Zapier’s team is 100% remote, with 150+ members spread out across 15 time zones and 17 countries. Perks include an unlimited vacation policy, a retirement plan with 4% company match (for US-based employees — but they offer other profit sharing options for everyone else), 2 annual company retreats, paid parental leave, and a professional development allowance. Their hiring process starts with an online form and they use custom-built extensions to mask candidate’s names and photos to remove bias from the start of the process.
Zapier shares lessons learned in their Ultimate Guide to Remote Work, in addition to countless other software development outsourcing resources shared on their website and blog.
Though the exact valuation of the company hasn’t been made public, Business Insider shares that Zapier has a $35 million annual run rate as of 2018.
Check out Zapier’s up-to-date remote work job opportunities.
Final thoughts on the companies built with software development outsourcing and remote work
After considering this group of flexible yet profitable companies as a whole, the following takeaways may be useful for setting up a remote team or software development outsourcing for your business:
- ? Transparency and communication – specifically written communication – are two factors that play a huge role in success with remote jobs. Additionally, maintaining trust is a huge factor since managers cannot physically see if their team members are working — they only rely on their output (and responsiveness to online communications).
- ?️ Successful remote teams try as much as possible to meet up in person — at least once or twice a year to get to know the people they’re working with.
- ? Since they save on overhead costs, most of these companies offer competitive compensation and can give out special allowances, such as those for equipment, wellness, and conferences for their employees to expand their learning.
So, is going remote the right path for your business?
The jury is still out, but there are some general aspects that you should consider before making the decision:
First, “remote work” means different things to different people. In its most generic incarnation, remote work refers to doing a job outside the office. However, there are multiple different types of remote work.
For example, there are some companies that allow for a fully remote experience, while some only allow their employees to work from home a one to a few days a week. Additionally, some companies still prefer to recruit employees locally, just so that everybody can attend a meeting if need be, while others go full global.
Overall, while there may be several advantages to working remotely, it does not work for everyone. Companies such as Yahoo and IBM have tried offering the work from home option, but have since opted to reduce or completely scrap telecommuting in favor of getting their people together to innovate. Because these companies are composed of larger teams, getting team members together and pushing products out may pose a problem when compared to small startup teams, which are more agile.
Companies that adopt a remote working culture and software development outsourcing believe that by being location independent, they not only have a deeper pool to find the best talent in the world. They also believe that by giving their employees the autonomy to choose where they work best, they will unleash more creative and innovative thinking, which is needed in fast-paced tech startups (like most of the companies on this list).
What’s holding you back from starting your own remote team? Did we miss mentioning a cool company that was built with software development outsourcing? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @CodeinWP!
