Tech Talent Tips: How to Nab the Programmer You’ve Always Wanted

As a member of the Waters editorial team, I try to have an impartial view of all the panels we host at our various conferences. Each one represents a different and unique portion of the industry, and deserves its fair share of attention. However, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a favorite.

The C-level panel has always been the discussion I most look forward to. These are tech leaders on the buy side and sell side who can offer a 30,000-foot view of all the issues firms are generally facing in the industry at the moment. It’s always interesting to see what concerns remain year-after-year (regulation, legacy systems) and what new ones pop up (blockchain, artificial intelligence).

However, one topic in particular has continued to draw a lot of attention during C-level panels in recent years: talent acquisition, which has become one of the biggest concerns for technology executives in financial services. The threat innovative companies in Silicon Valley or London pose is real, as a job working in the tech department at a bank on Wall Street is no longer considered a golden ticket.

I wrote about this issue back in July 2015, but it seems to have remained top-of-mind for tech heads. Executives at the European Technology Architecture Summit in London this year discussed attracting talent and changing their work culture, and, as discussed on the Waters Wavelength podcast, C-level executives spent a good portion of their panel at Waters USA chatting about it.

So what can these firms do to attract young programmers straight out of college? Often I hear that the culture needs to change. But what does that really mean? Here are some specific alterations that need to be made to help bring in the next programming whiz.

If these guys and girls want to wear flip flops to work, let them do it. Sweat pants? Go ahead. Gym shorts? Be my guest.

Dress Code

I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve heard this one before! We let our coders go business casual.” Wrong. Labeling your dress code of chinos and button downs as “relaxed” doesn’t count. When I say strip down the dress code, I mean really strip down the dress code.

If these guys and girls want to wear flip flops to work, let them do it. Sweat pants? Go ahead. Gym shorts? Be my guest. They could show up in a Snuggie and you still shouldn’t bat an eyelid. You want them to feel comfortable and relaxed. That means absolutely no clothing requirements. (Just no nudity—you’ve got to draw the line somewhere.)

Naturally, this might raise a few eyebrows and cause some jealousy from the rest of the firm, which brings me to my next point.

Separate Space

The tech department should have its own floor or section of a floor that’s only for those involved in tech. Sure, there needs to be a healthy relationship with the front-office team, and there still will be, but we can’t have coders in constant contact with traders and portfolio managers. Give them their own space. Again, this is all about comfort.

I’m not saying they should have their own building, but allowing them to work together without concerns of front-office folks breathing down their necks will do wonders for their sense of autonomy, and your recruitment. Think of it as a tech “safe space.”

Flexible Hours

Maybe the game of "Overwatch" he was streaming went on late, or maybe she had to watch the end of the Monday Night Football game to see how her fantasy team did in the playoffs. Whatever the reason, your coders stayed up late. And while they physically can drag themselves to the office for 8 a.m., mentally they won’t be there for another few hours.

That’s why tech folks should have the freedom to work non-conventional hours. Sure, there will be some employees required to come in during market hours to assist those in the front office. But for many, it’s possible for them to complete their work at any time during the day. Why keep them on the same schedule as the rest of the firm?

Chances are good they will end up showing up at a decent hour anyway, and they’ll likely stay much later. As long as their work is getting done, what’s the point having them punch in like it’s a nine-to-five? After all, work is something you do, not a place you go to, right?