Software developers are vital to the success of your enterprise, and as a manager, you need to know how to keep them happy at work. We've already discussed the 9 ways to keep your developer team happy. Now, let's examine the management mistakes that may prompt your best developers to look elsewhere. If you want to foster developer talent and loyalty, avoid these common missteps.
10 ways to make developers unhappy at work
- Hold lots of meetings
- Make them jump hoops
- Do not provide learning opportunities
- Do not provide a healthy work-life balance
- Set unclear expectations
- Assign them to pointless projects
- Mess with their tools
- Bury their accomplishments
- Bore them with maintenance
- Micromanage them
Hold lots of meetings
Who doesn’t get annoyed by endless meetings? Developers are busy people, and most would rather spend their time coding than talking about it. Meetings that are not focused and efficient are a frequent source of disenchantment.
“Meetings that drag on without contributing to progress can be very draining,” says Vlad Gukasov, software development engineer at Amazon. “These often take up valuable time that could be better spent on actual development work.”
Patricio MacAdden, a programmer and a founder of software development provider Sinaptia, notes that some types of meetings are useful, but the agenda should be tightly managed. “Daily stand-ups, retrospectives, and sprint planning meetings are helpful to project managers, product owners, and some programmers,” he says. “But most of them dislike wasting time they could be spending on programming.”
Make them jump hoops
Unnecessary red tape can be incredibly frustrating to developers. “Navigating through layers of bureaucracy can be quite stifling,” Gukasov says. “The complexity of internal procedures can sometimes hinder the smooth progress of software development.”
Developers like efficiency, says Remi Desmarais, director of engineering and software development at software company Tempo Software. “They frequently encounter delays, from waiting for clarification on requirements, to code processes like compilation, building and testing to seeking approval from code reviewers, which can hinder their progress,” he says.
Managers can help developers feel efficient and productive by shortening feedback loops and ensuring that responses are valuable, Desmarais says. “Removing distractions similarly helps by allowing developers to enter a ‘flow state’ where they are fully immersed in an energized focus at developing a piece of code, solving a problem, etc.”
Do not provide learning opportunities
Developers want to learn, and they want their employers to provide opportunities for gaining new skills. Companies that fail to offer these opportunities struggle to retain talented developers.
“Generally, software developers thrive in an environment that nurtures their growth and development,” Desmarais says. “Companies that provide opportunities for continuous learning, whether through training programs, conferences, or access to the latest tools and technologies, keep developers fulfilled. A culture of exploration and innovation can lead to happier developers.”
The opportunity to learn and grow is a key factor that contributes to developer happiness, says Hassan Said, CTO at Roowaad, a provider of software aimed at entrepreneurs and startups. “This could mean working on challenging projects, learning new technologies, or having access to professional development resources,” he says.
Continuous learning and career growth are significant factors in making developers happy, says back-end developer Bernardo Castro. “Companies that encourage skill development, offer promotion opportunities, and provide exposure to new technologies and challenges tend to have happier developers,” he says.
Developers often find joy in participating in developer communities, whether online or offline, Desmarais says. “Engaging with open-source projects, contributing to forums, participating in hackathons, and joining online communities fosters a sense of camaraderie, belonging, and professional growth."
Do not provide a healthy work-life balance
A sure way to make developers unhappy is to demand too much work and provide too little flexibility, including the ability to work from home.
“Being consistently overloaded with work and facing tight deadlines can lead to stress and burnout,” Castro says. “When there's not enough time to deliver high-quality work or insufficient resources to complete tasks, it can negatively impact motivation and job satisfaction. For instance, having to work long hours for extended periods without breaks might lead to diminished productivity and unhappiness.”
Software developers appreciate a healthy work-life balance, Desmarais says. “Companies that implement policies supporting this balance, such as flexible working hours, remote work options, and the occasional ‘no-meeting’ days, are more likely to keep their developers happy and motivated,” he says.
“In my experience, developers who have the flexibility to manage their work hours and who are not expected to be on call 24/7 tend to be happier,” Said says.
