Remote-friendly is one of the most over-claimed values in tech. These 8 questions separate the companies that genuinely support distributed work from those that merely tolerate it — and will pull you back to the office when the pendulum swings.
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Ask about the percentage of remote employees, how remote workers are included in promotions, and what the mandatory in-person requirements are. The most revealing questions are about career advancement — do remote employees get promoted at the same rate as in-office employees? If they can't answer that, remote may not be truly equal.
Three signals: (1) leadership includes remote members, (2) processes are async-first rather than adapted-for-remote, and (3) remote employees get promoted at the same rate as in-office peers. Also check the job listings — if most roles say a specific city, the company isn't truly remote regardless of what the careers page says.
Start early — ask the recruiter about geographic restrictions and in-person requirements in the first call. During technical rounds, ask engineers about their actual remote experience. Save the deeper questions about promotion parity and timezone handling for the hiring manager round.