Autotroph is committed to making sure you have everything you need to be productive. As a remote employee, you won’t be coming in to a furnished corporate office everyday. We understand that, while most of us don’t need a whole lot of stuff to perform our daily duties, there are a few essentials and we take responsibility for ensuring you have them.
Responsibilities
We also believe that both employer and employee have responsibilities with regards to work related equipment:
Your responsibilities
- Take good care of your equipment. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Pack things carefully when traveling. Don’t let your kids play with anything fragile.
- Take security very seriously. Be constantly vigilant and cautious when dealing with sensitive data. Do not leave items unattended in public places.
- Use but don’t abuse equipment allowances. Be clear about the difference between your needs and your wants. Don’t try to get by with inadequate solutions, but don’t ask for unnecessary extras which will not help you do your job.
- Provide clear justification for any requests which are not standard.
Our responsibilities
- Provide you with all the equipment you need to consistently produce quality work.
- Never ask you to do anything which cannot reasonably be accomplished with the equipment you have.
- Respect and consider all requests for equipment and supplies. Our situations and duties are all different and no one knows what you need better than you. All requests will be thoughtfully considered, no matter how unusual.
Office equipment
New hire office setup
Brand new Autotroph employees are entitled to up to $500 which can be expensed towards home office equipment.
Annual equipment allowance
All employees of Autotroph are entitled to $150 USD worth of equipment purchases each year. Anything work or office related is eligible, subject to manager’s approval. Funds do not rollover and expire at the end of each calendar year.
Examples of eligible goods
Annual equipment allowances may be used towards the purchase of items such as:
- Office chair
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Monitor
- Headphones
- Microphone
- Webcam
- Dongles
- Chargers
- Adapters
- Desk
This is not a comprehensive list. If there’s something you think you need which is not on this list, bring it up with your manager and we’ll discuss the matter with you.
Computers
The most important piece of equipment we all use is our computer. Whether this is a laptop or a desktop, a Mac or a PC, weighs 2lbs or 25lbs, does not matter. This is a critical item for every employee, always.
Employees at Autotroph should expect the following when it comes to their primary workstation:
Repairs
All repairs and maintenance costs are eligible for reimbursement. These are subject to approval and we may choose to pay for a replacement instead if repair costs are high.
Replacement
Primary workstations which become inoperable, lost, stolen, or otherwise abruptly rendered unsuitable for daily use, are eligible for replacement covered by the company. Under normal circumstances employees should expect replacements to be equivalent to the old machine, although the company may decide to offer an early “upgrade” to a newer model.
Upgrades
Upgrades are different from replacements in that they are not based on the condition of one’s current workstation. Employees may request a brand new computer after their third work anniversary and every four years after that. The countdown to an employee’s next upgrade eligibility resets on the purchase date of the machine most recently ordered for them by the company.
Make and model are up to you but total costs paid by Autotroph may not exceed the current cost of a basic 16″ MacBook Pro. Employees are welcome to select more expensive models but must cover the additional cost out of pocket.
Ownership
All employee equipment purchased by the company for less than $500 is classified as a gift to the recipient. Items purchased costing more than $500 are company property until three years after the date of purchase. At that time the items become the property of the employee.
Employees who part ways with Autotroph while in possession of company owned equipment have the option to purchase it from the company at its current value or return it to the company at the company’s expense.
If you have equipment related needs, please send an email to operations at autotroph.com.