Netflix doesn't have remote workers. Yes, they compensate for every benefit in cash. Because they have abundance of it.

There is a reason why startups give equity and lower salaries. They can't afford to compete with incumbents. Plus we want all our employees to be and feel equal. That means to share all the upsides of the company through options grants, have great healthcare, time off, ...

options grants - you can give options to contractors.

great healthcare - you can reimburse the costs for insurance.

time off - you can just give them time off. :)

etc...

I think you can make your employees and contractors feel equal.

Option grants - they are not the same for employees and contractors. And there are huge differences between them for the receivers [0]

Healthcare - companies have different options than individuals. Different countries offer different quality. And many will opt-out from expensive plans that have great coverage in favor of extra cash [1]. However, when things happen, they don't have the proper coverage and end up in situations that are very hard to recover from (we been there).

Time off - this is again not the same thing. PTO has many important protections for employees and has built in rules in the law. Contractor has no right for any of it.

and etc.

Your suggestions are generally valid, but we prefer our employees to be at equal standing with the same rights and same benefits.

[0] https://buchwaldlaw.com/2016/10/stock-option-the-differences... [1] https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/seventy-five-percent-of-empl...