The COVID-19 pandemic launched the world into a health and economic crisis at the start of 2020. Governments around the world responded by calling for or enforcing lockdowns, self-isolation, and social distancing. The new reality forced businesses to quickly adopt remote working in ways many hadn’t envisaged before.
Remote work has always had plenty of advantages that don’t get the attention they deserve. So if you are contemplating hiring good remote developers, that just could be the way to go. Here’s why.
1. Depth and Diversity of Talent
When you are hiring an on-site software developer, you are limited to individuals who live within your city and those willing to relocate to where you are. That greatly constrains the talent pool you have to work with. It might not look like a big deal for simple development tasks. The more advanced your development needs are though, the harder it becomes to find someone nearby who fits the bill.
Hiring remote developers breaks geographical barriers. You have literally millions of highly skilled developers to choose from. And it’s not just people in far-flung countries who will now be an option. There may be highly talented individuals in your area who are retired or prefer to work remotely and thus, wouldn’t be interested in an office-based position.
2. Reduced Infrastructure Expenditure
There’s a direct relationship between on-site staff headcount and physical infrastructure. The more employees your business has on location, the more infrastructure you need. That means more floor space and more equipment.
By hiring a remote developer, you no longer have to spend on desk space, a computer, office stationery, a physical connection to the corporate network, repairing equipment when it breaks down, or covering their electricity use. These infrastructural costs will be the remote worker’s headache.
3. Avoid Costs of Relocation
In the past, when an organization received a job application from a suitable candidate living hundreds or thousands of miles away, they had to facilitate the individual’s relocation.
If they were in the same country, that implied arranging to move the person and their belongings nearer their new workstation. If they were in a different country, the employer had to provide financial and documentation support for visa processing. There would also be a delay in work commencement, as the new employee waited for the relocation process to be complete. With a remote software developer, relocation is no longer required. The individual can work from wherever they are.
4. Better Resilience for the Development Project
Disaster can strike when least expected. Whether it’s a natural event like an earthquake or manmade, such as a DDoS attack, it can cripple your business operations. Organizations go to great lengths to develop business continuity and disaster recovery plans in the hope of mitigating the negative impact if a catastrophic scenario occurs. These plans usually involved facilitating telecommuting or having an offsite location where employees can work from.
By hiring remote software developers, you automatically improve your business’ operational resilience. You have at least one or more persons who can continue working immediately after the disaster. It also gives you a practical and tested remote work model you can quickly deploy for your on-site employees.
5. Cater to the New Generation of Workers
Millennials are now the largest generation in the labor force. And like generations before them, Millennials share certain priorities, preferences, and perspectives on life and career. In particular, Millennials are the generation that’s most keen on doing what you love. They are inclined to work environments that demonstrate flexibility.
Millennials are the first truly digital native generation with the Internet having an outsized role in everyday activity. With many software developers falling in the Millennial generation, many will prefer to engage with organizations that are open to remote work.
The advantages of hiring remote software developers are too compelling to ignore. Look beyond on-site recruitment to unleash these benefits.
