Why More Companies Are Hiring Remote Developers and Engineers

As the world adapts to the 'new normal' remote work has emerged as a necessary and viable solution for companies to maintain productivity and continuity. 

This shift towards remote work was already underway in the tech industry, but the pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated its adoption.

Hiring remote developers is no longer a fringe benefit or a privilege reserved for a select few. It has become a necessity for companies to stay competitive and agile in today's fast-paced and rapidly changing business environment. 

The flexibility remote engineering teams offer has made it an attractive option for companies looking to expand their talent pool beyond their physical location.

Hiring remote developers and engineers has become increasingly common in the tech industry, where remote work has been a growing trend for many years. 

With advancements in technology and the rise of collaborative tools, remote engineering teams can work together seamlessly, no matter where they are. 

This has allowed companies to tap into a global talent pool, accessing diverse skill sets and experiences.

As we look toward the future, it is clear that remote work is here to stay. Companies that embrace this shift and adapt their practices to suit the needs of remote employees will be well-positioned to thrive in the new normal.

Let's dive deep into the benefits of a remote workforce to developers and engineers. 

Learn more: How to Hire Offshore Developers in 2023

Benefits of Remote Engineering for Developers and Engineers

In the technology sector, the conversation on the future of work was primarily limited to HR and employee experience talks. 

However, with the pandemic, the benefits of hiring remote developers and engineers have become more widespread and apparent to everyone.

1. Cost Savings

Hiring remote developers and engineers can significantly reduce a company's overhead expenses. Companies can save money on rent, utilities, and other office-related costs by not having to provide physical office space, utilities, and equipment. 

Additionally, remote work allows companies to access a global talent pool, which can help them hire the best candidates from around the world without incurring relocation costs. 

This can give companies a competitive advantage regarding access to highly-skilled professionals from anywhere worldwide while saving costs.

2. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance

Remote engineering solutions offer developers and engineers greater better work life balance and flexibility, which can lead to improved job satisfaction and higher retention rates. 

By eliminating commuting time and allowing for work from anywhere, remote working has given employees more control over their schedules and helped them better balance their personal and professional lives. 

This can increase productivity and job satisfaction while reducing employee burnout and turnover.

3. Increased Productivity and Collaboration

Remote engineering solutions can also increase productivity and collaboration among software engineers and developers. With fewer distractions and more control over their work environment, remote employees can often focus better and concentrate on their work more effectively. 

Additionally, a remote engineering workforce can enhance communication and collaboration between team members, mainly if the company invests in the right communication and productivity tools and software. 

By leveraging these tools and technologies, companies can create a virtual office environment that fosters collaboration and innovation, regardless of where their employees are.

4. Improved Employee Retention

A remote engineering workforce has been found to improve employee retention rates as it allows for greater flexibility and work-life balance. Software engineers working remotely have more control over their schedules and can better balance their personal and professional lives. 

As a result, they are more likely to stay with a company for extended periods, reducing the costs associated with employee turnover.

5. Increased Diversity and Inclusion

Hiring remote developers can also lead to increased diversity and inclusion within a company. Companies can hire from a wider talent pool, including those who may have previously been excluded due to geographic or other constraints. 

Leading to a more diverse and inclusive remote engineering workforce, which has been shown to result in better decision-making and improved financial performance.

6. Reduced Environmental Impact

Remote work can also have a positive impact on the environment. By reducing the need for employees to commute to a physical office, companies can help to reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts associated with transportation. 

This can also improve the company's reputation as a socially responsible and environmentally conscious organization.

Learn more: 4 Best Tests to Screen Developer Skills Before Hiring

Challenges and Solutions of Managing Remote Engineering Teams

With the current remote engineering workforce, organizations must be creative in hiring practices. It's also forcing organizations to work even harder to retain high-level talent that keeps them thriving. The key to remote engineering productivity is the proper management of employees. Managing a development team is not easy, and doing it remotely is even more demanding.

- Coordinating Schedules 

Coordinating schedules is crucial when building a remote workforce that can tap into talent from across the globe.

While this offers the advantage of having professionals in different time zones who can stagger their efforts and provide round-the-clock support, it poses challenges when conducting collective activities like meetings and training. 

