The increasing popularity of telework in engineering is unsurprising, given that it was initially adopted as a solution to the mismatch between the demand for and supply of engineering talent in major technology hubs. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, telework has become the new norm, providing engineering teams with the flexibility to expand and reorganise according to fluctuating business needs. The “new-normal” of remote engineering has thus become an invaluable tool for both employers and employees.
As the demand for highly-skilled engineers continues to grow, managers in the engineering sector are increasingly looking abroad for new hires when they are unable to find enough qualified personnel in their local area. It has been demonstrated that distributed teams can be just as effective as those based in a physical office, and this has provided firms with the opportunity to move towards a more affordable and mobile style of working. This concept was pioneered long ago, and in 2022 Stripe launched an engineering hub that is exclusively remote. Now, over 60% of GitHub‘s workforce is employed remotely.
Hiring remote or dispersed engineers can be a major tactic for businesses or they can use it to supplement existing in-house teams with a cost-effective and timely source of proficiency. Making the switch to a distributed workforce, particularly on a large scale, can be difficult. At Works, we have direct experience with the challenges that many organisations face when introducing remote teams.
It is essential to be prepared for potential disruptions of considerable magnitude, as well as to have the capability to address the particular challenges that may arise during the process of starting and expanding a remote team. Crafting an individualised strategy is necessary to effectively tackle each scenario, given the diversity of the circumstances.
Organisations that are looking to develop and expand a distributed team should take a comprehensive approach in order to ensure success. Before beginning the process of building a remote team, it is important to gain insight into best practices and lessons learned. To this end, we suggest consulting engineering managers from successful, fast-growing companies as well as the specialists at Works. Doing so will ensure that you have all the necessary information to effectively launch and maintain a distributed team.
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