Recent technology advancements are compelling companies to go digital; consequently, increasing the demand for tech professionals in the different industries. Given that the demand is growing significantly each year, it has become really hard to fill the tech job roles. 

As a result, more and more companies are turning to other alternatives in order to fill the vacant tech job posts. A few of those alternatives are – remote workers, outsourcing and freelancing. But hiring for these roles is not as similar as regular hiring. It’s unique and comes with its own set of rules. 

In this blog, we are going to discuss all that and more. But before we get started with the challenges to hire front-end developers who work remotely, let’s first understand the difference between remote workers and outsourcing.

Remote workers Vs outsourcing

When hiring for the front end from a broader pool of talent you have three options – Remote workers, outsourcing and freelance front end developers.

Remote workers –

Working with a remote team means that you hire people who will be working for you but are not on-site. In simpler terms, they are part of your team virtually, not physically. 

Outsourcing –

On the other hand, the outsourced teams are usually from a third party company, known as outsourcing agencies. These developers are bound to you by a contract but they are free to work on other projects simultaneously.

Freelancing –

You can hire front end developers who will work for you without any employment obligation. Freelancing is usually project-based and ends with project completion. Plus, most freelancers work independently. 

Hire front end developers – Challenges

Whether you are recruiting in-house or remote professionals, the hiring process can be exhausting and time-consuming. From resume screening to screening calls and from assessment tests to in-person interviews, it is crucial to get into the nitty-gritty in order to find the right fit for your team. When you plan to hire front end web developer, following are the main challenges that you might face:

1. Limited pool of candidates with relevant technical skills – As already mentioned at the beginning of the blog, there is a workforce shortage in the tech industry. The leading cause for this shortage is the lack of skilled professionals. Companies hiring front end developers might receive a lot of applications but find it difficult to select the top-quality candidates with the right skills. 
2. Tight budget and time frame – When companies decide to hire remote front end developers, usually many are on tight budgets and time frames. If the decision is being made to opt for the cheapest option without doing any in-depth research, it can cost the company significantly. Insufficient analysis can cause hiring managers to hire front end developers who are inexperienced and lack the right skill set. This can result in the development of a final product that does not produce the desired output. It will not only hamper your relationship with the clients but can also damage your reputation in the industry.
3. Changes in work structures –
4. One another key challenge that you might face is a change in work structure. Your in-house front end developers are usually familiar with the guidelines that your company follows. But remote workers might introduce changes in work structures that may cause issues if a new developer takes charge of the project. 
5. Lack of control – Other than project failure, losing control over the development process is frightening. When you decide to hire front end programmers who work remotely can prove to be challenging at times. Especially if you have a complex project and you have to manage a large team of developers. They perform dozens of tasks on a daily basis. You need to keep track of the progress of the project to make sure that it meets the set deadline. Tracking also helps you stay up to date with any changes required.
6. Time Zone difference – Although remote working provides you with an opportunity to seek talent worldwide, it also means that you could face time zone differences. This can cause a risk in productivity. Suppose, you require an urgent update at 11 AM in New York and your front end developers are from India. As a result, you will have to wait hours before you can communicate to get the required update.
7. Communication Issue – We have already discussed time zone differences that can interrupt the communication flow between the front end developers and the concerned managers and stakeholders. Another reason for this can be the language barrier. There is no doubt that a communication gap can lead to frustration and misunderstanding on both sides. Consequently decreasing the productivity level, leading to a final product that does not match your expectations.
8. Lack of human touch – Video calling dominates the remote work culture. Video calls replace formal in-person internal and external meetings, catchup calls, one-to-one check-ins between front end developers and managers. This is to the extent that virtual meeting fatigue has become a growing problem. 
9. Problems with team dynamics – Remote teams struggle with communication gaps, interruption in collaboration and lack of socialization. This can complicate the team bonding process which is crucial to building trust and respect that is necessary for good productivity.
10. Distractions at home – Although when front end developers work from home they do not have office distractions, but there are new distractions such as kids, pets, hobbies, TV and so on. This can affect work and productivity.
11. losing work-life balance – When working remotely, for some front end developers it might be challenging to find the right balance between work and personal life. There are possibilities that developers work constantly without taking any proper breaks, in turn, work productivity declines significantly.

Before you put the post “we are hiring front end developers” anywhere, make sure to do the right research and extensive preparations to overcome the above-mentioned challenges. 

Conclusion

If you are considering to hire front end developers who can work remotely, first you need to weigh the risk, and only then start recruiting as per the company needs. You should be 100% sure that remote hiring will bring your project success. After that, you should set some ground rules and general policies that can mitigate all the potential challenges or disadvantages of working remotely.