Myth 1: It’s difficult to recruit the best developers for remote teams
Reality: opening up remote working options and recruiting remotely can make the process more inclusive, wide ranging and ultimately more successful for the company. Aleksandar Đokić of Toggl – the productivity software run by a fully remote team – thinks this is especially true for developer teams, reflecting that having a larger talent pool “offers great possibilities for creating amazing teams and awesome apps”.
Myth 2: Remote developer teams are hard to manage
Reality: Software automation experts Zapier take a similar stance, believing that micromanaging remote teams is “toxic and counterproductive—you’re basically admitting that you don’t trust your people to get things done otherwise.”
Myth 3: Remote companies don’t grow as fast
Reality: Fully remote working may have once been indicative of an early-stage startup, but if you still think that’s the case then Gitlab would like a word.
Myth 4: Remote dev teams are less productive:
Reality: Back to Gitlab to help dispel this one, with their 2021 Remote Work Report. 3900 remote workers worldwide were surveyed to expose the impact working fully distributed had on work outcomes. The following outcomes were cited as top reasons employers chose to stick with a remote work model:
- Increased productivity: 42%
- Increased efficiency: 38%
- A reduction in bureaucracy and politics: 24%
- Improved documentation and process: 20%
Myth 5: Communication and Culture suffers
Reality: “Culture is stronger when everything is written down,” says Ian Tien of Mattermost, “because everyone who joins the company has the same baseline.”
