blog | February - 2019

We can see, that it’s been a long time since you really challenged yourself last. Here’s a little task for you: Sum up the following numbers:

  1950

  4563

    982

  2721

    576

+ 3440

While you’re trying to add these numbers together, another person is interrupting you with questions, that contain numbers, like “What did you do at 3 pm?” or “Which weekday is January 20th?”

Should that not be a problem for you: Respect! If it is; you’re not the only one. Most people find this task very hard and find it challenging to concentrate. Maybe you’ll see that you have to start a few times.

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It’s the same for a developer when their “flow state” is interrupted. Another example would be the situation when someone wakes you from your sleep, and it takes forever for you to fall back asleep. We all know it, and a lot of the times, not even hot milk or counting sheep helps with that. And also if it does, we rarely find back to the dream we might have had before we got woken up.

“Game Developer Management” examined 10,000 programming sessions and found out that a developer has only 2h undisturbed working time on average and most take around 15 minutes after an interruption to start working again. Only 10% can continue their work after a minute. Depending on the number of disruptions, which can reach from “Did you get the mail I sent you 5 minutes ago?” to “Do you want to get lunch together?”, they can cause a significant time loss. Pretty frustrating if you ask us.

Planned Interruptions vs Unplanned Interruptions

In addition to unplanned but still unnecessary and annoying interruptions for the developer, there are planned interruptions like meetings. The time plans of the “maker,” the developer, differs a lot from those of the managers. For him or her a meeting can disrupt a whole day. The developer is less likely to start a more significant project before the meeting. Why? Well, doesn’t your spirit rise, when you know, you have a whole free day to work and let your creative juices flow? That means if not, that spirit is withheld and your receptivity is limited.

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So what can you do for your developer to prevent that?

Just understanding their “mode of operation” is an essential step in the right direction. Now you need to make your employees understand that too. It is also critical to give them the possibility to block a period in their day, to work completely uninterrupted. It’s also essential to use apps like Slack for less important questions and information. The developer can then read the messages when it suits and doesn’t have to interrupt work.

Should you have 30 minutes in your day to spare, watch this helpful video:

The developer can do something too.

Wearing headphones at work isn’t a “developer thing” for no reason. On the one hand, the right music can be beneficial with motivation and to work faster and more creative. Other co-workers are also less likely to talk to them.

On the other hand, they can use different methods to make an interruption less dramatic. Solutions can be put into groups, for example, to work on them one by one.

If that doesn’t help, you might need to decorate the office with this comic.

Image Source: heeris.id.au

And? Will you disturb developers again?

Please don’t!

One thing is clear: you do not just become a doctor, lawyer or professor. Behind those professions are years of struggle at university, a big pile of discipline and above all a degree. Although Germany is one of the front runners regarding the number of undergraduates, according to a study by the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies, 29% of all undergraduate students drop out of their studies prematurely. Reasons for this are, for example, lousy study achievement and conditions or other, internal factors. Apparently, even today many kids seem to decide to study at a university because it appears to be the logical consequence after graduation. Simply put, it's a social compulsion.

Although, as already mentioned, in some areas it is required to have a university degree, this is simply not the case for Tech.

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Names like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg should ring the bells. Three very successful men and none of them have a university degree. Surprised? We’re not. Sure, as a network architect, it could be difficult without a degree in Computer Science, but in many other Tech jobs, a degree is a nice addition, but not a necessity. Like speaking an additional language or volunteering. It is actually quite clear: A degree does not automatically make you a dream employee. Why?

Experience, experience, experience

And again: experience. That's exactly what employers care most about. It is crucial that you’re not only talking, but also have something to show. Experience comes, as well as the rolls at my favorite organic baker around the corner, in different forms. Be it an app you have developed, other projects or a previous job. Can you impress with practical skills in an interview situation, you are already as good as hired!

Theory distracts

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Many Computer Scientists are mathematicians instead of developers. It is more critical for them to prove that their code is correct than to deliver code that works. Besides, there is often an inexplicable obsession with programming languages in universities which, in the end, only confuse. (I mean, who the hell needs CLU ??) If someone starts playing around with a feature and adds it to the codebase, then everyone in the team will have to learn that language. And that can cost time in our fast-paced world of work and thus, money.

Other programming languages like React and Docker, which, according to the Dice Report 2017, are among the fastest growing tech skills, are probably not taught at many universities. You then have to learn them outside the lectures or attend a micro-course, which is not easy when you are already studying full time.

Fast pace

Success in the Tech industry requires you to be up-to-date at all times. Even with a Computer Science degree, you can not sit back and take things easy. You can acquire the basics in numerous online courses in just a few months and get into the world of work right away and gain hands-on experience rather than learning a bunch of theory-fuss that you’ll probably forget before graduating. And remember: there's no shame in the Google game. No matter what questions you have, they have probably been asked several times by others, that are in the same situation. If you have the motivation, you can build your DIY (Do-It-Yourself) degree.

 

“But what if I already have a degree?”

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Do not worry. You do not have to hide your degree in your application. But on this day, employers demand more than that. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills are worth pure gold. We need people who bring different perspectives to the table, and new thoughts. As Steve Jobs once said, "It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough. It's a technology that is married to the humanities and delivers the results that make our heart sing. "So, even as a newcomer or with broader experience, you can get your dream job.

In summary: As long as you successfully prove your abilities and shine with the experience you have, all doors are open to you - even without a university degree. But if you feel the urge to go to school and long for direct contact with fellow students, a dual education could be just what you are looking for. Getting an IT degree is only suitable for those who can handle large volumes of course material, have a keen interest in basic knowledge and can motivate themselves to learn specialized skills in addition to studying at university.

