Don't let them fool you - Anonymous employee Remote Employee Review

I don't even know where to start. The whole experience is so disturbing and negative. The first red flags appeared even before I started working. I was asked to do all the setups during my own private, unpaid time. This had never happened to me before, but I thought, "Okay, I'll do it. Remote is supposed to be an amazing place to work. I'm sure they're not doing this on purpose." They have this AMAZING handbook where you can read about how they value people and work-life balance... well... all the values, culture, etc. is just one big lie. The company's PR is unbelievable. You join the company thinking you'll be working for this great organization, but the truth is the opposite. Work-life balance simply doesn't exist here. Asynchronous communication (async) means you end up working all the time. All the messages shared by leaders are very carefully crafted to maintain this positive PR image. I saw most of my colleagues replying to those messages in a very positive way too, but for everyone working here. If you feel like you're the only one struggling with this, it's because everyone else is so polite and seems okay with all the "bullsh*t" that's going on. Remember, it's not just you! Just start openly speaking with your colleagues, and you'll be surprised how many people feel the same way about this organization. I started doing that, and it was an eye-opening experience. The workload is definitely too big. When you tell your manager about it, best case scenario they just ignore it and maybe only take action when things escalate, worse they will gas light you showing that you are a problem. They've changed the culture to be "high performing," which means if you were a 5 before, you'll be a 4 or less now, with lower chances of a pay raise (which even before wasn't really possible). Everything you are doing, all the work, all the extra hours NEVER is enought. Very toxic. The company talks a lot about not supporting cheap labor, but the salaries for non-Western countries are pathetic. People still accept the jobs because they don't have as many opportunities in those countries, but HELLO REMOTE, this is literally supporting cheap labor! Here's a funny story for the end. For Christmas, people were expecting nice presents, like a bonus (since the company wasn't spending any money on a Christmas party). We got $50 to buy goodies with the Remote logo. I thought I'd die laughing. Obviously, everything was presented in "Remote style": "We value you so much as an employee. We have this great present for you..." pure comedy.