At Works, we have been highly supportive of remote working for over a decade and have been helping businesses to recruit remote programmers. Our entire organization also operates remotely. We are strong advocates of remote working and its benefits.
Hiring remote developers can be a great advantage for businesses, allowing them to access a wide range of potential personnel at competitive rates. Here are the five key benefits of utilizing remote programming:
Leveraging the Skills of Remote Programmers
Pool of potential employees
The remote programming workforce model offers the advantage of broadening an organization’s talent base. This enables them to source skilled personnel from any location, rather than being limited to the talent available in their immediate vicinity.
Recruiting competent IT professionals is a complex process, as you are all aware. Although there are a multitude of developers worldwide, not all of them possess the necessary skillset. Nevertheless, your chances of locating a technically proficient and culturally-sensitive remote programmer who can make a positive impact on your firm’s success increase once you start your recruitment process.
If you want to learn more, check out the article “Which Country Has the Best Programmers in the World?”
Lower their expenses
Imagining the potential cost savings of employing a programmer from the Silicon Valley area could be halved is an incredibly appealing prospect. Currently, this is a reality, with developers from Eastern Europe and other locations being highly proficient and potentially costing half as much as their US counterparts. It is certainly worth considering.
It is not accurate to suggest that you can receive ten engineers for the cost of one if you hire them remotely. It is still important to ensure that the individual chosen for the job meets the required standards. However, it is worth noting that there are many highly skilled programmers in locations where the cost of living is substantially lower than in major cities in North America. Consequently, you may be able to reduce your expenditure on IT expertise of the same level.
Encourage more variety
It is essential to have a varied workforce. This is not only to receive recognition from other organizations or individuals, although this is a nice bonus. The main advantage of increasing diversity is far more substantial.
The diversification of a group’s membership can lead to the introduction of new ideas and approaches. It is said that two heads are better than one and so the productivity of a group filled with imaginative thinkers could be far higher. Having a range of perspectives and backgrounds within a team can stimulate creative thought and the development of original solutions. To diversify the workforce, one effective strategy is to recruit remote programmers.
Try to cut down on personnel turnover.
Working remotely provides employees with the opportunity to achieve a healthier work-life balance, and can also lead to increased productivity as individuals can work at times when they are most effective. Additionally, having a flexible home-working policy can provide long-term benefits to businesses, as it can help to retain valuable employees.
A report by Owl Labs, entitled ‘State of Remote Work’, has found that companies which enable staff to work remotely have 25% lower employee turnover than those which do not.
Increased output
It is widely accepted that time is a valuable resource, and this is why businesses strive to hire productive staff. Research has demonstrated that remote workers are more efficient than those working in an office environment. This is due to the fact that they are not subject to distractions such as office noise or colleagues.
Remote programmers often experience fewer interruptions, however, this does not mean that they do not occur. Therefore, it is essential to equip remote developers with the necessary support to help them manage any distractions that may arise.
The Effects of Distraction on Programmers Working at a Distance
By making use of remote programming, a range of benefits can be accessed. It is important to note, however, that there may be some slight issues with regards to remote management.
It is possible for programmers to be successful when working from home, however, they must still be aware of potential distractions. Establishing a workflow is key to producing excellent results and any distractions can disrupt this. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of outside influences and remain focused on the task at hand.
No, I do not suggest holding an hour-long meeting with a coder where they are not expected to contribute. A simpler and more effective approach may be to have a brief Skype call or even a Slack message.
The results of this research suggest that even a brief interruption of two seconds can have a detrimental effect on productivity that may last up to 15 minutes. Furthermore, if the disruption is increased to four seconds, the amount of time necessary to regain focus may be significantly increased.
Research has demonstrated that when a task is interrupted, it takes twice as long to complete and there are twice as many errors as if the work had continued uninterrupted. This is a significant issue that is encountered in many workplaces and aspects of life, with some studies showing that interruptions occur 57% of the time. Programmers may be fortunate to receive a two-hour block of time each day free from interruptions.
A remote programmer may be able to take advantage of their freedom to structure their workspace in a way that reduces distractions. As a manager, it is your responsibility to ensure that you also do your part to ensure an effective working environment.
At Works, we advocate for the consistent application of policies across all staff, including remote workers. There is still scope to refine our processes and policies, which will benefit both our remote and in-house staff.
When working in this manner, how can you improve efficiency?
Ideas for Limiting Employee Distractions in the Coding Environment
- During coding breaks, make it clear that you expect to be able to talk freely with your teammates.
- Maintain strict silence during coding periods.
- Encourage your developers to be organized and stick to their allocated project timelines. This will ensure the rest of the team can plan their activities around the developers’ availability.
- Reassure them that it is OK to disable alerts while working on code.
- Put together a meeting agenda in advance and keep meetings to a minimum.
It has been noted that some meetings at Works tend to extend beyond the allotted 45 minutes. While it is understood that this extra time is used to converse informally, it is essential that we remain mindful of the purpose of our meetings and ensure that any additional time is used productively.
Also, before inviting someone to a meeting, be sure they have something to contribute.
It’s not easy to change a company’s culture to accommodate these values. However, if you are able to, you will see a tremendous boost in output.
If you are in need of assistance in finding and hiring a skilled remote programmer, please do not hesitate to contact Works. We can help you find the ideal new team member in a matter of two weeks or less.
