As Abraham Lincoln once said, “ The best way to predict the future is to create it”, The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector is also heading towards creating a future that is innovative yet feasible for its users with professionals contributing from all over the global sphere.
The AEC industry is witnessing a major technological and ideological transition developing various paradigms for the office work culture.
In the rapidly evolving AEC industry, choosing between hiring In-house or Remote architects can be challenging. As firms maneuver through extremely complex projects, tight budgets, and strict deadlines, finding the right talent becomes imperative. Recent studies highlight that firms opting for remote hiring can significantly decrease overall costs by up to 30% due to reduced overhead and physical office-related expenses.
Let’s explore the key differences between in-house and remote architects to make informed choices that fit the project's needs.
Understanding the Roles
Before delving deeper into the comparative analysis, it’s crucial to understand the role of the in-house architect and a dedicated remote architect:
In-house Architect
An in-house architect is an employee directly hired by the company to work within the office premises. They collaborate closely with other team members and indulge in various project phases, from conceptualization to execution to facility management.
Dedicated Remote Architect
A dedicated remote architect works for a company remotely, either as a full-time employee, consultant, freelancer, or an architect through a third-party agency.
They offer specialized services with their unique skill sets as per project requirements, providing flexibility and cost-efficiency. These architects communicate remotely with the project teams and work outside the traditional office from their preferred location.
To adopt the right hiring method, let’s explore the benefits and drawbacks of both processes through a comparative analysis of both roles.
In-house and Dedicated Remote Hiring: A Comparative Analysis
Cost Efficiency
Hiring In-house Architect:
The in-house team requires a physical office setup, work gear, and other overhead expenses, increasing the total cost for the AEC company. The in-house employees work regularly demanding consistent wages, irrespective of their work.
Hiring Dedicated Remote Architect:
The remote hiring process eliminates the need for physical office space, equipment, and other overhead costs associated with in-house employees, resulting in a more cost-efficient approach.
Remote architects provide the freedom to work on a project basis, allowing for flexible payment methods and maintaining project budgets.
Collaboration and Communication
Hiring In-house Architect:
An in-house architect establishes a seamless communication channel with other team members through in-person interaction, attending regular meetings, and effectively collaborating with project stakeholders.
Hiring Dedicated Remote Architect:
Time zone differences can introduce coordination challenges, making it difficult to schedule meetings and arrange real-time communication with other team members.
Talent Pool Accessibility
Hiring In-house Architect:
In-house hiring might limit the access to potential recruits with specialized skill sets globally due to the limitation of preferably hiring local resources. There is an unavailability of talented architects in certain areas, leading to increased recruitment time and competition for top talent.
Hiring Dedicated Remote Architect:
Employing dedicated resources provides access to the global talent pool, enabling the firms to recruit professionals specialized with specific skills and expertise tailored to project needs. The firms can also vary their scaling process by teaming up and down remote resources without long-term commitments.
Flexible and Agile Approach
Hiring In-house Architect:
The physical staff has fixed working hours which might decrease the flexibility of managing tight deadlines and impede immediate amendments.
Hiring Dedicated Remote Architect:
The time zone differences work to the advantage of the company as employees from varying time zones can provide round-the-clock progress on a project, accelerating the project delivery. The dedicated remote hires are adaptable to different work ethics and flexible to varying project requirements, offering innovative solutions in tricky situations.
Technology Integration
Hiring In-house Architect:
Long-term working professionals might be uncomfortable adapting to advanced methods and technology, hindering innovation and growth.
Hiring Dedicated Remote Architect:
AEC firms can hire dedicated remote architects well-versed in technology and advanced digital tools, facilitating growth and efficiency. Employing professionals as per the project requirements might bring a fresh perspective to the project and an innovative approach toward problem-solving.
Cultural Alignment and Cohesive Approach
Hiring In-house Architect:
The in-house architects are deeply aligned with company culture and organizational values. They are more likely to understand the company’s vision, leading to a cohesive approach to projects
Hiring Dedicated Remote Architect:
Remote architects are not aware of the company culture and do not align with the organizational objectives.
However, working from a distant location eliminates the necessity to align with company culture, allowing architects to digitally collaborate with the team members to develop team cohesion and camaraderie only as much as required for smooth project execution.
In-house Hiring or Remote Hiring: Considerable Factors for Decision Making
Choosing between an in-house architect and a dedicated remote architect depends on various factors that align with the project requirements and organizational goals:
- Analyze the project complexity to understand if it demands any specialized skills or expertise and whether it is readily available locally.
- Consider the project budget and financial constraints to choose between a cost-effective or cost-intensive approach.
- The infrastructure and resources of the firm are also a considerable factor in understanding the possibility of accommodating in-house staff or going with the flexibility of remote hiring.
- Looking into the project deadlines can clarify the need for accelerating the work pace or demand for continuous collaboration to make instant adjustments.
- Examine the weightage of cultural alignment or diverse perspectives about the project requirements for making a suitable decision.
- The company preferences and goals are also crucial factors to choose from continuous stability of in-house architects or flexible scalability of remote architects.
Dedicated Resource Model (DRM): A cutting-edge solution to Remote Hiring
Imagine hiring from the top 1% global talent of architects and engineers with the benefits of remote hiring integrated with a few qualities of in-house professionals. Isn't it the most suitable approach for project execution with cost and time efficiency?
Dedicated Resource Model(DRM) solutions by Virtual Building Studio is an integrated model to enable the AEC industry to indulge in hiring dedicated architects and engineers from the global talent pool of the top 1% of professionals.
The company can add 10 different professionals across teams or a single expert with a specialized skill set within 3 days. The AEC firms can abstain from the hassle of sourcing, recruiting, training, and retaining talent, by using the DRM solution.
Benefits of Adapting DRM solution
- Hire resources who have already undergone the technical, logical, and communication testing process to simplify onboarding for the AEC companies.
- The dedicated resource model evaluates architects and engineers on their soft and behavioral skills to ensure seamless integration and cultural fit.
- The solution provides an easy 3-day onboarding process where the firm can quickly assemble and onboard suitable architects and engineers, saving time and energy in finding the right talent.
Successful Client Stories
Whitten Architects - a Texas-based architecture firm, onboarded the right team of 3 dedicated resources with a Dedicated resource Model to enhance their capabilities in BIM technology and tools like Revit and AutoCAD.
With dedicated resources, the company has successfully shifted from traditional to modern technologies and witnessed a significant surge in project acquisition.
With the Proprietary DRM solution, Sunway Construction expanded its dedicated team of 30 architects and engineers within 2 months.
Internal skill shortages and disappointments with outsourcing led to the urgency of streamlined operations, enabling smooth and secure project operations across all projects.
Conclusion
The decision to select from in-house architects and a dedicated architect is not a one-size-fits-all process. However, limited circles, geographical boundaries, and our understanding of the hiring and managing process can certainly hinder growth and innovation for the AEC industry.
The restrictive mindset might prevent the firms from exploring opportunities to discover the right talent that can elevate their business. Remote hiring can serve as a bridge connecting talent architects across the globe with suitable AEC firms.
A tailored solution like DRM can facilitate the discovery of the right talent which is instrumental to project success.
And guess what? VBS has a ready-to-hire team of dedicated resources for you to be the next success story of DRM integration.
