Remote-first or Remote-friendly?
Tags: blog, softwareengineering
Published: 2023-01-16 19:20:05

[caption id="attachment_719" align="alignnone" width="979"]<img src="https://codingforspeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/telecommuting-remote-work.png" alt="I was telecommuting, but now our company policy forbids it, so here I am." width="979" height="307" class="size-full wp-image-719" /> I was telecommuting, but now our company policy forbids it, so here I am.[/caption]

<h3>Doing it remotely</h3>
Nowadays, it's widespread for companies to offer remote or <a href="https://codingforspeed.com/my-work-station-of-microsoft-surface-studio-laptop/" title="My Work Station of Microsoft Surface Studio Laptop">hybrid work</a> options. Considering that statistics show more than 70% of professionals expect remote work to become standard, adopting this model could be critical.

But what's in it for developers?

<h3>Remote-first or remote-friendly?</h3>
Being a remote-first company means remote <a href="https://codingforspeed.com/maximizing-dev-productivity/" title="Maximizing Dev Productivity">working</a> is a primary mode of operation for most employees. In such a company, remote working is prioritized and integrated into the organization's DNA, although some employees will still work from the office.

On the other hand, in a remote-friendly company, most of the employees will work from offices, while some of them are hired as remote employees. It's also worth mentioning a remote-only company, a situation in which everyone works remotely, and the company doesn't need to have an actual physical office.

Remote-first model offers many benefits for companies that correctly implement it, such as higher retention rates, unlimited talent pool, reduced costs, easier scaling up, etc. But why should a <a href="https://codingforspeed.com/cloud-dev-envs-the-future-is-here-and-its-bright/" title="Cloud Dev Envs: The Future is Here and It’s Bright">developer</a> consider applying for a job in a remote-first company?

<h4>Freedom of movement</h4>
A lot of people live somewhere just because of their jobs. If it were up to them, they would probably live somewhere differently: closer to family, in a quiet place outside of an overcrowded city or in a place with lower living costs. Some of them want to experience other cultures, and with a remote-first job, this is entirely doable.

<h4>Increased productivity and satisfaction</h4>
No transport costs and traffic time lost? Sign me up! In addition to that, employees get to work around their schedule, enhancing <a href="https://codingforspeed.com/maximizing-dev-productivity/" title="Maximizing Dev Productivity">productivity</a> and efficiency. After all, not everyone is up and running at 9 am. Other notable reasons employees prefer remote work include fewer interruptions, a quieter work environment, more focused time, a comfortable workplace, and avoiding office politics.

<h4>Easier onboarding</h4>
Remote-first companies mostly rely on <a href="https://helloacm.com/tutorial-how-to-set-up-a-api-load-balancer-by-using-cloudflare-worker/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">cloud-based products</a>, which in turn make onboarding easier, not just for companies but for newcomers as well. For example, developers are ready to code with cloud-based dev environments. In addition to that, there is no hardware limitation or the need to set up something for days to start <a href="https://codingforspeed.com/shift-from-local-to-remote-working-dev/" title="Shift from Local to Remote Working">working</a>.

<h4>No restrictions to location</h4>
With remote work, a developer can work for any company from anywhere in the world, not being tied to jobs in local proximity. This gives many people the opportunity to find a fulfilling job and the one they're satisfied with, which probably could not be possible if it weren't for remote work possibilities.

<h4>Increased opportunities and better pay</h4>
Obviously, this one doesn't need a special mention. Not only that you are now globally competitive but you can also earn better pay and even profit from the arbitrage between country of employment and residence as companies have increasingly started to offer equal pay for equal work.

And if you're considering switching to a remote model, there's a perfect tool that amplifies all of these benefits and makes implementing remote work easier, Cloudanywhere. Fully featured <a href="https://codingforspeed.com/dev-containers-to-the-rescue/" title="Dev containers to the rescue">dev environment</a>, easier collaboration, pre-installed language runtimes and tools, terminals, you name it.

Reposted to [Blog](https://codingforspeed.com/remote-first-or-remote-friendly/)