How to Make Your Developers Happy Without Even Trying

Developers can be quirky. They inhabit two worlds – the creative world and the business world. Because of this, the usual methods of keeping employees happy don't always work so well.

The fact is, keeping your developers happy can make a huge difference to your company. Why? Because these engineers are the ones responsible for creating the software your company depends on for various delivery pipelines or selling as a product. Either way, your bottom line will be affected directly and indirectly.

To that end, it's in your best interest to keep these developers happy. But don't think that this is a situation where you will have to bend over backwards to calm them down. And whether those engineers working with Java , JavaScript , .NET are hired from an offshore software development company or if they are in-house employees, what you are about to read should help appease developers at large.

And so, without further ado, let's make these developers happy.

Give them the best hardware you can afford

If you hand your developers low-powered, outdated, unimpressive laptops or desktops, it will greatly harm their attitudes. Developers are like any geek because they love good hardware. Give these engineers laptops, desktops, monitors, keyboards, trackpads, and mice worth bragging about and you'll be amazed at how significantly their happiness will increase.

Also, keep this in mind: Your developers will be compiling code, a process that can require very robust hardware. When you skimp on machinery, you not only make their jobs harder, but you also send a message that they don't really matter that much. And when you give your CEO (someone who will use a web browser for almost everything) a top of the line machine, those developers will take it personally.

Given the difference between a really solid machine and a mid-spec device isn't that big (in the grand scheme of things), the ROI on this effort is quite high.

Don't interrupt them

One thing many people don't understand is that interruptions cost creatives more time than you think. Consider this: You're on a roll with code or documentation. The words and code come out of you with ease. And then middle management comes knocking on your door to stop that flow. They talk about everything they wanted to mention and leave you to your task.

You try to get back to work, but the flow has already been interrupted and it takes some time to get back to your previous speed. This middle manager may think the interruption was no more than 10 minutes, when in reality it could have been 30 or 60.

Because of this, you want to interrupt your developers as little as possible. In fact, you could even block out times during the day when interruptions are simply not allowed (unless in an emergency). During these times, developers could trust that they could focus deeply on their tasks and not be interrupted.

This is an invaluable change you can make that will cost you absolutely nothing in terms of budget and will provide significant returns.

Flexible hours

Some developers work very well at regular hours. Most developers, however, know that their job requires many more hours than the typical 9-to-5 job. But nobody wants to sit for 12 or 14 hours and write code. Instead, your developers may prefer to work in time slots throughout the day.

If this is how your developers (or some of them) work most productively, allow it. This is the modern era and the old rules don't always apply. And when you allow for this flexibility, you show software engineers that you trust them to get the job done. This trust and flexibility will go a long way toward making your developers happy.

Protect them from burnout

Developers burn out. This is a fact. For some, it's almost inevitable. Why? Because developers need to log considerable hours to deliver on time. And when your company is in a constant state of delivery, you can end up with developers who are always dangerously close to burnout.

To do this, you need to closely monitor your engineers. After they go through a big coding sprint, have them take a break (a long weekend or a full vacation). These sprints can be exhausting and developers will need time to recharge. Make sure they buy in, otherwise you'll end up with a team that's burnt out and unable to produce.

Empower your developers

Here's the thing: developers know what they're doing. They don't need to be micromanaged or have managers breathing down their necks. You've given them deadlines and they know what needs to be done to meet them.

If you are constantly hovering over this team, they will become dissatisfied and unhappy. To avoid this, you should always give your developers autonomy. Allow your engineers to work on their own without feeling like you need to put them on a leash and monitor everything they do.

This does not mean, however, that you should simply allow each project to become unstructured. Find the perfect balance between developer autonomy and the structure needed to maintain a managed project, and you'll find those developers happy and productive.

Conclusion

You see, it doesn't take much to keep your developers happy. You may have to spend a little more money on them and relax your management style a little, but in the end you will find that you can enjoy a happy group of developers without even trying.