It is unreasonable to expect team members to attend meetings at inconvenient hours, and spontaneous communication may also be complex due to time zone differences. 

As more hiring managers opt for fully remote teams, it is crucial to find ways to ensure cohesive work even when physically apart. 

Here are some strategies to achieve that:

• Create comprehensive resources that provide direction for common questions and challenges. Keep these resources updated regularly to ensure that guidance is always updated.

• Utilize remote engineering collaboration tools such as task management apps and communication channels to facilitate teamwork across different time zones.

• Use shared project management platforms to record progress, challenges and instructions in a central location. This can help team members work together effectively despite varying schedules.

• Record important meetings and make them available for team members who can't attend live. Invite them to submit questions and comments beforehand so that their input can be considered during the meeting.

- Creating Connection

To create connections and foster a positive company culture within a distributed workforce, it's important to adapt traditional approaches. For example, in-person perks and events may not be accessible to all team members, and building camaraderie isn't as simple as gathering in the kitchen for Monday morning bagels.

However, intentionally cultivating a sense of inclusion and remote engineering collaboration is crucial to the success of remote work, as it can sometimes feel isolating. 

Businesses are increasingly engaging independent professionals to work alongside full-time employees, and it's important to support the entire team, not just employees, if you lead a 'hybrid team.'

Fortunately, with the proper management support, remote engineering solutions can foster strong working relationships. 

Here are some ideas to help you cultivate a positive culture for your distributed workforce:

• Celebrate success: Highlighting success in creative and public ways can help connect team members. Whether through weekly Zoom happy hours or virtual high-fives throughout the week on Slack, sharing the high points of everyone's workweek makes workers feel seen, included and appreciated.

• Make time to meet: While remote engineering teams tend to communicate through impersonal methods such as email or chat messages, recognizing when a meeting might be better can enrich professional relationships in important ways. In addition, you can establish a personal connection by using video conferencing, especially within teams working toward a shared goal.

• Keep the announcements and updates coming: Regularly updating everyone's progress, company goals, and other important group announcements can unify team members through a shared sense of purpose. Confusion about the company's direction can erode the culture, so keeping everyone informed is essential.

- Balancing trust and accountability

As more teams move to remote work, some managers need more accountability and productivity. They wonder if remote workers will be distracted and slack off. 

However, research shows that these fears are unfounded, and remote workers can be more productive due to reduced non-essential meetings, flexible schedules, and no commute.

But, managers must balance effective oversight with micromanagement. Checking in too frequently without a real reason can impede overall productivity. 

Strong workers need autonomy to thrive, while too much intrusion can stifle them. On the other hand, managers should provide the necessary information and expectations for the team to perform effectively.

To achieve this balance, here are some strategies managers can use:

• Clearly define deadlines and deliverables: It is crucial to be extremely clear about what you expect team members to accomplish and the time frame they have to deliver. This effort upfront can prevent frustration later. Additionally, set up a standardized process for professionals to ask for extensions or request additional help if they need to catch up more transparently.

• Communicate overall project goals consistently: Remote team members are often accountable for just one component of a greater effort, and the big picture can sometimes seem unclear. Hence, consider outlining your larger goals to the entire team in meetings and other forms of communication. This approach motivates professionals to perform well and support other team members.

• Compensate correctly and on time: Late, missing, or incomplete payments can drain morale, loyalty and energy from a remote team. If independent talent makes up part of your remote team and you agree to pay at a certain rate or based on a project, hold up your end of the bargain. Payment details can be tricky, but it's important to prioritize timely and accurate compensation.

- Conducting effective team meetings

Convening synchronous communication with a remote team can be difficult as members may have varying schedules. Therefore, ensuring that the meetings are productive when the entire team can attend is important.

To achieve this, it is recommended to have an agenda in place. Agendas help to keep the meeting focused on essential matters and provide team members with an understanding of the meeting's purpose before it begins. This allows them to prepare questions and ideas ahead of time.

Here are some other ways to conduct successful remote team meetings:

• Plan a meeting agenda: Create an agenda to ensure that you cover all necessary items and save time. Share the schedule with team members beforehand so that they can prepare and participate more effectively.

