Remote Employees and Best Places to Work Eligibility
Use this guide to determine which remote employees to include in your survey and which contest they count toward.
In this article:
Are remote employees eligible?
Yes. Remote employees are eligible as long as they meet the same requirements as on-site employees. They must be:
- Permanent, full-time or part-time employees
- Employed for at least 30 days
- Based in the United States
The following employees are not eligible:
- Seasonal, per diem, or temporary employees
- Independent contractors or consultants
- Owners or partners with more than 5% ownership
Note: Regional contests and Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces require employees to be based in the U.S. National industry contests may have different eligibility requirements. Check the Best Places to Work Contests article to review requirements for the specific contest you're entering.
Which contest does a remote employee count toward?
Where a remote employee counts depends on whether your organization has a physical office in the contest area.
|
Your organization |
Remote employees who can count toward the contest |
|
Has a physical office in the contest area |
Remote employees who report to that physical office, regardless of where they live in the U.S. (i.e., remote employees reporting into the Omaha, NE office) |
|
Does not have a physical office in the contest area |
Remote employees who live within the counties included in that specific contest area (i.e., Omaha, NE employees living in that contest’s county) |
For example, if your organization has an office in a contest area, a remote employee who reports to that office can count toward that contest even if they live somewhere else in the U.S.
If your organization does not have an office in the contest area, only remote employees who live within that contest area's counties can count toward it.
What if we don't have an office in the contest area?
You can still enter a regional contest even if you don't have a physical office in that area. In this case, your eligible employee list is limited to remote employees who live within the contest area's counties.
Employees who live outside those counties cannot count toward the contest, even if they report to a manager who lives in the area.
This also affects your survey requirements:
- Your eligible employee count is based on the employees you include in your survey.
- Your required response rate is calculated from your eligible employee count.
- Most regional contests require at least 10 eligible employees, although some contests have higher minimums.
If you don't have enough eligible employees to meet the contest's minimum, contact us before launching your survey for guidance.
Can an employee count toward more than one contest?
No. A remote employee can only count toward one regional contest at a time.
This means if you're entering multiple regional contests, assign each remote employee to the appropriate region and make sure they appear on only one regional eligible employee list.
You can still enter multiple contests, including regional and national contests, using the same survey, as long as you meet the specified requirements for each contest.
How do I include remote employees in my survey?
Add remote employees to your employee list just like you would your on-site employees. There is no separate list or field for remote employees.
- Determine which contest each remote employee counts toward using the guidelines above.
- Open your Best Places to Work portal and go to your survey setup.
- In the employee upload step, download the Excel Template.
- Add your eligible remote employees to the same spreadsheet as your on-site employees.
- Make sure each employee appears only once and is assigned to the appropriate contest.
- Save and upload the spreadsheet.
- If you receive an error, download the error report, make the necessary corrections, and upload the file again.