I mean what they demand on this page http://www.toptal.com/developers/requirements
I find it shocking that they expect remote workers on a 7 hour difference timezone to start working extremelly early in the morning and work through the night if needed.
I find it also strange to expect someone to be reachable outside their normal working hours without being on call and properly compensated for their availability.
It sounds like these companies are taking advantage of the desire these engineers have for better projects without leaving their countries to for them to work in less than human conditions.
Amanzingly they only mention european countries where the labour law is said to work better.
In you experience, are these practices common/ legal or is an isolated case ?
If they mention these things on their public web page, what else can be going on.
I split my year between London and Paris time because, well, that's why we work remote in the first place, right? A couple months each winter might find me on a pleasant surfing beach that translates to 'Chicago time' or similar, so if you need to talk to me at four in the afternoon your time, that would be a good time to find me.
But again, no. I'm not going to check my email or respond to your Skype requests late an night. Just like I wouldn't expect them to answer their phone were I to call them at four in the morning.