How to Retain Software Developers in Your Startup

According to a DQYDJ report, there are more than 4 million software developers in the United States companies, so finding the best one for your needs is not an easy task. However, when you do find an excellent one, you’d like to keep working with him or her forever. We know this is a very competitive market and they might get offers from other companies. 

If you look at this Stack Overflow report, you’ll see that 60% of developers in the United States are open to new job offers, and your developers might currently be working on interviews with recruiters if they don’t feel comfortable with your company’s environment. So the best thing you could do is to recognize the value of software developers in today’s business dynamic and create strategies that will retain software developers. 

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According to this Stripe and Harris report, developers are responsible for 70% of your company’s sales performance and help you differentiate your brand from others. Now, what is your game plan to retain developers? We’ve come up with a couple of strategies that’ll help you do so.

Create a Dream Environment for a Software Developer

Just like any other employee, developers will work in a place where they feel comfortable. But every employee’s dream work environment is different. That’s why your office needs to become heaven to retain developers. 

Stack Overflow made a survey to find out the reasons why a developer chooses one job over the others, and one of them was the availability of tech tools that’ll make the job easier. This gives you an idea of how important it is for you to invest in tools for developers, which could be KeyCode Info or HTML Minifier.

On the other hand, other factors that developers consider include the ability to work remotely or the flexibility in work hours. Another reason why developers prefer to work in a certain company is that there is a healthy work environment. So maybe it’d be good to invest some time to promote initiatives that’ll help your company improve the work environment and culture.

Let Them Solve Problems with Creativity

Bill Gates once said: “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it”. And this couldn’t be more accurate. Just think about it, there’s nothing more tedious than having to solve a problem with the same techniques that might not be the more efficient ones, so it is advisable to allow developers to play around with the type of languages they use and the methods they try.

Limiting your developers to use a single language might disrupt their workflow when they can solve the same problem with a different one. In fact, some developers say it’s easier to learn a new language to solve a problem than learning a new method they’ll use with a single coding language. Besides, this will encourage them to be more engaged with the company since they know the company has a sense of trust in their work.

There’s an interesting quote from another survey that shows the importance of using new tools and techniques: “Not using the new tool, and trying to hack something together the old way is usually detrimental to the quality of what is being built. Be it in code or in wood”.

Offer Them Career Advancement 

Recognition is something that has been widely studied and almost every single research comes up with the same result: more productivity and engagement. Definitely this will help retain software developers in your startup. This is not something exclusive for developers, but also a good habit you can nurture in your company. If you offer your developers career advancement, they’ll feel valued by the company and therefore they’ll feel the responsibility to commit further. 

So don’t be afraid to offer them career advancement, it might be something beneficial for your company in terms of productivity and in the long run. While a promotion could mean more responsibilities for them, your company can also ease the process by offering work-life balance benefits such as the possibility to work remotely or having some days off. 

Build a Strong Relationship with Them 

No matter how computer-related this profession is, remember this is still a people’s business. So don’t just see your developers with a dollar-sign hanging over them. Instead, try to build a long-term relationship, make them feel that they can trust you and that you care about their emotions and interests.  That will help you retain developers.

The tech world is a very competitive industry but relationships are still crucial to succeed in every area. Having good ties will also help you polish your communication skills, which will result in positive outcomes for the company. If you played your cards right, it might even be possible for your talents to refer you to other good developers and increase developers’ retention.