Overview
Remote-first means remote work is the default, not an accommodation. The company is built around distributed collaboration: documentation over meetings, async over sync, written communication over verbal. Everyone—including leadership—works remotely, with processes designed for distributed teams.
This differs fundamentally from remote-friendly (office-primary with remote as an option) or hybrid (some required office time). In remote-friendly companies, remote employees are second-class citizens—they miss hallway conversations, spontaneous whiteboarding, and in-person relationship building. Remote-first eliminates this by designing everything for distributed work.
For hiring, remote-first expands your talent pool to the entire world but changes what you assess. Written communication, self-motivation, and proactive over-communication become as important as technical skills. Not every excellent engineer thrives remotely—and that's fine. Your job is finding people who do.
Why Remote-First Changes Everything
The Talent Pool Revolution
Remote-first fundamentally changes your competitive position in talent markets:
| Factor | Office-First | Remote-First |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Pool | ~50 mile radius | Global (2B+ professionals) |
| Competition | Local employers | Every remote company worldwide |
| Salary Benchmark | Local cost of living | Complex (see compensation section) |
| Diversity | Limited by geography | Access to global perspectives |
| Timezone Coverage | Single timezone | Potential 24/7 coverage |
The opportunity: Access to candidates you'd never reach otherwise. Engineers in smaller cities, caregivers who need flexibility, people who've optimized their lives around location independence.
The challenge: You're now competing with Stripe, GitLab, Zapier, and thousands of well-funded remote-first companies for the same candidates. Local employers offering remote options compete for the same pool. The bar for remote employee experience is high.
What Remote-First Companies Get Wrong
Treating it as a perk, not a model
Remote-first isn't "you can work from home." It's a fundamental operating model that affects every process, from hiring to promotion. Companies that bolt remote onto office-first processes create frustrated employees and two-tier cultures.
Underestimating communication overhead
In-office communication happens passively—you overhear conversations, see facial expressions, catch someone at the coffee machine. Remote requires active, intentional communication. Companies that don't invest in this create information silos and isolation.
Hiring for office skills, expecting remote success
Great in-office engineers aren't automatically great remote engineers. The skills transfer, but the environment is different. Some people thrive with the autonomy; others struggle without structure. Assess for remote fitness, not just technical ability.
Building Remote-First Culture
Async-First Communication
The foundation of remote-first is async communication. This means:
Default to written
Every decision, discussion, and update should be captured in writing. This creates searchable documentation, accommodates timezones, and forces clear thinking.
Sync when necessary, not by default
Meetings should be the exception, not the norm. Reserve real-time communication for:
- Complex discussions requiring rapid back-and-forth
- Sensitive topics (feedback, conflict resolution)
- Relationship building and social connection
- Brainstorming requiring spontaneous input
Record everything synchronous
When you do meet, record it. Not everyone can attend live. Recordings create equity between timezones and accommodate different schedules.
Documentation as Infrastructure
In remote-first companies, documentation isn't a nice-to-have—it's infrastructure. You need:
Decision logs
Why did we build it this way? Who decided? What alternatives did we consider? Without this context, decisions look arbitrary and new team members can't understand the codebase.
Process documentation
How do we deploy? What's the on-call rotation? How do I request vacation? Office employees learn this osmotically. Remote employees need it written down.
Working agreements
What hours do we expect overlap? How quickly should I respond to messages? What warrants an interruption? Make implicit norms explicit.
Maintaining Human Connection
Remote-first doesn't mean connection-free. The best remote companies invest heavily in:
Structured social time
Virtual coffee chats, team social hours, interest-based Slack channels. This doesn't replace in-person connection, but it prevents pure transactional relationships.
Occasional in-person gatherings
Most successful remote-first companies bring teams together periodically—annual retreats, quarterly team meetups, or regional gatherings. This builds relationships that sustain remote collaboration.
Proactive relationship building
Managers need to create connection opportunities deliberately. In the office, relationships form naturally. Remote requires intention.
Compensation Strategies: The Hard Question
The Three Models
There's no consensus on remote compensation. Each approach has tradeoffs:
1. Location-Based Pay (Pay by Geography)
Salaries vary based on employee location, typically using cost-of-living adjustments.
Pros:
- Stretches budget in lower cost-of-living areas
- Aligns with local market expectations
- Easier to explain as "fair" (market-based)
Cons:
- Creates pay inequity for same work
- Employees may not disclose moves
- Punishes people for living affordably
- Complex administration across geographies
Example companies: GitLab, Buffer (with transparent formulas)
2. Location-Agnostic Pay (Flat Global Rates)
Same salary for same role, regardless of location.
Pros:
- True pay equity—same work, same pay
- Simple to administer
- No gaming the system
- Attracts talent in expensive markets
Cons:
- May overpay in low-cost areas (or underpay in high-cost)
- Budget constraints mean fewer hires
- Hard to compete in SF/NYC for the same budget
Example companies: Basecamp, some smaller startups
3. Tiered/Banded Pay
Salaries grouped into geographic tiers (e.g., Tier 1: SF/NYC, Tier 2: US other, Tier 3: International developed markets).
