{"id":4249525,"date":"2022-02-10T06:19:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T04:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dept.global\/insight\/how-talent-scarcity-shaping-tech-culture-better-worse\/"},"modified":"2022-02-09T17:58:23","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T17:58:23","slug":"how-talent-scarcity-shaping-tech-culture-better-worse","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.dept.global\/en-nl\/insight\/how-talent-scarcity-shaping-tech-culture-better-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"How talent scarcity is shaping tech culture – for better and worse"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/a>\n\t\tHow talent scarcity is shaping tech culture – for better and worse\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tBrian Robinson\t\t
\n\t\tManaging Director UK\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t10 February 2022\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\tThe national tech landscape faces an unprecedented skills shortage. On average, there are now more than one million unfilled tech jobs<\/a> in the UK at any given time. Record numbers<\/a> of students are enrolling onto computer science courses, 5% more than in 2020 and 60% than ten years ago; including, positively, 350% more female students than in 2015. But even if the 130,000 people<\/a> who applied to computer science courses last year graduated and pursued a role in the UK, they would barely dent the gap in the market.\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n

On top of that, software developer demand is expected to soar this year and on top of that<\/em>, the Covid-caused \u201cGreat Resignation\u201d is accelerating automation (from lack of labour) which is also<\/em> increasing the demand for technical jobs. This is an avalanche of a problem for organisations, and one that doesn’t have a clear solution. Because of the lack of labour, companies are desperate, which is creating some bizarre cultural trends in tech organisations. We wanted to understand the cultural ramifications of this labour shortage. We spoke with our experts to understand what they\u2019re seeing in their businesses, and how they\u2019re reacting.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\tDevelopers: more money, more problems?\t<\/h2>\n\n\n\t\tOf course, technical talent benefits from talent scarcity. Salaries for these individuals have skyrocketed over the past few years, creating a new baseline for these roles. But how do higher and higher (and higher) salaries affect culture?\u00a0

For so many organisations, it becomes easy to demand overtime or add pressure to project timelines. Surely, if an organisation pays more for engineers, they expect equal value in output. But we know what often happens when people are overworked and stressed: burnout culture that spreads to product, design, and marketing teams.\u00a0

Pair burnout with a software developer\u2019s ability to change companies on a whim, and you\u2019ve got our current problem: a perpetual and normalised cycle of high pay, burnout, and job switching. This is beneficial to no one.\u00a0

Sure, if you have enough money, you can hire who you need, but that\u2019s not realistic for non-FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) organisations. Companies need to proactively maintain their culture, prevent burnout, and create healthier workplaces.

Working from home has made implementing cultural benefits more difficult, as Brian Robinson, UK Managing Director of DEPT\u00ae, states: \u201cI see a lot of what I call \u2018fatigue\u2019 within organisations. I believe this stems from a lack of separation between work and home. There is not as much variety in experiences, which feels monotonous.\u201d\u00a0

The solution? \u201cIt\u2019s all about bringing back the human element. Connecting with people is important for variety, burnout prevention, and meaning amidst the day-to-day. Something like DEPT\u00ae Fest or happy hours gives people the time to connect, which recharges us all. People have lost that human element, so we all need to find ways to have that in our cultures.\u201d\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t