Home is where the… work is? Indeed! More and more companies are choosing the online world, and we are no exception. Why be tied to an office if your job can literally accompany you wherever you go? That is the case for developers who can be working peacefully in the comfort of their homes or any other location of their choice. That is definitely the case for our wonderful team: one of our American collaborators took his work with him to Italy for two years, while another traveled around the world while workimg part time! How did this wonderful venture begin?
Genuitec started its journey as an entirely online company 16 years ago, before it was cool. Why did we go out on this limb? As one of our founders, Maher Masri, puts it, “We had no choice and we couldn’t have become what we are today had we worked as a centralized brick-and-mortar firm”. The logic is simple: having no physical boundaries (now made possible thanks to modern technologies) allows for indefinite growth potential. Genuitec began with the three founders — all based in the USA — and has grown to close to forty employees spread out over five continents. It couldn’t have been done differently because there simply wasn’t enough sourcing available locally and there weren’t sufficient funds to compete with some big players in the industry. In the end, it worked out to our benefit (and yours!) — having begun with just one IDE, MyEclipse, back in 2003, our company now offers a range of other products (Angular IDE, CodeMix, Secure Delivery Center) while continuously working to improve them — CI 6 is already out — as well as come up with new technologies.
We aren’t the only ones out there who have taken this road. Many firms have gone over to the virtual side of things. You will find diverse listings of the top ten, like the ones on Investopedia or some others, and yet, the biggest players are always present: Google, Facebook, eBay, Amazon, and even some veterans like Yahoo!. If it made sense for them, more so for us, a company whose main focus is IDE technology.
There are many good reasons for both the enterprise and its employees to work virtually. For instance, in accordance with a study by Stanford professor Nick Bloom, “… workers were more productive, got more done, worked longer hours, took less breaks, and used less sick time than their in-office counterparts. These employees were also happier and quit less than those who went into the office on a regular basis.”, as quoted on this website. The enterprises fared well too: they were able to save up to 2,000 USD on each remote employee.
It does take two to tango, so having satisfied employees and employers is truly beneficial. Of course, online work is not for everyone, but for those who are disciplined enough not to be distracted by activities available outside the office, the advantages are many. Such workers tend to be more productive and happier for several reasons. Productivity rises due to being able to focus more for longer periods of time — essential for programmers — which results in projects completed faster and more accurately. The level of happiness goes up as well: it’s possible to achieve a better work/life balance (you can take breaks any time, since you aren’t tied to a 9 to 5 schedule, normally, and thus run errands or practice a hobby in the middle of the day). Even health is impacted in a positive way because it’s easier to eat more healthily at home, and there is up to 25% less stress, since there is no commuting to do.
Employers see the bright side to this story too. First of all, there are no geographical limits: you can have employees from all over the world, who can be more productive since they are not wasting time on being stuck in traffic. Even money can be saved by not having to invest into company equipment, pay office rent and any associated bills. Not to mention that having content workers helps with their retention, thus reducing costs even further (fewer people to train again and again).
Without any doubt, we are what we are today thanks to the unlimited possibilities granted by modern technology: talented staff members can collaborate from the comfort of their homes — while enjoying a balanced lifestyle — completely focused on the task ahead of them, to offer you the latest in web development tooling.