So what is it for you? University, training or DIY degree?

Appropriate IT experts are like lice. Hard to find and quickly gone. One could definitely say that, if you look at the report at payscale.com, on employee tenure, more closely. According to this, Amazon and Google - two tech giants - after scrolling forever, are at the bottom of the list with an average of 1-1.1 years of employment.

Loyal employees in the tech industry are a rarity and, above all, developers. Lured by salary, holidays and benefits, they long for more: Job satisfaction. At hy, we are happy to help you find the right developing talent for your business. But it is just as important to know how to hold them. Here you will learn how to counter the industry norm and achieve exactly that!

An open and honest work environment

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback. No one likes to work and lose sight of what they are working for. Do I want to catch the rabbit, does the fox catch the rabbit or does the rabbit catch me? All questions the employee does not have to ask if effective communication is used. Make clear what is required of him, give clear instructions and make clear how valuable his or her position is to the company. Explain where the company is standing, so that possible, false information has no chance and no uncertainty arises. As in any good relationship, listening is also critical in conversation. Are there any ideas, suggestions or even problems? Keep your ears open for the needs of your talent.

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Offers for further development

Almost nothing is more important to a developer than being able to challenge, learn, and develop at the workplace. A developer who can learn new technologies and stay up to date is a happy developer! Only through stimulating work, the interest remains. Find the passion of your employees to know precisely in which projects they should be involved. If you want to be very exemplary, you can even put together a development plan and show them how they can grow with the company.

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Praise good work

It may sound too simple, but showing your appreciation to your employees is truly worth gold and does not involve any effort. Pure praise creates loyalty, while undervalued employees are quicker to look for a new job than you would like. But not all praise is equal. Like everything in life, approval should come from the heart. Developers are intelligent people and can differentiate between platitude and real recognition.

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Customize the job

What does motivate a developer? In our experience, to work on interesting technical issues, to work with other talented developers, and to be in a friendly, creative environment working on software that is actually useful. If you are still awaiting a job interview, make it clear in advance what goals the company is pursuing and how the work of the developer brings the company closer to its purpose.

Minimize the meetings

How do you get rid of a developer the fastest? By including him in all meetings that do not really suit him. We haven’t listed meetings in a previous blog post among the top 10 things that developers hate, for nothing. Good developers love what they do, and a constant interruption kills the motivation. Although meetings are essential and sometimes unavoidable, be transparent and show why their input is needed.

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Leave space for creativity

Micromanagement, not only brings you high blood pressure but also annoys your developers and is a great time-waster. It is self-evident to guide him in the beginning, but as soon as he can work alone - let him work alone. Self-responsibility is precisely what creates the freedom to find the right innovative solutions.

So understand that developers are just human beings. Communication, respect, understanding and exciting work creates a loyal team. Choose candidates that are perfect for the job and the company. If you have problems finding the right people, hy can help you. By doing that, and by creating the right working atmosphere, which brings job satisfaction, you will be rewarded with a steady retention rate and with employees who contribute to the company's success - in the long run.

"We against you". The developers against the non-developers. The Tech against the Non-Tech teams. Many companies, consciously or unconsciously, have created mental barriers between teams which harms not only the working climate but also economic returns.

One of the biggest challenges of any business is breaking up these barriers. According to one study, lousy communication, such as job-related and business operation misunderstandings, cost the company $37 billion a year. Wow, right?

You may also sometimes have prejudices against other teams and prefer the input of one of your "people" over the non-techs. But the opinion of your counterparts is so significant. Even a tech company is nothing without the knowledge of the sales team to sell your developed product. It's nothing without finance, managers and the rest of the rascals. Team members with different skills that work well together solve problems much faster and are much more efficient.

So? What can be done to unite the Tech with the Non-Tech Teams and solve existing fronts?

Bridge individual gap

Maybe you still know it from school or college. The so-called “buddy program” is mainly used when onboarding and to take new employees by the hand, but it can also help people get to know each other better, outside of their team and eliminate stereotypical thinking.

Some companies also use the method of "network maps". The relationship between colleagues is visually presented, and the goal is to expand your "spider web".

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Bridge mental gap

To work better with Non-Techs, you as a developer also need to show interest in learning more about their area of ​​responsibility. So you no longer have to feel like a foreigner in their field anymore, not knowing their “language”. You will see, the respect for the work of the other increases and working with each other doesn’t feel like a visit to the dentist any more - long and painful.

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Strategies

At the beginning of each project, time should be taken to plan, so that all teams can exchange the desires and goals with each other and be on the same level. You understand your role and the role of others in the project. The most useful part of planning is breaking down larger tasks into smaller ones to minimize incorrect estimates of workload.

Transparency

In most offices, there is not only the mental separation between the teams but also the physical one. The two camps are assigned to their "corners" and talk only when they are "forced" to do so. For developers, this separation makes it less easy to ask essential questions, which makes them spend more time dealing with a problem than they might need. Even if you may not have control over it, it's better to sit closer to the colleagues of the other teams. Further opportunities to create transparency would also be daily stand-up meetings to clarify, what may have remained unclear the day before. All the problems that arise for you, you should address as early as possible to prevent a fly from becoming an elephant; and just do not start sugar coating it. It may taste fine in the beginning, but once the sugar has melted, it becomes intolerable.

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The company has to break the line between Tech and Non-Tech employees, but creating a work culture of clear, consistent and honest communication between teams only works with your effort. To conclude, remember to include everyone in your work process so that the goals and expectations are always clear.