Working as a remote software developer gives you flexibility and freedom, but it’s also full of challenges. Making the correct decisions is crucial to staying on the market. Unfortunately, however, many remote developers commit mistakes that hurt their ability to build their business. Below are five common mistakes by remote software developers that business owners or IT managers shouldn’t ignore.
#1. You Don’t Communicate Enough
One of the biggest mistakes remote software developers make is failing to communicate their thoughts and ideas with employers. Don’t always assume you completely understand your team’s expectations or plans. Instead, ensure you put in place a solid communication line and also make yourself accessible. In fact, as a remote developer, we recommend you write everything, whether it is a contract, a deliverable, or a proposal, and also keep your team’s leaders posted on any updates.
On the other hand, business owners should utilize employee productivity software like Slack, Monitask, and other reliable employee monitoring tools to improve communication and track their remote developer’s work time.
#2. You Take on More Than You Can Handle
Handling too many projects at a time is a common mistake several remote software developers commit. As a remote developer, it’s best to turn down some work opportunities when you are already committed to other tasks. This is because taking on numerous projects could make you do low-quality jobs and miss deadlines.
Hence, don’t feel You have to jump right into any project offered to you. Instead, take time to study a project description and requirements and see if it fits your work schedule. Don’t fail to set boundaries and stick to them.
#3. You are Guilty of Technical Hiccups
Many software developers utilize the wrong technology to make things happen. It’s noteworthy that inferior technology can make it difficult for software development teams to accomplish their goals. As a remote developer, you must be up-to-date on the newest and best IT tools to deliver on a project effectively.
Also, ensure your employers implement a secured employee monitoring software and time tracking service to prevent hacking and all kinds of Internet theft. We recommend Monitask because it’s a reliable tool that improves data security and guarantees privacy.
#4. You Charge Below What You are Worth
When you first start as a remote developer, it can be tempting to settle for a low fee to attract customers and build your portfolio. However, the disadvantage of working for a low fee over a long period is that it gives you and your employers a distorted perception of your actual value. So instead, we suggest you determine your self-worth at the beginning.
Undoubtedly, it takes a lot of patience to create a name for yourself and win high-paying projects. With that in mind, you shouldn’t settle for less than decent pay in the meantime.
#5. You Neglect Other Aspects of Your Life
Working from home remotely blurs the line between your professional and personal life. For example, as a software developer, it may be necessary to work on some projects late at night or on weekends. However, this will constantly lead to burnout if your employers always dictate your pace.
Among the many mistakes remote developers make, this has the most significant impact on their relationships, mental health, and other areas of life. Hence, we advise you to set aside a time you can work best and then stick to it. Doing this will help you to enjoy the flexibility of working from home!
Why Remote Developers are Good for Business
In this 21st century, if your organization does not have a remote software development team, then it’s missing out on the immense benefits that come with hiring a remote developer. Below are some reasons why remote developers are good for business:
- A software developer is more productive for business when working remotely than when he works in the traditional office space.
- Remote developers can improve your company’s chances of dominating the digital marketing industry.
- Hiring remote developers reduce your business unemployment and infrastructure expenditure
- Searching for remote developers allows you to collaborate and communicate with various websites and people. This helps to promote your brand awareness.
- Hiring remote developers gives you the chance to work with other industry experts from anywhere in the world. Besides, you don’t have to pay for a worker’s visa.
Why The Developer is Rarely in Touch
There are times when there could be a gap in communication between IT managers and their remote software developers. More often than not, a software developer would rarely keep in touch with his team due to some reasons stated below:
- Loneliness and lack of human interaction;
- Differences in Time zones;
- Bad Health habits;
- Technology hiccup;
Why Remote Developers cease to understand the goals of the company?
Most remote developers fail to understand a company goal because there’s poor communication within the organization. A remote developer needs to grasp clearly what the organization expects of them. More importantly, remote developers and employers should spend extra time talking about the organization’s objectives, why it matters, and how it connects to the big picture. Below are a few tips to ensure your remote developer understand Your organization goals:
- Set expectations and specific target
- Develop a relationship and a sound communication system with them
- Find out what they want, and why are they interested in doing this job?
- Make them feel like they are part of the team and that their work is valued
- Give them feedback on how they’re performing
Why the Remote Developer is Unable to Organize His Work Time
Most remote software developers work from home. Although “work from home” should make them better productive. Unfortunately, it also makes developers vulnerable to ample distractions (family, social media, household chores, and many others). If you don’t have a high level of self-discipline, you may be unable to organize your work time well enough.
In the long run, this could hurt your relationship with your team. So what’s the solution? Simply create a sustainable schedule, stick to it, and be transparent with your employers about your work availability.
Can the Remote Developer Work in a Different Time Frame?
Yes, a remote developer can work in a different time frame from his employee. Fortunately, various time tracking software is available to help in time management and proper scheduling with a developer who works in a different time frame. To cut a long story short, time zone differences can’t prevent a software developer from fitting well into your team. Besides, you can utilize suitable communication tools to ensure you communicate with your remote team without any hassles.
The Solution to Avoid These Problems with Remote Developers?
Lack of physical presence makes it challenging to correct remote developers’ mistakes and monitor individual tasks, especially for complex projects. How to solve this problem? Fortunately, we have reliable monitoring tools like Monitask employee monitoring software to track your remote team and tackle other challenges they may be facing. Also utilize project management tools to delegate tasks and track progress.
Wrapping Up
Remote software developers can help propel your business growth. However, you must understand they are human and thus prone to make mistakes that could also impede your team’s growth. However, with the best remote practices and reliable tools, your team can quickly tackle any errors committed by your remote developers.
Lastly, we recommend you subscribe to the Monitask employee monitoring software to help you track your remote team activities and prevent them from making serious errors that could hurt your business.
