Rapid increase Working from home in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is being reversed as companies coax employees back into the office.
Developers in South Africa are gradually being asked to return to the office, with employers changing their remote work policies in favor of hybrid working arrangements.
This is according to the 2024 OfferZen State of the Developer Nation (SODN) announced this week.
“South African developers have largely avoided returning to the office, but we are starting to see a shift in remote policies,” the report said. “30% of hybrid developers in 2024 were previously fully remote, while 15% of fully office-based developers last year adopted a hybrid he policy.”
According to the report, 17% of developers have experienced a fully remote policy change within the past 12 months. According to OfferZen, this trend suggests that South African businesses are gradually returning to the office.
However, this is not the case for all organizations, with some organizations embracing remote work more actively. OfferZen's report states that “fully remote companies have even greater freedom of movement.”
digital nomad
The number of remote developers living locally while working for international companies is also on the rise, doubling in the past 24 months, according to OfferZen.
The Home Office recently announced amendments to the digital nomad visa bill to attract more developers to the country and stimulate the economy.
“More developers can now work from anywhere in the world. Almost half of fully remote developers can now work from anywhere in the world (up from 32.6% in 2023) ). And for one in four, simply being based in the same country as the company is sufficient,” the report states.
Read: South African software developer salaries are falling
As far as rankings are concerned, remote work remains the most preferred work arrangement for developers, followed by hybrid, full-time office-based setups.
Fully remote developers who have been switched to a hybrid setup report missing out on the benefits of a fully remote deployment.
Companies have been warned not to make any major changes to their remote work policies. This could lead to layoffs.
“Developers are clearly showing a preference for remote work, not just in theory. In fact, the majority would quit their jobs if their company required them to return to the office full time. “Sho,” OfferZen said. – © 2024 News Central Media
