enthusiasts secure the best flight deals for their next trip. Like Doist, they do not have remote roles they are hiring for now, at the time of writing, but they likely may do in the future, so keep their website refreshed every now and then.
When applying for remote work with a remote-first company, check their company values to ensure you … [+]
Check out these 10 companies, see which ones resonate with your values and career goals, and put your best foot forward in applying. And of course, always ensure you tailor your application to reflect how you would fit into their company culture.