Remote Work Stipend Policy

Gradient is a fully remote company. To ensure all employees have the tools and environment they need to do their best work from anywhere, we offer a Remote Work Stipend Policy. This policy is designed to empower employees to work remotely with comfort, efficiency, and professionalism by providing distinct budget categories and guidelines that support onboarding, annual workspace needs, and periodic hardware refreshes.

Employees are encouraged to use their stipend proactively to maintain a productive, healthy, and well-equipped workspace.

All full-time employees are eligible for the Remote Work Stipend Policy upon their hire date. Gradient offers three types of Remote Work Budgets within the policy, each with its own availability:

• New Employee Startup: Available for the first 6 months of your employment.
• Regular Computer Replacement: Available 5 years after your last computer purchase.
• Annual Workspace Stipend: Available after your New Employee Startup budget period ends.

Remote Work Budgets are set and tracked in either USD or EUR, based on an employee’s assigned budget currency.

• US-based employees: Budgets and expenses are tracked in USD.
• EU-based employees: Budgets and expenses are tracked in EUR.
• Employees based elsewhere: Budgets are tracked in USD, and purchases in other currencies will be converted to USD using the Ramp exchange rate at the time of purchase.

Every transaction is deducted from the employee’s budget in their assigned currency, with the following caveats. Because conversions can introduce discrepancies, employees should make purchases in their assigned budget currency whenever possible.

• If a EUR-assigned employee makes a purchase in USD (e.g. while travelling), the USD amount will be deducted from their EUR budget.
• Conversely, if a USD-assigned employee makes a purchase in EUR, it will be converted to USD and deducted from their USD budget as such.

To ensure clarity and transparency around Remote Work budgets, all eligible purchases must follow the steps below:

• Ramp Required: All purchases must be made using the employee’s Ramp card unless an exception is approved in advance by the Operations team.
• Memo Required: Each transaction must include a short memo noting the purpose of the expense.
• Receipt Required: A digital receipt must be uploaded to the Ramp transaction.
• Category Selection Required: All transactions must be categorized under Office Furniture / Equipment in Ramp.

Employees can monitor their remaining balances via the Remote Work Budget Dashboard, which is updated monthly based on the most recent Ramp data. The dashboard includes per-category tracking and automatically calculates remaining budgets in the employee’s assigned currency (USD or EUR).

Gradient provides new employees with three separate budgets to ensure their remote work environment is fully equipped from day one. Startup budgets are intended for new hire onboarding only and are not available beyond the first 6 months of employment. Once this period ends, employees may begin using their Annual Workspace Stipend.

Gradient provides all eligible employees with a company-issued computer upon hire. Employees may select a computer that best suits their role and personal preferences (Mac or PC), provided it is capable of supporting Gradient’s standard tools, collaboration platforms, and workload requirements.

Budget: $1,500 or €1,500, depending on the employee’s primary residence.

To ensure long-term support and device protection, employees are required to purchase extended computer coverage at the time of purchase. The budget for an extended warranty is total per device purchase.

Coverage should last at a minimum 3 years, and appropriately align with the computer:

• Mac users must purchase AppleCare+.
• PC users must purchase equivalent extended warranty or accident protection coverage offered by the manufacturer or a reputable third-party provider.

Budget: $300 or €300, depending on the employee’s primary residence.

New employees receive a budget to set up their home workspace. This startup budget is a one-time allocation and should be used within the first six months of employment.

Eligible purchases include, but are not limited to:

• Office chair
• Desk, adjustable standing desk
• Standing desk floor mat
• External monitor, riser, laptop stand
• Keyboard, mouse, charger
• Headphones, microphone, webcam
• Desk organizer, notebook, filing system
• Co-working space membership, day pass

Budget: $1,000 or €1,000, depending on the employee’s primary residence.

Company-owned computers may be replaced every five years. This cycle ensures that equipment remains functional and current. The replacement budget does not increase if a longer period has passed since the last purchase, and any unused funds from prior years do not carry over. If a new computer is not purchased when eligible, the same budget will remain available until used.

Replacement devices must continue to meet Gradient’s technical requirements. Please refer to the Computer Hardware and Computer Warranty sections above for device selection and coverage requirements.

If a device becomes damaged or deemed no longer sufficient before the five-year mark, employees should contact the Operations team to discuss options. Exceptions to the five-year replacement cycle may be granted in specific cases with leadership approval.

Computer Budget: $1,500 or €1,500, depending on the employee’s primary residence.
Warranty Budget: $300 or €300, depending on the employee’s primary residence.

After the initial 6-month New Employee Startup period ends, employees become eligible to use the Annual Workspace Stipend. This stipend supports ongoing, reasonable work-related expenses to maintain or enhance their remote work setup.

Please refer to the Office Equipment & Furniture section for examples of qualified expenses. If you would like to make a purchase but aren’t sure if it qualifies under this policy, please contact the Operations team.

Budget: $500 or €500, depending on the employee’s primary residence.

• The stipend renews annually on 1 January.
• Unused funds do not roll over to the following calendar year.

Employees who experience unexpected equipment failures or urgent remote work needs and have already exhausted their available budgets should contact the Operations team. Exceptions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are expected to be rare.

This policy will be reviewed annually by the Operations team to ensure it remains effective, equitable, and aligned with Gradient’s business needs.