Nov 3, 2020 - Economy & Business

Why Reddit's remote work policy is different

Photo illustration of Nellie Peshkov.

Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Reddit

Reddit isn't the first big tech company to embrace telework after the pandemic. But the platform stands out from its peers because it says it'll pay workers the same salary — no matter where they live.

Why it matters: The catch in the remote work policies at Facebook, Microsoft and other tech companies has been that although employees can choose to work remotely forever and from anywhere, their pay might be cut if they move out of expensive cities to cheaper ones. Reddit is doing away with that snag.

  • I spoke with Nellie Peshkov, Reddit's chief people officer, about the move.
  • "We realized where our employees are doing work has no impact on their performance," Peshkov says. "We want to pay our employees based on that impact, based on that performance."
  • The majority of Reddit's employees don't want to go back to the office full-time, she tells me.

Between the lines: Reddit's policy will apply to new hires as well as veteran employees. So even if you're joining as a new employee from the middle of the country, you'll get paid a Bay Area salary.

  • "I really believe this is going to allow us to increase the diversity of our workforce," says Peshkov.

Worth noting: Peshkov is Reddit's first-ever chief people officer. She previously led the firm's human resources team at the VP level.

  • The company created the chief people officer role amid the pandemic because "it is so critical and important to the success of the company," she says. "People are our most important resource."

Go deeper: The evolution of HR

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