I came across this article last week on StackOverflow – The Great Resignation as it applies to Software Developers.
It’s a pretty good read – unfortunately, it’s nothing new – all of these elements of being a software developer existed before – all the Pandemic has done has made them visible (more so before).
Burnout is not new, the term might have even been invented by Software Developers.
The section on “Challenges for Managers and Team Leads” was missing something though – GROWTH.
Everything mentioned previously in the article speaks to why developers are leaving – freelancing, more money, culture shifts, skills – these are all elements of growth. It’s been two years since we started in with the pandemic and with people, I speak to – more money is nice in the short-term, but it’s not a growth strategy, it’s not a retention strategy – it’s a “hold on, don’t go” strategy.
Talk to people about their goals, what they want to achieve. It’s the last day of January, if you haven’t set aside time to talk with their team about where they want to go, what you need to do to help them get there, do it now. Drop what you are doing, and sit down with each one.
It’s the most important step you need to start helping and learning where they are.
