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Remote Scorecard is not just a listing of remote companies. It also gives each company a "remote score" based on several factors. These are the practices employed by some of the world's most successful remote companies.

Factors and Scoring

• "Asynchronous first" communication as the default - "Synchronous communication" happens in "real time". Imagine a face-to-face conversation. You ask a question and expect an answer quickly. For informal chit chat, this may be efficient but it is a disruptive practice for workers trying to get "in the zone" to do deep, meaningful work. It also may not work well for people in other time zones.
  This contrasts with "asynchronous communication" where someone asks a question and expects a response in a "reasonable amount of time", similar to email or message boards.
  Since this can not work in EVERY situation, the most realistic implementation is "Asynchronous first, Synchronous when necessary". Use the best protocol for the situation and topic.
  Great writing and reading comprehension skills are considered superpowers for remote workers.
  Check out this video for more information on asynchronous work.
  Scoring: No - 0 points
  Yes - 25 points.
• Remote friendliness - A company that is "remote first" has "remote work" in its DNA and might not have any offices. Everyone works remotely or works AS IF they are remote. This approach builds empathy and levels the playing field for remote team members.
  Scoring: Not at all - 0 points
  Forced remote due to COVID-19 - 5 points
  Remote tolerant for some employees; remote work is treated as a perk - 10 points
  Remote friendly for all employees - 15 points
  Remote first - 20 points
• Which remote locations are allowed - All remote work is not created equal. Some companies are strict about work locations while others allow their employees to work from anywhere.
  Scoring: Office only - 0 points
  Work from home - 5 points
  Work from anywhere, in a certain timezone, during company business hours - 10 points
  Work from anywhere, in any timezone, during company business hours - 15 points
  Work from anywhere during company business hours - 20 points
  Work from anywhere on your own schedule - 25 points
• Support for flexible work schedules -
  Scoring: No, you work company office hours only - 0 points
  Reasonably flexible for errands and life outside of work - 5 points
  You can work whenever. There are no set hours - 10 points
• Support for flexible holiday schedules - Companies with employees that span multiple countries and cultures have special challenges regarding holidays. Rather than maintain multiple holiday calendars, some companies such as Doist allow their workers to set their own holiday schedule so they can take time off on the days that are most important to them.
  Read more...
  Scoring: No, you are granted traditional holidays based on company location - 0 points
  Yes, you are granted a set amount of days to use whenever - 5 points
  Yes, you are granted an unlimited amount of days to use whenever - 10 points
• How global is the company? -
  Scoring: All employees are in the same timezone - 0 points
  Employees are scattered across a few different timezones - 5 points
  Employees are all over the world - 10 points
• Is new employee onboarding done in-person? - Although some of the most successful remote companies have success with "remote onboarding", there is still a lot of value in spending time in person with people during onboarding. It helps create a solid foundation and makes new hires feel like part of the company.
  Scoring: No - 0 points
  It is offered but not mandatory - 5 points
  Yes - 10 points
• Are mentors assigned to new hires? - Responsive mentors will help new hires get up to speed quickly in their new roles. Relationships built across teams are especially important in helping increase exposure to the company.
  Scoring: No - 0 points
  Yes, the mentors are on the same team as new hire - 5 points
  Yes, there are multiple mentors across different teams - 10 points
• Does the company offer a remote work stipend? - By having employees work remotely, businesses save on overhead by passing some expenses to their workers. Some companies offer stipends to offset some of these costs.
  Scoring: No - 0 points
  Yes, for internet only - 5 points
  Yes, for internet, equipment, co-working memberships, etc. - 10 points
• Does the company bring all employees together for retreats? - Working remotely should NOT mean you never get to meet your team! The most succcessful remote companies get their entire team together for "retreats" at exciting locations around the world. Since face time for remote workers is rare, these retreats are taken seriously and result in reinforcing strong relationships. Companies often use these retreats to review old projects and launch new ones.
  Scoring: No - 0 points
  Yes, once a year - 5 points
  Yes, at least twice a year - 10 points
• How transparent is this company to all employees? - Remote employees can often feel a sense of "disconnect" from their company. "Transparency" and availability of data can help employees better understand the "big picture". Transparency around company financials, product road maps, career paths, salaries, etc. go a long way in helping remote employees feel like part of something.
  Scoring: Not at all - 0 points
  Some transparency - 5 points
  Full transparency - financials, hiring plans, product roadmap, salary calculator, etc. - 10 points
• Does the company furnish equipment (laptop, phone, etc.) for its employees? - During the pandemic when people were forced to work from home, many complained about burnout. Productivity was up but workers felt like they were always on the clock. They could never turn off from work and by using the same equipment for their professional and personal lives, work is always just a click away.
  Most people hated their commute but it did give them mental and physical separation between work time and personal time. By furnishing work equipment to their workers, employees help to promote this important separation which can go a long way in preventing burnout.
  Scoring: No, employees use their own equipment - 0 points
  Yes, the company furnishes equipment to use during work - 10 points
• Does the company advocate for remote work through social media, blogs, books, videos, speaking engagements, etc? - Many of the companies that are considered grandparents of the modern remote work movement have not only built great remote cultures; they educate others on how to do the same. They are remote work advocates and have published blogs, books, etc., on the topics of remote work and building great remote first culture.
  They became known not only for selling their products but for also "selling" the idea that building a remote first company at scale was possible!
  Some examples include Automattic, Zapier, Gitlab, Basecamp, Help Scout and Taxjar.
  See the Other Resources page for links to their works.
  Scoring: No - 0 points
  Yes - 20 points
• What is this company's salary philosophy? - There is currently a debate raging among remote friendly companies regarding salary philosophies.
  Some companies believe the worker's location should not matter. Equal work for equal pay.
  Other companies believe that a worker's salary should be tied to a regional cost of labor. For some companies, one of the advantages of remote work is the ability to hire from less expensive regions around the world. There are arguments to be made on both sides and neither one is inherently right or wrong.
  Simply stating a company's salary philosophy is "location agnostic" is only part of the equation. They also need to clarify which region the salaries are pegged to. If an employee lives in an area where cost of living is lower than the 'pegged area' then the salary may be attractive to them. If they live in a more expensive area, the salary will likely not be as attractive.
  For example: The company's salary philosophy is "location agnostic" and they have pegged salaries to San Francisco. A remote employee who lives in a more affordable area of the world may have just hit the jackpot! But if a company pegs their salaries to a lower cost area such as Atlanta and the employee lives in New York City, they will likely be earning below market rate and can likely increase their earnings by working for a local company.
  Check out Wildbit's article on this important and complex subject.
  Companies are not given more points for supporting one side or the other but it is important to understand which philosophy the company subscribes to since it can have a major impact on a worker's earnings.
  Scoring: Equal pay for equal work - 0 points
  Adjust pay based on location - 0 points