Want to Get a Developer? Let Your Devs WFH

I’ve noticed something interesting about the software developer job market recently for people who want to work from home.

There aren’t any jobs to apply for.

It seems there are plenty of jobs where the work is hybrid (3 days a week in the office) or full-time in the office. These roles seem to go unfilled.

So, let me tell you how software development firms can attract the best talent, and productivity rates can burst through the roof in one fell swoop.

The Work From Home (WFH) Revolution Helped Developers

After the pandemic in 2020, companies seemed willing to let companies WFH. They reaped the benefits from doing so

Productivity

Developers working from home are more productive.

Working from home means that developers are not only able to focus on their work and manage their time but avoid commuting.

Wasted Time

The long hours spent in traffic take a toll on the mental health of software developers with commutes over 50 minutes worsening the risk of burnout.

Companies Made it Happen

Working remotely allows developers to dedicate more time to writing code, and it seems that businesses had gotten used to these facts.

The About turn

Companies have decided that three days a week in the office is the sweet spot for software developers.

Employees are being asked to return to the office to have both the productivity of working at home and the benefits of collaboration.

Developers have to maintain two work setups, deal with the hassle of commuting just for a few days, and still don’t get the full benefit of remote work. The inconsistency can be more disruptive than beneficial, especially if the office days are filled with unnecessary meetings.

My Experience

I recently interviewed with a company that does not mandate which days you need to go into the office but does mandate there should be 3 out of every 5 working days.

I scheduled a Zoom call for a Friday and was surprised to see my interviewer sit alone in an empty office.

“I like to come in on Fridays as it’s nice and quiet they noted”

I accept it might work for them to work in a quiet environment (particularly if their home environment may be disruptive), but it’s a contradiction to claim that this enables collaboration if you sit alone!

The Current Reality

In my experience, software developers are gradually forced into working at the office (as many contracts do not mandate a remote position).

As a result, employees are gradually looking to move from in-office and hybrid roles and move to remote roles. Those positions are becoming rare these days.

So we are left with a rather large group of developers looking for remote positions where few exist, the supply of remote jobs is dwarfed by the number of candidates.

The Hiring Opportunity

Small companies

I’ve heard on the grapevine that a small company has been opportunistically interviewing some great candidates because they are offering remote positions.

Small companies may be unable to offer the career development or salary of larger organizations. If they can offer WFH positions they have an edge over the companies phasing out such positions.

Yelp

Small companies are not the only ones who benefit. Old-fashioned tech behemoth Yelp are benefiting too.

In their own words:

“It’s rewarding to see both the level of interest and the quality of our applicants,”

Carmen Amara, chief people officer at Yelp, told Fortune.

“Remote work has allowed us to attract a number of candidates who previously would not have applied to Yelp due to their location.”

Notably, Yelp’s global tenure has increased to 3.5 years in 2023, compared to 2.8 years the year prior.

The company says it’s using the money it saved from shutting down its underutilized offices in New York City, Chicago, and Washington D.C., to funnel back into employee benefits, professional development, and wellness reimbursements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you’re having difficulties taking on great software developers consider giving them WFH benefits.

You’ll get a great employee, and probably you’ll find them productive too.