11 Best Company Benefits Every Remote Team Should Get
Remote Job HuntingWorking Remotely
Remote teams use the best company benefits for employees to attract and retain top talent. So add these company benefits and perks to your wishlist now:
What are the best company benefits for remote teams?
With competition for top talent at an all-time high, remote organizations are beefing up their company benefits and perks for employees to lure candidates their way.
And that’s fantastic news for you!
Besides scoring these perks, some employee benefits may make it easier to uncover the best remote company for you, especially when similar job offers and salaries are on the table.
So in today’s guide, we’ll highlight the most popular company benefits and perks to add to your remote job search wishlist.
But first:
What’s the Difference Between Company Benefits and Employee Perks Anyway?
Though these two terms are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences between them.
Company benefits are non-cash compensation given to employees in addition to their regular salary. You can usually find these on the company’s career page or when you decode a remote job ad description.
Certain employee benefits are required by law. For example, employer-sponsored health insurance is required for companies with more than 50 employees in the US.
But in countries with universal healthcare (like Canada), employers skip basic healthcare packages in favor of additional coverage to help pay for medical expenses the government doesn’t cover.
Employee perks are goodies that make an employee’s life better. Examples of employee perks for remote teams include reimbursement for standing desks or gym memberships.
When employees are happy and have a healthy work-life balance, they’re more productive and loyal. So offering killer employee perks is a win-win for organizations and their teams alike.
The 11 Best Company Benefits and Perks Every Remote Team Should Get
Some of the best company benefits and perks for remote employees may be more attractive for your needs than others.
So to help strengthen your remote job search, you should add these benefits to a spreadsheet and organize them based on your “needs” and “nice to haves.”
Then every time you come across a top remote company hiring, check off all the benefits they offer. You’ll quickly build up a list that easily compares all your options at a glance.
Also remember that if you're hiring internationally, companies like Remote can help you provide international benefits in an easy way.
Also remember that if you're hiring internationally, companies like Remote can help you provide international benefits in an easy way.
These are the top 11 best company benefits for employees to keep on your radar:
1. The Ability To Really Work Remote
Remote work exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging employees to seek out more permanent work from home positions.
However, that doesn’t mean companies now allowing this style of work have figured out all the nuances that make it successful.
They may be testing a hybrid work model and still have employees on-site. Or managers might not be fluent in asynchronous communication, which may lead to stressful micromanaging from afar.
So we encourage candidates seeking remote jobs to check out our Top 100 Companies List. These global companies have the most experience hiring remote workers. They’ve mastered all the processes and procedures that ensure happy, productive remote teams, and that’s good news for you.
You can usually spot these companies by employee perks like the ability to create your own personal schedule, work flexible hours, or even clock in a four-day workweek. This type of autonomy allows you to take advantage of all remote work has to offer.
2. Medical Benefits (including vision, dental, and family planning)
Healthcare expenses can take a serious toll on your wallet and your stress levels, especially if you have dependents and others to take care of. This burden may then affect your performance at work.
According to one MetLife study, when employers offered better health insurance coverage, 60% increased their productivity as a result [*].
Remote companies with expanded coverage tell candidates that they value and care about their teams. So look for medical benefits like:
- Private, employer-sponsored health insurance
- Vision and dental coverage
- Discounted prescriptions
- Disability insurance
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Life insurance
- Family planning services (to cover expenses for adoption, IVF, surrogacy, etc.)
Top companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook are even covering egg-freezing to give their teams the freedom to grow their family while pursuing their careers [*].
3. Mental Health and Wellness Benefits
Remote teams are more susceptible to working long hours and feeling the signs of burnout. So many remote companies are now supporting mental health in the virtual workplace with a slew of employee perks and benefits.
To help keep your mental health in check when you work from home, look for companies offering:
- An employee assistance program (EAP)
- Access to meditation classes
- Coverage for counseling and therapy
- Gym / fitness club memberships
- Child care assistance / elder care reimbursement
Programs like these will boost your quality of life, allowing you to perform to your highest potential.
Remote tech company Tucows hosts daily lunchtime Mindfulness and Guided Meditation sessions for its teams.
Automattic takes mental wellness to the next level via Spring Health. This includes a monthly subscription to a mindfulness app, virtual ergonomic consultations, and access to a wealth of virtual ergonomic tips, stretch videos, and yoga exercises.
4. Generous Vacation Policy / Encouraged Annual Leave
Offering remote teams unlimited vacation — and actually encouraging them to use it — boosts employee morale, engagement, productivity, and company culture [*]. It also shows the company values a healthy work-life balance.
Psst! We talked about why it’s important to take time off from work (especially when you work remotely!) in this guide.
So look for remote companies touting time off perks like paid:
- Sick leave
- Bereavement leave
- Personal days
- Mental health days
- Vacation (with at least 7 consecutive days off)
Tucows starts every new employee with plenty of personal days and three weeks of vacation. Automattic has an open vacation policy (i.e., no set number of days off per year) and encourages team members to take at least 25 days off annually.
5. Remote Workspace Stipend
If you’ve never worked remotely, there are a few do’s and don’ts to setting up your dream home office. Fortunately, many fully-remote companies make this task easier with a remote workspace stipend.
