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If you’ve been searching for remote work in Europe, you know that not all remote jobs are created equal. Some companies just allow remote work, while others are built around it - and that difference is huge. What makes a company truly remote-first? It’s not just about letting people work from home; it’s about designing communication, culture, and processes with distributed teams in mind from day one.
For a software developer, targeting remote-first employers can dramatically improve your chances of a sustainable, high-quality remote experience. But how do you know if a company is truly remote-first? If a company expects you to travel regularly, that’s a red flag - it’s probably just a facade. Also, if the job requires 5+ hours of synchronous meetings daily, the async culture is thin. And if remote employees don’t have equal promotion opportunities, it’s time to look elsewhere.
On the other hand, a truly remote-first company has no headquarters advantage - remote employees are first-class citizens, and their work is valued equally regardless of location. Decisions are documented asynchronously, using tools like Notion or Confluence. Meetings are run with the assumption that not everyone is in the same time zone, and hiring is global. Plus, promotions and compensation are equal across remote and office employees.
If you’re looking for remote-first companies in Europe, GitLab is a great example. Their entire employee handbook is public, and it covers everything from decision-making to promotions. They have developer roles ranging from backend to frontend and infrastructure engineering. Elastic is another company that’s been remote-first since its founding, with engineering roles available across all time zones. And then there’s Automattic, which powers roughly 43% of the web through WordPress - their engineering teams work across WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Tumblr, and Akismet, all fully remote.
Doist is a fully remote company that builds Todoist and Twist, and they’re one of the most vocal advocates for async-first work. Every role is remote and global. Remote.com is a global employment platform that helps companies hire internationally without setting up local entities - the irony is not lost on them, and they lean into it.
When searching for remote jobs, use remote-focused job boards like Xeito to find open roles. Check company career pages directly, and follow engineering blogs to show genuine interest and surface new openings early. Reference “remote-first” explicitly in applications, and watch out for red flags like “remote with regular travel” or meeting-heavy cultures. The best remote positions go fast, so set up job alerts on Xeito for the tech stacks and roles you want. Make sure your profile shows async communication skills, self-management, and remote work experience prominently - it’s not just about listing your skills, but about showing how you’ve applied them in a remote setting. And don’t be afraid to ask questions during the interview process - what’s the company’s approach to async communication? How do they handle conflicts or misunderstandings that arise when team members are in different time zones? The more you understand the company’s remote culture, the better you’ll be able to thrive in a remote role.
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