When was the last time you physically rented a movie?
In the pre-streaming era, a movie night meant driving to the local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video to see what films stood out from the store’s limited selection. While someone may have been on the hunt for a campy comedy like Death Becomes Her, if it was out of stock, they had to settle for an available copy of Practical Magic instead. With one VHS and an overpriced bag of Red Vines in hand, they return to their movie night — only partially satisfied.
The introduction of Netflix’s online DVD delivery was the perfect answer to this common headache, turning the in-person shopping experience into an online catalog where cinephiles could find the movie they wanted regardless of local availability.
For companies with roles to fill, opening the search to remote employees is something like the original Netflix rental experience — but with many additional benefits. On top of accessing a greater number of applicants, technology companies that hire remotely see a more diverse pool of candidates. In a recent report from Wharton, by opening tech roles to remote options, hiring teams saw a 15 percent increase in female candidates and a 33 percent increase in candidates of underrepresented minorities.
Building and maintaining a diverse workplace is a shared goal of all three of the featured companies on this list — and they’re all hiring for remote roles. Built In caught up with leaders from HopSkipDrive, Cedar and Level Access to hear more about how remote hiring has expanded their world.
HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity and care.
How is HopSkipDrive expanding its remote workforce? Are there any teams or roles that you're especially focused on?
HopSkipDrive is excited to be growing our team to support our mission to create opportunity for all through mobility. We are a remote-first company with an office in downtown Los Angeles for teams that may benefit from in-person strategy discussions or team-building to gather in person. We are currently hiring for more than 50 remote roles focusing on operations, customer success and technology to join our award-winning company.
Tell us about HopSkipDrive’s remote culture. How do you keep employees connected?
We invest in many methods of connection — like virtual parties and meet-ups in local hubs — that are more inclusive of remote employees who choose to work at HopSkipDrive.
We host two virtual team events annually, which include gathering together to celebrate wins, activities for employees to participate in and social time for people to connect. Also, our weekly town hall gathering is a chance for the entire company to connect, receive updates from our CEO and celebrate wins.
We are focused on building community and will continue to support and promote our hubs with more than five employees, encouraging quarterly events for social gatherings and giving back to their local communities
How does hiring remotely enable HopSkipDrive to build a more diverse, talented workforce?
By hiring remotely and not limiting ourselves to one geographic area or timezone, we can lean into what individual employees need or want from a workplace, allowing us to create a diverse workforce.
“By hiring remotely, we can lean into what individual employees need or want from a workplace.”
It was a strategic decision to build this way, and it’s paid off with talent from a host of different backgrounds, skill sets and identities as we focus on growing our technology company solving complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity and care.
Cedar provides a healthcare services platform that connects providers and payers for an improved healthcare billing experience.
How is Cedar currently expanding its remote workforce? Are there any teams or roles that you're especially focused on?
We've adopted a hybrid work model that is both adaptable and considerate of our team members — known as “Cedarians” — and their individual needs. This model empowers Cedarians to contribute to our mission of making healthcare more affordable and accessible.
For those near our New York City headquarters, there's flexibility to work from the office or remotely, allowing everyone to choose what suits them best. Our hybrid workforce strategy has been grounded in a strong commitment to inclusion and belonging from the start. Opening up to remote work has broadened our recruitment reach and enhanced our ability to attract diverse and specialized talent from across the nation. By not limiting ourselves to the immediate area around our New York office, we've tapped into a wealth of diverse skills and perspectives, enriching our team. Cedarians collaborate from 34 states, with significant hubs in both the Bay Area and the greater NYC area.
Tell us about Cedar’s remote culture. How do you keep employees connected?
Cedar’s remote culture emphasizes transparency, flexibility and inclusivity, fostering strong connections across our three workstyles. Our senior leadership team is dedicated to nurturing a culture of openness and connection through several initiatives.
Our CEO, Florian Otto, provides regular updates via a weekly CEO vlog to keep all Cedarians informed and aligned with company goals, partnerships and Cedarian happenings. Interactive town hall meetings highlight Cedarian achievements through what we call “Party Parrot recognitions,” celebrating successes and building community.
We also ensure all Cedarians feel valued by providing various spaces for authentic engagement, from employee resource groups to regular manager touchpoints. This approach to inclusion helps cultivate a supportive environment where all Cedarians can thrive without feeling excluded for their social preferences, making inclusion truly well-rounded by accommodating the diverse ways individuals choose to interact and belong within our organization.
“We also ensure all Cedarians feel valued by providing various spaces for authentic engagement.”
How does hiring remotely enable Cedar to build a more diverse, talented workforce?
Remote hiring expands our reach to a broader talent pool, enabling us to attract individuals who share our values and bring diverse insights. We actively embrace the diverse expertise brought by our Cedarians throughout the United States. Their backgrounds enhance company culture, helping us achieve our goals. Our strategy of remote hiring is a deliberate effort to reflect the variety of the patients we serve. This approach allows us to assemble a workforce that truly understands and represents our users' varied needs and experiences, which is essential for creating genuinely patient-centric solutions. We also prioritize meaningful interactions within our team.
Level Access is a technology accessibility compliance company providing solutions for corporations, government agencies and educational institutions.
How is Level Access currently expanding its remote workforce? Are there any teams or roles that you're especially focused on?
Level Access is a remote-first company and is always looking to expand its remote workforce, especially expanding internationally. We are currently focused on hiring for marketing, human resources, product, sales and engineering roles. Our primary hiring locations are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Israel, India and Ukraine.
“Level Access is a remote-first company and is always looking to expand its remote workforce, especially expanding internationally.”
Tell us about Level Access’ remote culture. How do you keep employees connected?
Level Access uses a combination of Slack, consistent companywide communications, department and team meetings, employee resource groups and onsite meeting opportunities. Slack is used for everyday work conversations, but we also use it for casual conversations and water cooler topics.
We have a weekly wire that goes out via email and is posted to our intranet every week, a monthly all-teams meeting, weekly and monthly department and team meetings and several other consistent communication methods to keep people connected and informed.
The employee resource groups are to connect individuals from a similar demographic — for example, we have an ERG for women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and persons with disabilities.
How does hiring remotely enable Level Access to build out a more diverse, talented workforce?
Hiring remotely enables Level Access to expand its network to other countries, which introduces new cultures. Additionally, Level Access's remote-first strategy supports flexible work schedules. This provides caregivers the flexibility to take care of their family needs while balancing a work-life balance. It also allows persons with disabilities to work in their most comfortable environment rather than forcing them to commute and work in an office.
