Sep
03
2015
03
2015
I had always wondered whether Government’s difficulty in attracting top developer talent was solely down to money. It’s not a secret that a capable developer can make at least 25% more working in the private sector, whether that be in an IT firm or contracting-in via an agency. What interested me was whether this was the sole consideration. When the topic came up in conversation with a director I thought it was about time to find out more.
It should come as no surprise that the top reason which came up was always money. Good developers are doing very well for themselves by contracting, and the perceived salary ceiling for civil servant coders is a major deterrent. I tried to dig deeper into this, citing government pensions and sick pay in the event of illness as somewhat attractive benefits. I was unequivocally shut down with the response that their day rate enabled contractors to pay into their own private pensions, cover extended periods of sickness, and still be better off than on a healthy middle to senior manager’s salary. Fair enough.
Another reason the developers I spoke to wouldn’t go permanent is the physical working environment within government. They noted the improvements they had seen over the past few years, but could not get past the somewhat uninspiring decor, endless banks of open plan desks and severely limited space for quiet uninterrupted coding. Free canteens, games rooms and massage chairs are just some of the features they’d experienced on previous projects, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t a little jealous. Whether or not these other office features are fads or really benefit the workplace (I think they do), the thought of permanently turning their backs on the more exciting side of work culture is highly unlikely. They enjoy making a difference within government, but could not stay in the conservative working environment for too long.
Working with legacy technology is something the developers I spoke to were not particularly fond of. They explained that these pieces of software are often built using outdated methodologies and poorly documented, if at all. Migrating data out of these is often hard enough, having to integrate new functionality onto them is even more of a headache. They noted that Government is moving in the right direction by bringing in smaller teams to build bespoke solutions in an agile way, however these projects often have dependencies on legacy solutions Government is still locked into which add complexity, uncertainty, and saps enjoyment out of the process.
The last common theme between answers was bureaucracy – the quicksand for progress. The developers I spoke to shared my passion for innovating quickly to deliver business value. Bringing ideas developed in discovery to life is a rewarding process, and more than justifies the late nights and early mornings for me. My acquaintances detailed that the sometimes endless chain of board approvals, recesses and other sticking points can kill the momentum from even the most promising projects. They’ve in fact chosen to move on when projects were held up, and other exciting opportunities arose. I played devil’s advocate by reminding them that governance is in place to protect tax payers money, our money. This was not disputed, but my friend argued that it is a contractor’s prerogative to move on when they’re no longer enjoying themselves, and nothing is less enjoyable than feeling like you’re not adding value.
Aaron Witter, Developer, Methods Digital
Read more: aaronwitter.uk
