Working remotely has become a smooth process these days, with tech like web conferencing seamlessly bridging the gap between the home and office. There are lots of great perks too – you might even live longer if you work from home.
If you’re looking for a remote job, be it fully working from home or hybrid, it’s good to know which ones allow it before you send in your application. Here are a few companies that allow you to work remotely from home, as well as a few that don’t.
Companies That Let You Work Remotely From Home
In June 2021, Facebook announced that the remote working policy that was deemed necessary during the pandemic had proved a success, and that employees were free to work from home forever, provided that their roles were compatible with this approach. Anyone who decides that they want to work in person needs to commit to being in the office at least half of the time.
Those that do decide to head to the office HQ in Menlo Park will find it worth their while, with access to a barbershop, arcade, valet parking, dry cleaning, and more. But if you don’t want to make the commute, then hey, Facebook is cool with that too.
If you do opt to join Facebook and work remotely, you won’t be the only one. Mark Zuckerberg has pledged to work remotely six months of the year.
Amazon
Amazon’s remote working policy isn’t quite as clear cut as some of its rivals. Currently, those who aren’t needed onsite (sorry warehouse workers and delivery drivers) are free to work remote full-time.
In September 2022, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that there were no plans to return to the office, stating: “I don’t really believe that we’re going to end up coming back to the office.”
While Jassy did acknowledge that team meetings can be more challenging over video call, the company’s number one concern is the customer. If remote working doesn’t get in the way of this, it looks like it’s here to stay for Amazon employees.
Microsoft
Microsoft is a huge champion of hybrid work, and for good reason. It sells a suite of software designed to facilitate communication between remote workers, notably the Microsoft Teams web conferencing platform, which has bridged the gap between home and office for many workers globally.
If you’re looking to join the tech giant though, make sure to ask if you’ll be allowed to work from home remotely. The company does allow it, but those who want to do it more than 50% of the time must have the request signed off by their manager. Make sure you’ve got it in writing before you sign that contract.
Airbnb
It tracks that Airbnb, a company that specializes in traveling and vacations, would let its staff work remotely. You don’t even need to be at home. As of April 2022, the company announced that employees were free to work from home (or the office, if they chose), permanently.
In addition, employees are also allowed to move anywhere within the country that they live in, with no negative impact on salary. This isn’t the case with all companies. For example, last year Google implemented a calculator that worked out how much their salary would be affected depending on where they were located.
You don’t even need to stick to your own country — the remote working policy allows staff to work from over 170 counties for up to 90 days a year.
Even Airbnb’s CEO is ditching the office, using the company’s properties as temporary base.
Slack
Messaging platform Slack was ahead of the curve, announcing that employees could work from home permanently way back in June 2020, when the pandemic was only a few months in.
The company also stated that it would look to increasingly hire remote workers going forward — great news for all you non-commuters out there. CEO Stewart Butterfield recently confirmed that the company had hired “thousands of people who are in locations where we don’t have an office at all.”
ZenDesk
Zendesk claims to be one of the first companies to pivot to a full remote workforce during the pandemic.
Initially the company had planned for employees to return to the office two days a week, but after listening to staff, Zendesk announced that it was becoming a ‘digital first’ company in June 2022, with emphasis on allowing staff to be fully remote if they choose.
The benefits are compelling too. Staff are reimbursed for home office equipment and internet, have access to shared office facilities should they need it, such as WeWork, and also get an additional day a month off as part of ‘Recharge Fridays’.
Dropbox
Dropbox has adopted what it calls a ‘virtual first’ approach to work. Remote working is the norm at the company, though there are opportunities for face to face meetings with teams should they be required.
The company made the move way back in October 2020, and even has it’s own virtual first toolkit for anyone seeking answers on how the company handles remote working.
Uber
The nature of Uber’s business model means that the vast majority of those that work for the company simply won’t be able to work remotely (not until we’ve cracked self-driving cars, that is). However, those that have desk-based roles at the firm are free to work remotely half of the time.
The company states that it still believes in in-person collaboration, so those looking for a fully remote position are likely to be disappointed. However, those that are happy to work in the office half the time might appreciate the company’s hybrid policy, where employees can choose to work in the office five days one week, and then none the next.
Disney
If you want to work for the house of mouse, choose your role carefully. Yes, the company does have fully remote positions, but it’s certainly not the norm throughout the company. In fact, on the 9th of January, CEO Bob Iger told staff that they would need to be in the office four days a week going forward. So, before you sign on the dotted line, make sure that the role you’re applying for is actually remote, without caveats.
Salesforce
Salesforce outlined its remote working policy way back in February 2021. There are three possible options. Firstly, what Salesforce dubbed “flex,” a hybrid approach where employees would come into the office one to three days a week to collaborate on projects, and work remotely the rest of the week. The second was fully remote, where employees who don’t live near a Salesforce site, or who don’t need to be physically in the office, are free to work from home indefinitely. Lastly, working in the office four to five days a week.
President of Salesforce, Brent Hyder, said that the traditional nine to five was “dead” and that the employee experience was more than “ping pong and snacks.”
Zoom
If anyone could make a remote work policy actually work, you’d think it would be web conferencing platform Zoom. The pandemic boosted the company into the stratosphere, when suddenly it had the one thing everyone wanted.
In January 2022, the company announced that going forward, employees would be free to work fully remote, hybrid, or in the office.
Buffer
Buffer is a social media management platform, which has been fully remote since 2012. As well as allowing staff to work from anywhere, the company also gives individuals an allowance for co-working spaces, and even covers the cost of your coffee if you choose to work out of a cafe
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is an organization that helps workers find remote roles, so it makes sense that it practices what it preaches, with the company operating remotely since its inception in 2007. In addition, FlexJobs also has an open holiday policy, and offers employees a stipend for office furniture, tech, snacks and co-working spaces.
Hotjar
Unlike many of the companies on this list, web analytics company Hotjar didn’t jump on the remote working train during the pandemic – it had actually always operated as a fully remote employer. The company has in-person events twice a year.
The company states that hours aren’t monitored, and that staff are trusted to work manage their own workloads, although it does recommend that everyone is around during ‘core hours’, 2pm to 5pm CET.
The social media platform was quick to set its remote working policy in stone, just six months into the pandemic. Essentially, the company is happy for you to work from anywhere, at home, in the office, or anywhere in between.
Intuit
Intuit is another firm which found its pivot to remote working accelerated by the pandemic. In an internal survey, the company discovered that 90% of its staff appreciated not having to commute, and just 6% wanted to be in the office full time. Because of this, it developed a flexible remote work policy that has stayed in place, post pandemic.
Skillshare
Skillshare a very generous remote work policy. Not only do you get to work from the comfort of your own home, the company will also pay for your internet, and you can also be reimbursed for your tea/coffee spend (up to $25 per month).
Skillshare employees also have unlimited vacation time, and if you have a day where you crave the office environment, Skillshare gives its workers budget to work at a shared office with Industrious Co-Working.
Shopify
Shopify is very open to remote workers – in fact it actively encourages them. On the companies recruiting page it makes clear that it promotes flexible working for the mental wellbeing of its employees.
In addition, Shopify is happy for staff to work abroad for 90 days of the year, as part of its Destination90 program.
Revolut
Fintech company Revolut revealed in early 2021 that it was moving to a permanent remote working set up. In addition, the firm is happy for staff to work abroad, 60 days a year.
Spotify
It must have been music to employees’ ears when Spotify told its 6,000+ strong workforce that they were free to work from home or in the office should they choose. The choice is really up to the individual.
The company stated that it was looking to maintain the “perfect balance of flexibility, employment security, and job fulfilment.”