Quora is a fully remote company that embraces a global workforce. Most roles can be performed from anywhere in the world, with exceptions clearly outlined in each job posting.
Recognizing that remote work is not ideal for everyone, Quora offers the Coworking Space Program. This program enables eligible employees to apply for reimbursement of coworking space costs or to use a Quora-sponsored WeWork private office. The initiative empowers employees to select a workspace that aligns with their individual productivity and work style preferences.
Quora’s Transition to Remote-first
Quora started as an in-office company, and the 2020 pandemic changed all that.
As Adam D’Angelo, Quora’s CEO, confesses:
” This whole experience has been difficult, but it has also been educational. Surprisingly, despite growing up as a company centralized in a single location, despite years of investing in culture and processes built on that assumption, despite the stress people are feeling from the state of the world, despite the distraction involved in adapting to that world, despite the burdens facing parents with small children and no schools or childcare, we have been very productive. “
After spending lots of time talking to employees, digging into survey responses, and researching the topic of remote work, he came to the following conclusions:
- Commuting consumes valuable time and energy, negatively affecting employees’ well-being. The pandemic highlighted the benefits of eliminating commutes, leading to increased job satisfaction and improved work-life balance.
- Open office environments hinder concentration and collaboration. Remote work often provides a quieter and more focused workspace, leading to increased productivity.
- High housing costs and limited housing supply in the Bay Area force employees to spend a significant portion of their income on housing, leading to longer commutes and reduced quality of life.
- Restrictive immigration policies hindered Quora’s ability to tap into global talent. While building a global knowledge platform, Quora faced challenges in hiring top-tier individuals from around the world. Many of their employees were foreign-born, having immigrated during periods with less stringent visa regulations. The current cap on immigration limited their talent pool and created uncertainty for existing foreign employees, who fear potential deportation. Mandating a physical office presence would worsen these issues by restricting the Quora workforce to a specific geographic location.
The conclusion was that Quora became a remote-first company, after balancing the pros and cons of remote work.
Remote-first meant that:
- All existing employees could at once move anywhere Quora could legally employ them.
- Quora will keep its current office in Mountain View and convert it into a co-working space for employees who want to work from there.
- Quora’s CEO will visit the office no more than once a month. The Quora leadership teams won’t be in the office.
- All meetings will require everyone to be on their own camera.
- Quora implemented core collaboration hours from 9am to 3pm Pacific Time (6am-12pm Hawaii, 12pm-6pm Eastern, 5pm-11pm UK, 6pm-12am most of Europe). This timeframe is designed to optimize overlap for global teams. During this period, employees are expected to be available for meetings and real-time communication. While Quora anticipates most of its workforce to be in the Americas, they’re open to hiring talent worldwide who can work within these hours.
Why Remote-First and Not Hybrid?
Hearing Adam D’Angelo’s explanation for choosing remote work over hybrid work was mind blowing. He seems very grounded and well informed, and… honest.
The reason for not choosing a hybrid approach with leadership or certain teams in the office is that traditional companies often favor in-office employees, creating an uneven playing field. Remote workers can be overlooked for promotions, key projects, and opportunities. This isn’t intentional, but it’s a common challenge.
So, Quora’s CEO is aware of ‘proximity bias’. Proximity bias is the unconscious tendency for people in leadership roles to favor employees who are physically closer to them. While not intentional, this can lead to remote workers being perceived as less committed compared to in-office colleagues.
To counteract this, Quora’s leadership team believes a fully remote model is essential. It prevents the office from becoming a de facto headquarters, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of location. While they recognize the potential challenges, they’re committed to creating a level playing field where all employees have the same access to growth and advancement.
Quora’s Journey to a Fully Remote Organization
In an interview for Allwork.space, Kara Ortbal, Quora’s Remote Work Specialist, describes the company’s transition to a fully remote model and the challenges and successes they’ve met.
Here are some of the initiatives they’ve taken:
- Focus on logistics: When shifting to a global workforce, legal and tax regulations vary by country. Quora uses a combination of entity models (setting up local subsidiaries, like Quora India, for example) and PEOs (Professional Employer Organizations) to navigate these complexities.
- Consistent employee experience: Quora strives to create a consistent experience for all employees, regardless of location. This includes things like reimbursements for tech equipment, etc.
- Mindfulness and wellness initiatives: Quora developed an employee assistance program, EAP, that provides mental health support and counseling.
When speaking of challenges, Kara admits they’ve met several:
- Time zones: Coordinating meetings across various time zones can be tricky, but Quora tries to balance core collaboration hours with individual flexibility.
- Documentation: Clear and readily available documentation becomes crucial for onboarding new employees and ensuring everyone is on the same page in a remote environment.
- Social interaction: Creating a sense of community and fostering social interaction among remote workers can be challenging. While video meetings help, Quora acknowledges the importance of occasional in-person meet-ups.
- Proximity bias: Leaders at Quora strive to ensure the office in Mountain View doesn’t become a “center of gravity,” taking steps like requiring everyone to use video in meetings regardless of location.
Conclusions
“Being able to let people continue to live wherever is best for them will allow us to get the best people from around the world without the kind of constraints we’ve had in the past.“
Adam D’Angelo, CEO Quora
After transitioning to a remote-first company, Quora started to reap the benefits:
- Global talent pool: Quora can now hire the best talent from anywhere in the world, not just near their headquarters. It has now spread to 15 countries.
- Employee autonomy: Employees have more control over their workdays, including taking breaks and setting boundaries.
- Reduced costs: Eliminating the office environment leads to cost savings on rent and other overhead expenses.
Want to read more inspiring stories on how to make remote and hybrid work, work? Check out the Hubspot hybrid work story, and the AirBnB “Work Anywhere” story.
Now, if you want to find out more about how to better manage the return to office, check out this office comeback guide we compiled for you. Also, we have created a lineup of companies and their RTO policies for you.