As a tech startup owner, you know that software developer retention is important to keep your business running smoothly and reduce recruitment costs. This article lists seven tips that will help you retain developers.
In any company, it’s vital to keep your best players as happy and satisfied with their work as possible. After all, they’re the people who create products and services that keep your business running. Keeping them happy and motivated can be a challenge. But it is a must. Why?
When developers quit, it costs you time and money. Employee turnover makes you spend time looking for replacements. You also face the expenses involved in recruiting and training a new employee. Another problem is that you have to make up for the productivity lost during the turnover period. The best way to accomplish this is to adopt an effective developer retention strategy.
Software Developer Retention: 7 Tips for Success
Retaining software developers, or any other type of employee, can be complicated. You can’t afford to stay complacent about this issue, but you also don’t want to overdo it (and spend too much money).
Here are some actions you can take to boost software developer retention:
Tip #00: Hire For Passion and Culture Fit
Solving the retention problem starts before you even hire someone in the first place. Nothing improves retention nearly as much as hiring people who are passionate about the problems you’re solving or the tech you’re building. Passion keeps employees motivated, committed, and loyal far more effectively than wages, perks, or anything else you could offer.
Likewise, it builds loyalty when you foster a team culture that people love. If employees truly feel like they’re part of a team that works together to solve big problems, they’re much more likely to stick around. If they’re treated like cogs in a machine, don’t be surprised when they leave as soon as another firm’s recruiter offers a slightly higher salary.
Tip #01: Provide a Competitive Salary
The next tip is to provide employees with at least as much income as similar companies offer. This means that you need to research the market rates for software developers in your area. You should ensure that you offer salaries matching the market rate. Sites like Glassdoor and PayScale provide great insights into the pay rates of specific software development positions.
You could even go the extra mile by offering better salaries and benefits packages than your competitors. Doing so will help ensure that your team is not only motivated to stay with your company but also strives to do their best work (no one wants to risk losing a job that pays really well).
Tip #02: Provide Opportunities for Training and Development
One way to make software developers feel that you care about them is prioritize career growth. Software developers are always looking to improve their skills and learn new technologies. As such, it’s important for you to offer opportunities for them to advance their careers.
How do you accomplish this? You can give them time to learn new skills and technologies during projects. This way, they’ll see the challenge as an opportunity for growth and advancement. You could also create training and continuous learning initiatives that are relevant to their positions and roles. Investing in your team’s development shows them that you are committed to their growth and career advancement.
Tip #03: Encourage Work-Life Balance
Software development is a high-stress career. Developers often work long hours at their desks, which can lead to burnout.
Knowing this, it’s crucial to promote a healthy work-life balance. This means having policies in place that encourage employees to take vacation days, work reasonable hours, and disconnect from work when they’re not at the office (no project updates on Sunday night). This will help your team avoid stress while staying physically and mentally healthy.
At Full Scale, our human resources team holds team-building activities and gatherings that promote a balance between work and other interests. So, our pool of software developers stays engaged with the company and always has something to look forward to.
Tip #04: Offer Flexible Work Arrangements
Software developers value flexibility. This means that they want employers to provide flexible work options, such as the ability to work from home, set their own hours, or take advantage of flex time. By offering these types of arrangements, you’ll show your team that you’re willing to accommodate their different needs and lifestyles.
The need for work flexibility grew during the pandemic. In fact, 60% of today’s developers desire it. Working from home has maintained productivity while giving employees more time to complete household tasks. So, if you offer flexible work options, your team has a better chance of retaining developers.
Tip #05: Provide ample opportunity for collaboration
Developing software is a team activity. Different stakeholders, leaders, developers, designers, and testers play important roles in the development process.
Software developers often work better when they can collaborate with others. As such, it’s vital to provide ample opportunity for cooperation. This can be in the form of team-building exercises, group projects, or even just informal get-togethers. By fostering a collaborative environment, you’ll help your team feel more connected to each other and motivated to work together.
Tip #06: Encourage open communication
In connection with the previous strategy, it’s important to foster an environment that promotes communication. Software developers need to be able to communicate effectively to perform their jobs well.
This means having an open-door policy, encouraging feedback, and being available to answer questions. By fostering an environment of open communication, you’ll help your team feel more comfortable when expressing their ideas and concerns.
For example, design and planning take place during the software development life cycle. You need input from developers when it comes to building your software project. Their suggestions matter because they’re the experts in writing code. So, an open line of communication will contribute to product success and software developer retention.
Tip #07: Recognize and reward good work
Like most people, software developers need to feel that their hard work is being noticed and appreciated. It’s essential to acknowledge and reward good performance. This can be in the form of verbal praise, written evaluations, or even monetary bonuses.
When you show your team that you appreciate their work, it will help motivate them to do their best. As a result, you provide better services to your customers and gain more revenue. At the same time, you increase the morale of your software developers.
Hire Software Developers from Full Scale
Keeping these seven tips in mind will lead you on your way to retaining your software development team. By investing in your team’s happiness and well-being, you are ensuring that they will stick around for the long haul.
But if you want software developer retention and turnover to be the last of your worries, partner with an offshore software development company!
Full Scale is a software development business with a vast pool of software professionals and an offshore arm in the Philippines.
When you work with us, we take care of the recruitment process and employee management. Our software developers enjoy competitive salary packages, work-life balance, and growth opportunities. So, they are focused and motivated to build your software project with their best efforts.