• Use the right tools: Choose tools that match your team's needs. For example, file-sharing services may be important for some teams, while scheduling services might be more important for others.

• Ensure workers have quality equipment: To get good results from your remote team, ensure they have reliable equipment that allows them to attend and participate in meetings. Moreover, if your team includes independent professionals, ensure that their tools and software are compatible with your team's.

Learn more: 8 Tips For Hiring a Software Developer For a Startup

Examples of Companies with Successful Remote Engineering Teams

1. Deel

Deel, a payroll and compliance provider based in San Francisco, California, provides hiring and payment services to businesses that employ international employees and contractors. Since 2018, Deel has had a valuation of over $5.5 billion, making it one of the fastest-growing companies.

The fact that Deel operates entirely remotely suggests that remote teams are more efficient and productive because they can work from anywhere in the world.

2. Intergiro

Intergiro offers an all-in-one platform throughout Europe, including multi-currency bank accounts, card issuance and card acquisition. Its services enable anyone to integrate banking features into their website and app, creating new and innovative product experiences.

Intergiro provides hybrid and fully remote options for its employees and is dedicated to creating a remote-friendly environment that simplifies work and enhances the well-being of its employees. 

Intergiro has established hubs in luxurious coworking spaces in Sweden, Spain, Portugal and Poland despite being a remote-first company. This has helped the company attract individuals who prefer working alongside similar-minded colleagues.

3. Automatic 

Automattic, Inc. is a software company headquartered in San Francisco, CA, renowned for its primary product, WordPress. The company also owns other web applications such as WooCommerce and Tumblr.

Automattic has a remote-first working culture that has been featured in several articles. The company has employees in 96 countries and prioritizes flexibility, autonomy, and a healthy work-life balance. Automattic offers open vacation days, paid sabbaticals every five years, and generous parental leave to support this.

4. Zappier 

Zapier is a web application that automates connections between apps and enables users to create custom workflows. This web application has been a fully remote company since its inception in 2011 and currently has over 200 employees working in 24+ countries.

Zapier places great emphasis on employee autonomy and ownership of their work. The company offers a flexible vacation policy and a profit-sharing system to reward its employees' dedication.

To foster a sense of unity among its dispersed team, Zapier holds all-company retreats twice annually.

5. Invision 

InVision is a software company specializing in collaborative design tools and has established itself as a leading name in remote work.

The company encourages and supports its employees worldwide by providing a monthly allowance for work-related expenses and self-care activities. 

InVision also offers an annual fund for self-development and provides new hires with generous budgets to equip their home offices. Additionally, existing employees receive office refreshment budgets every two years.

Learn more: How to Hire Offshore Developers in 2023

Bottom Line

While in-house teams may provide valuable ideas for the core business, remote teams bring a plethora of benefits that can take your company to the next level. 

At Remotebase, we are dedicated to providing exceptional remote developer teams within 24 hours that deliver top-tier results to help your business thrive in the dynamic digital landscape.

Our team of experienced professionals is with you every step of the way, from brainstorming and idea generation to the final product launch. 

We understand that every business has unique requirements and we work tirelessly to ensure that our software solutions are tailored to your needs.

Our commitment to excellence and cutting-edge technology guarantees that your business will stay ahead of the curve and maintain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced world. Trust us to deliver reliable, high-quality results that help your business grow and succeed.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is remote development the best option now than ever before?

Remote development is now the best option due to advancements in communication technology, the pandemic-driven shift towards remote work, and its benefits, such as reduced costs, increased productivity and access to a larger talent pool.

What strategies can companies use to build a sense of community and culture among remote developers and engineers?

By hosting virtual events, encouraging communication, facilitating remote engineering collaboration, and providing opportunities for professional development and growth, companies can build a sense of community and culture among remote developers and engineers.

How can companies balance the benefits of remote work with the need for in-person collaboration and teamwork?

Companies can balance the benefits of remote work with the need for in-person collaboration and teamwork by using hybrid work models, providing occasional in-person meetings or events, and utilizing collaborative technologies such as video conferencing and project management tools.

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