Pros:
- Balance between equity and budget
- Simpler than per-city adjustments
- Can compete in expensive markets while stretching budget elsewhere
Cons:
- Tiers can feel arbitrary
- Still creates some inequity
- Where do you draw lines?
Example companies: Many remote-first scale-ups
Transparency is Non-Negotiable
Whatever model you choose, be transparent about it:
- Publish your philosophy (GitLab's compensation calculator is a model)
- Explain the rationale
- Be clear about what happens if someone moves
- Include this in job posts
Engineers applying to remote roles have questions about compensation philosophy. Ambiguity signals either confusion or intentional opacity—neither inspires trust.
Interview Process for Remote
Restructuring for Distributed Assessment
Remote hiring requires adapting your process:
Video Interviews
- Test candidates' video setup (this is how they'll work)
- Ensure interviewers have good setups too
- Account for connection issues gracefully
- Leave buffer time between interviews
Async Assessments
Consider incorporating asynchronous elements:
- Take-home projects (with clear time expectations)
- Written responses to scenario questions
- Code review exercises via PR comments
- Async video introductions (Loom-style)
These assess async communication skills directly—you're seeing how they'll actually work.
Written Communication Evaluation
Evaluate writing throughout the process:
- Email communication quality
- Take-home project documentation
- Written responses to follow-up questions
- Slack/chat communication in any exercises
Questions That Reveal Remote Fitness
"Walk me through a typical workday in your ideal remote setup."
Good signs: Structured routine, dedicated workspace, intentional communication habits
Red flags: No structure, assumes work will "just happen," hasn't thought about it
"Tell me about a time you had to collaborate with someone in a very different timezone. How did you handle it?"
Good signs: Proactive documentation, async communication, schedule flexibility when needed
Red flags: Expected others to accommodate their schedule, waited for sync meetings for everything
"How do you handle ambiguity when you can't quickly get answers from teammates?"
Good signs: Bias toward action, documents blockers, knows when to proceed vs. wait
Red flags: Gets stuck without direction, expects constant availability
"What's your home office setup? How do you separate work from personal life?"
Good signs: Dedicated workspace, clear boundaries, sustainable practices
Red flags: Works from couch, no separation, previous remote burnout
"How do you stay visible and connected with your team remotely?"
Good signs: Proactive updates, participates in team channels, builds relationships intentionally
Red flags: "I just do my work," passive communication style, expects others to reach out
Tools and Infrastructure
The Remote Stack
Remote-first requires tooling investment. Common stacks include:
Communication
- Slack/Discord: Async messaging, channel organization, integrations
- Email: Formal communication, external contacts
- Loom/Vidyard: Async video for explanations, walkthroughs, updates
Documentation
- Notion/Confluence: Knowledge bases, wikis, process documentation
- Google Docs: Collaborative writing, meeting notes
- GitHub/GitLab wikis: Technical documentation alongside code
Video Meetings
- Zoom/Google Meet/Teams: Synchronous video when needed
- Around/Tuple: Pair programming, collaborative work
- Donut/Watercooler: Random social matching
Project Management
- Linear/Jira/Asana: Work tracking, sprint management
- GitHub Issues/Projects: Engineering-centric task management
- Productboard/Canny: Roadmap and feedback management
Whiteboarding & Collaboration
- Miro/FigJam/Excalidraw: Visual collaboration
- Figma: Design collaboration
- CodeSandbox/Replit: Collaborative coding environments
Tool Philosophy > Tool Choice
The specific tools matter less than how you use them:
Clear channel organization
Where does what conversation happen? Random questions in #engineering? Urgent issues in dedicated channels? Make it obvious.
Notification expectations
When should people respond? What warrants an @mention? How do you signal urgency vs. FYI?
Search and discoverability
Can you find that decision from six months ago? Is context preserved alongside conversations?
Red Flags: Signs a Candidate Won't Thrive Remote
Not every engineer is suited for remote work. Watch for:
Communication Style
- Passive communicator who waits to be asked
- Struggles to articulate thoughts in writing
- Expects synchronous availability for every question
- Doesn't provide context or status updates proactively
Self-Management
- Needs constant direction to stay productive
- Struggles with ambiguity or prioritization
- Can't describe how they structure their day
- History of scope creep without boundaries
Previous Remote Experience
- Negative previous remote experience they blame on the format (vs. the company)
- No workspace plan or environment preparation
- Unrealistic expectations about remote "freedom"
- Isolation concerns they haven't addressed
Work-Life Boundaries
- No strategy for separating work and life
- Previous burnout from remote overwork
- Expects remote to mean fewer hours (it's different hours, not fewer)
Building Inclusive Remote Culture
Timezone Equity
If you have team members across timezones:
Rotate meeting times
Don't always make APAC employees take the early/late calls. Share the inconvenience.
Establish overlap hours
Be clear about required overlap (e.g., "4 hours overlap with US Pacific") so people can plan their lives.
Design for async first
Minimize timezone-dependent work. If decisions require meetings, record them and allow async input.
Inclusion for Different Situations
Remote work accommodates diverse life situations, but only with intentional design:
Caregivers: Flexible hours, async communication, no assumptions about availability
Different abilities: Accessible tooling, written alternatives to video, accommodation requests
Introverts: Written communication, optional social events, time to process
Non-native English speakers: Patience with written communication, clarity over brevity