This fund or reimbursement will help new employees pay for one-time expenses such as a/an:
- Ergonomic desk or standing desk
- Ergonomic chair
- Computer, laptop, and other job-related devices
- Headphones, headset, or webcam
- Internet or wireless plan
Some companies like Kinsta and Automattic offer employees a remote expense budget, which covers everything from your home office setup and coworking space allowances to your java if you decide to work at your fave coffee shop.
6. Extended Paid Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Leave
Welcoming a new life into your family can be just as overwhelming as it is joyous. That’s why many countries have specific rules about employers offering parental leave time.
Remote companies that go above and beyond these legal requirements will always attract and retain the best candidates. So if you’re looking to expand your family, these benefits should be a top priority.
Automattic has an open family leave policy, which includes maternity, paternity, LGBTQ+, and adoption/bonding leave for all parents. If you’ve been with Automattic for 12 months, your leave is fully paid for up to six months.
7. Professional Development and Skills Training
Remote companies are only as successful as their employees. And since many know professional and personal development catapults your career, they’re all about furthering their team’s knowledge.
Getting the chance to acquire new skills as you grow in your career makes you a more capable employee and boosts job satisfaction. You’ll be better equipped to knock out tasks in your current role and promote into new positions later.
Remote companies can prove they’re invested in their employees’ success by giving them perks and benefits such as:
- Exclusive discounts for courses and classes
- Tuition reimbursement
- Stipends for certifications or industry licenses
- In-house workshops, webinars, and seminars
- Mentorship programs
- Virtual career coaching
- Covering professional organization dues
- Creating employee growth plans (i.e., a roadmap of your future with the company)
Thinkific gives employees a stipend starting at $1,500 to support their personal and professional growth — and a generous budget for books to further their development.
Doximity schedules Lunch & Learns for their team. They’ll also provide a conference/training budget for topics relevant to your line of work.
Tucows offers in-house education opportunities, plus a yearly learning allowance to empower their employees to grow professionally, personally, and develop new skills.
At Automattic, their company creed includes the mantra “I will never stop learning.”
From leadership development to upskilling, they boast a comprehensive list of programs and resources for employees to take advantage of. They’re also “happy” to pay for any hardware, software, books, or conferences that promote continued learning.
Automattic even provides career coaching sessions to help employees set and achieve their professional goals.
8. Retirement Planning
When organizations help employees plan for their dream retirement life, teams tend to be more loyal and satisfied with their company benefits. A whopping 31% of employees who don’t receive retirement benefits from their employers admitted they’re considering jumping ship for one that does [*].
Retirement planning allows employees to easily and automatically deposit pre- or post-tax dollars from each paycheck into a retirement account. Employers may then match or partially match contributions made to an employee retirement account up to a certain amount per year.
Retirement planning benefits are typically listed in a remote job ad as 401ks. Fidelity says the average 401k match is around 4.7% [*]. Some companies can’t match contributions, so they offer options like a traditional IRA or Roth IRA.
Doximity provides a 401k plan with traditional (pre-tax) and Roth (after-tax) options. They’ll match contributions dollar per dollar up to $3,000. Tucows also matches up to a certain amount of employee RRSP/401k contributions yearly.
9. Stock Options / Equity
When employees are offered stock options or equity in the company, they have a financial incentive to contribute to the organization’s success. If you score this option, the team’s wins become your wins.
This helps create a sense of ownership, allowing people to feel that their contributions are integral to the company’s future. You’ll be working toward something bigger than your to-do list. And if the company is acquired or goes public, your hard work will pay off big time.
One study even found that employees with ownership in their companies average higher median incomes, net wealth, and job stability than those without equity [*].
10. Student Loan Repayment Help
The Fed says Americans owe a staggering $1.73 trillion in student loan debt [*].
The stress of paying off this debt pushes some employees to look for higher-paying roles or take on a second job. Others aren’t able to perform to their highest abilities with this debt weighing heavy on their shoulders.
So employers offering student loan assistance are supporting their employees’ mental and financial health, and ensuring they have teams who can be more engaged in their careers.
11. Employee Recognition and Appreciation Programs
Remote companies with employee recognition and appreciation programs tell candidates that their hard work will never go unnoticed.
This is a big deal for remote employees who may feel unrecognized working from home and so far from the rest of their coworkers and leaders.
Companies often tie rewards to employee achievements, like demonstrating outstanding creativity, teamwork, or grace under pressure.
Exceed your goals, and you’ll earn well-deserved rewards like performance bonuses, gift cards, a personal day off, or even a personalized bucket-list experience.
Doximity employees have the chance to recognize their colleagues when they step up their game. The company will sponsor a small bonus known as a Cash Kudos.
Automattic has a bevy of anniversary awards, including a WordPress-branded laptop on your fourth anniversary and a paid three-month sabbatical every five years.
Ready To Score the Best Company Benefits for Yourself?
Remote companies know employee benefits and perks have the power to sway top candidates to their teams. These goodies also increase job satisfaction, morale, and retention.
So now it’s time to see which remote companies offer the company benefits you care about most.
We highlighted some of the best companies today. And there are tons of others you can discover on We Work Remotely using our Advanced Job Search.
Your dream remote role is out there — and we can help you find it!
← Back to Blog