Majority of Engineering Teams May Continue Remote Work

Staffing firm Andela announced the results of a survey that indicates many organizations will continue remote work for the long term. According to the survey data, 74% of engineering leaders said that their teams had transitioned to fully remote as a result of COVID-19, and 66% indicated that they plan to continue allowing remote work after the pandemic subsides. An accelerated shift to permanent remote work allows engineering leaders to rethink their staffing strategies, tapping more global resources, which can increase productivity and cultural diversity.

“COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated the trend toward remote work. What’s interesting here is it looks like those gains are not going to be temporary,” says Andela CEO Jeremy Johnson. “This data shows that engineering leaders have realized that they can maintain productivity while simultaneously unlocking a global talent pool.”

Major findings included:

• Prior to COVID, 13% of engineering teams were fully remote. As a result of the pandemic, that number has increased to 74%. 
• 66% of engineering teams believe they will continue to allow remote work after the threat of COVID-19 has subsided.
• Only 22% of engineering leaders express a preference for engineers working in an office environment following the pandemic.

Andela surveyed 100 CTOs and vice presidents of engineering from a combination of high-growth startups (above 200 employees) and large enterprises.