Hiring Software Developers: Remote vs On-site

Ever since the advent of Covid-19 where most developers had to work from home due to social distancing, there has been contention about which engagement model favors software developers and companies alike. In this article, we’ll elucidate on the difference between both options, so you can make an educated decision:

What is Remote Hiring?

Remote hiring is an engagement model where a company hires a full-time employee that works in another location from the employee–in most cases, they work from home, and all communication is restricted to an online medium. Let’s consider the pros and cons of this option:

Pros of Remote Hiring

The advantages of this type of hiring model are:

  • Better Productivity

Numerous researchers believe that people who work remotely are more productive than otherwise. Numerous software development agencies like JayDevs etc seem to be a testament to its effectiveness.

  • Improved work-life balance

Since it allows most developers to work from home, they can enjoy closure with their families while remaining active and productive for their employer.

  • More Savings

It reduces costs for both employees and employers. For employees, it eliminates the cost of transporting themselves to work daily, and also eliminates money expended on office clothes. For employers, it eliminates the cost of office equipment.

Con of Remote Hiring

The disadvantage of this hiring model is:

  • Poor Communication Model

Psychologists believe that there are two ways to communicate–verbal and non-verbal communication. With remote, it’s only verbal communication that’s possible.

What is On-site Hiring

This is the traditional hiring model. Here, a company hires developers with the mandate of working to achieve its objectives and goals within the confines of its office space. As with the remote option, this model also has its pros and cons to consider:

Pros of On-site Hiring

The advantage of this model are quite numerous, but we’ll highlight just a few:

  • Better Understanding of Employers’ Demands

Since the developer regularly interfaces with the management team, there’s a better understanding of the needs, expectations, and goals of the employer.

  • Improved Motivation

In down times, the activities of employees and managers can ensure that the developer stays motivated in achieving required goals.

Cons of On-site Hiring

As with other types of hiring, there are also disadvantages to this model. These are:

  • Commuting to Work

Perhaps, the biggest disadvantage of this model is that developers will spend time and money commuting to work daily. In the US for example, the average American spends 52 minutes on the road going to and from work.

  • Workplace Distractions

The workplace of most people is described as less than ideal. This is because, most, use a large office with many workers. This increases the prospect of distraction–especially for highly technical activities.

Summary

Now that you have a better understanding of the intricacies of remote and on-site hiring, you can make a more beneficial decision on which hiring model to opt for. Ideally, companies that want to save cost will hire remote software developers, while on-site developers are best for companies that want to regularly interface with their programmers.