Set unclear expectations
No developer appreciates an assignment with unclear instructions or a lack of guidelines. It’s up to team leaders to ensure that requirements and end goals for development projects are clear.
“Nothing is more frustrating than ambiguous requirements,” says Karol Kaczynski, head of product at Brand24. “It leads to wasted effort and disillusionment. We combat this by having a robust process for defining and communicating product requirements.”
A lack of clear communication and unrealistic expectations “can lead to dissatisfaction,” Said says. “Developers often feel frustrated when they are not given clear instructions or when they are expected to deliver complex projects in an unreasonably short time frame.”
Documentation that is well-organized, easy-to-read and understand, and up to date facilitates developers' understanding of the systems they work with, and reduce the amount of task switching required to complete their projects, Desmarais says. “The easier it is for a developer to solve a problem rather than trying to understand the environment of the problem, the happier the developer,” he says.
Assign them to pointless projects
Working on a new product that never sees the light of day is extremely disheartening. This is especially true when the developer has invested in building a product they believe in, or when the product is truly innovative.
“Working on projects that end up going unused is deeply disappointing,” Gukasov says. “For me, it feels wasteful to dedicate time to building software that doesn't reach the market or doesn't meet any user needs.”
There's a unique satisfaction that comes from seeing one's work being used and appreciated by users, Kaczynski says. “We involve our developers in the feedback loop, allowing them to see the impact of their work firsthand and iterate based on real user feedback,” he says. “Developers can become disheartened if they feel the product isn't genuinely solving user problems.”
Mess with their tools
Developers often express frustration when they lack the tools or support they need to execute their vision effectively, Kaczynski says. “Ensuring that our teams are well-equipped is a priority to prevent such scenarios,” he says.
“Using outdated tools and technology can irritate developers in the fast-paced IT sector,” Aggarwal says. “To satisfy them, you must invest in the newest development technologies and offer training possibilities.”
Most developers “know good software and hardware, and they’re not willing to settle if a company has a tech stack they don’t like,” says Robert Kaskel, chief people officer at Checkr, a provider of a cloud-based background-checking service.
Bury their accomplishments
People like to be recognized for their hard work and achievements, and developers are no exception. Development team leaders need to make sure they are acknowledging team members' accomplishments. Managers must also understand and promote the value of certain kinds of technical contributions.
Failing to recognize the work and achievements of developers “can lead to discontent,” says Shanal Aggarwal, chief commercial officer at IT distributor TechAhead. “For example, failing to recognize an excellent code optimization effort or a successful product launch can demotivate them.”
Despite the collaborative nature of programming, “individual contributions sometimes go unnoticed, which leads to feelings of underappreciation,” says Mitesh Mangaonkar, technical lead for software engineering at Airbnb.
Recognition and respect in the workplace can greatly influence satisfaction levels, according to Said. “Developers who feel their work is valued and who feel respected by their colleagues and managers are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs,” he says.
Bore them with maintenance
Providing challenging work that leverages the skills that developers have worked hard to learn is extremely important. Otherwise, you may end up with a team that is bored and unmotivated.
“Programmers don't want to work on boring or repetitive tasks,” says Grace White, head of design and development at web development firm Lilo. “They also don't want to feel like they are not learning or growing.”
For example, a programmer might be unhappy working on a project that involves maintaining an old codebase, White says.
Developers are unhappy when they feel unproductive at work, says Vinika Garg, COO of Webomaze, an SEO agency. Routine maintenance and debugging are unavoidable tasks, but a wise manager will spread them out and assign more interesting tasks to offset the boring work.
Micromanage them
Developers often work in hierarchical teams with multiple stakeholders and layers of supervision. But they also appreciate having the freedom to make their own decisions when appropriate.
“A programmer might be unhappy working for a manager who micromanages them and doesn't give them the freedom to do their job,” White says. “They might also be unhappy working for a company that has a rigid and bureaucratic culture.”
Developers “cherish having autonomy over their projects and the ability to make their judgments,” says Azzam Sheikh, digital strategist at Carifex, an online provider of auto parts. “Rigid hierarchies and micromanagement can be discouraging.”