3 Tips To Retain & Manage An Engineering Team Successfully
In a world where technology and automation are transforming the way people work, there is a particular demand for tech talent. If your organization is like many others, you may find it difficult to attract and retain tech talents and other IT professionals. The software industry is fast-paced with many job changes. After a while, you may feel like you can't retain the IT professionals and software talents, especially if your team is leaving the company for bigger opportunities.
The pandemic has been a catalyst that caused many employees to reevaluate their careers. Considerations such as work-life balance, new opportunities, and health and safety are no longer negotiable, as are expectations of alternative or flexible employment arrangements.
This change in mentality in the workforce is causing setbacks for many companies. The market is tight and competition has increased. Follow these tips to attract and retain top software engineering talents.
1. Offer a Culture of a Flexible Workplace
The pandemic has changed the expectations of many employees when it comes to flexibility in the workplace. Just a few years ago, flexible working was seen as a rare perk for employees. However, among the more progressive organizations that recognized the business benefits of flexible working, such as higher productivity and a strengthened reputation.
When organizations allow for flexible working, vacancies can be filled faster with a larger and more geographically diverse pool of experts. According to the U.S. Remote Work Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), more than half of employees would like to work remotely at least three days a week, and 29% of respondents said they would like to work remotely for five days per week. In other words, they want to have complete control over where and how they work. There's a lot of debate about the merits of a company allowing all employees to work from home permanently or requiring everyone to be in the office. However, the alternative is a hands-on, role-based approach to your employees' primary tasks.
When planning flexible working hours, remember to consider the facts required by the job. In particular, when it comes to IT roles, it can be useful to divide them into three groups: remote, hybrid, and on-premises functions.
Some roles, such as office IT support staff, may not be able to adequately support onsite staff when IT staff are working remotely.
In other roles, including software developers, however, it may make more sense to work remotely on a regular or permanent basis. The most important thing is to clearly define the business needs of each role, and then communicate expectations for actual location and availability. Make sure developers understand the scope of their role and reassure them that you will not change the approach haphazardly. Talking openly about possibilities can help build trust.
2. Provide Training and Development Programs
Your management team needs to know how to handle a flexible workforce. Managers who don't know how to manage a hybrid workforce or who don't want to deal with software developers, who work remotely, because they have a "I had to work in the office" or a "9-5" mentality won't be as effective.
It is important that new software engineers know what is expected of them in their roles. What do they need to achieve in their first month on the job? What are the main priorities for your role? Managers should also ask about the expectations of their team members. By learning more about what software engineer expects from their new position, managers can actively demonstrate an interest in their employees' careers and success in the company.
Work closely with your HR business partners not only to train your managers but also to provide career development and role-based training to the broader employee population. Also, allow your managers enough time to complete the coursework. Make a commitment to your people so that they can make a commitment to you.
Diversity and inclusion training is also important because in today's world you are hiring software engineers from anywhere and everywhere. Before the pandemic, many companies might have had relatively homogeneous software teams. Now software development teams come from more countries, cultures, ethnicities, and viewpoints, ultimately reducing groupthink and more diverse ideas. However, this comes with different challenges.
In general, the attention of the manager should be brought to the attention of outcomes and processes and not the confrontation time that is often used in traditional office environments. The lack of face-to-face interaction with remote work, in general, is often indicated, but it can be an issue with remote training. How do you work together? How do you engage people? How do you make them feel part of the team or company? How do you get everyone involved and make sure that they contribute and that the team benefits from their input?
Investing in meaningful inclusion training can help managers develop the skills to effectively lead software teams to leverage the multiple perspectives and skills of a diverse and multi-disciplinary team.
3. Maintain the Working Structure.
Building a modern job structure doesn't mean abandoning traditional features like salary levels and job titles. Recent research by Robert Half found that 30% of workers plan to seek a new position to increase their chances of advancement.
Most employees, including software developers and other professionals working in the software & IT industry, want a clear roadmap for advancement and the ability to grow their careers through different projects and situations. Therefore, a company that provides growth opportunities tailored to the strengths and skills of its software developers will continue to lead today's race for IT talent.
We must help to ensure that our employees can pursue their career path wherever they choose - whether it is a technical path, a non-technical path, or a side entry into a new role. If you have a specific job structure, employees can decide which path they want to follow within your company.
Many software developers change jobs because they don't like their current position. Some dislike their role because the employer dictates when and where they work. Some don't like their business because they don't get paid enough. Providing these three elements (flexibility, training, and a way to grow within the organization) can help you attract and retain IT talent successfully.
Effective Communication in The Workplace
Communication in the workplace is one of the most important aspects of any company. With the increase in dispersed workplaces and remote work, communication and engagement among employees remain one of the biggest challenges business leaders face today.
Make sure your software engineering team members understand where you want to go as a company and provide them with the necessary details so they feel informed and participate in the process. Help your team members see and understand how to make a difference and contribute to the company's purpose. To adapt to these changes, it is important to empower your software development team members and ask managers and leaders to focus on results, not on who works, where, and when.
We need to change the mentality. Be clear about the results, but understand that results only exist when people understand your goals and objectives. Give your engineering managers the tools they need, explain to them what you want to achieve, and then let them take action and focus on removing the barriers.
