As we enter the second year of the pandemic, many employees are still working from home, and complications stemming from remote work continue to arise for organizations worldwide. We’ve prepared five helpful tips for supporting your remote software developers during the rise of a remote workforce to help make them more productive and successful.
Five ways to support remote software engineers and set them up for success
- Build reliable communication systems and establish standards: Ensure that employees not only have the tools they need to communicate and collaborate (e.g., Slack), but also that they understand what’s required of them. Create a series of protocols that guide and instruct — For example, should they be checking in with one another regularly? Will there be daily or weekly meetings via real-time video conferencing?
- Use collaboration tools to create guidelines: Before outsourcing or assigning work via collaboration tools (e.g., Jira), establish standards for your team to follow that give visibility into project ownership, deliverables, and scope. For example, is there a certain format that employees should follow when creating a ticket for another team? How often are employees expected to update the status of their projects? What is the expected timeframe for various types of requests?
- Foster a strong team culture and promote dialogue: Working from home can be difficult at times, and employees need to know they can rely on each other and your leadership team. No one should be afraid of reaching out for help or support, and checking in with employees can bring to light potential issues that can be fixed. This will also make for a happier, open, and more productive team.
- Stay focused on outcomes and trust in your employees: Rather than putting emphasis on specific work hours and processes, focus on deliverables and the quality of work your employees produce. Employees are most productive when they know their company supports and trusts them and when they have the freedom to work when they’re most productive. Above all, ensure your work standards are clear to employees, whether it’s the time you require them to be online or expectations for the quality of work.
- Equip employees with the tools to succeed: Giving your remote software developers the hardware and/or software tools they need to be successful is crucial to employee satisfaction and productivity (e.g., laptops & displays, headphones, licenses to access tools, etc.). Additionally, create a way for employees to submit requests when they don’t have the tools they need, and encourage them to do so. This fosters an open environment while making employees feel comfortable asking for what they need to get the job done.
Team up with an experienced software engineer partner
While the above tips bode well for companies that still have a full engineering team, what can you do if you are lacking the capacity or capabilities to deliver on your project goals? Many organizations turn to software outsourcing companies and find success in long-term development partnerships.
Distillery has been helping companies fill gaps in their software development staff both offshore and nearshore for over a decade. Our expertise in both software development and staff augmentation can help you and your business succeed in this remote landscape.
Distillery partners with companies like TrueCar, Sweetgreen, and Dollar Shave Club to provide dedicated teams of senior technical talent. To find out how we can help close the gaps on your engineering team, book a time with our friendly team!