{"id":3312,"date":"2020-02-11T15:36:54","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T14:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/?p=3312"},"modified":"2020-10-23T15:44:51","modified_gmt":"2020-10-23T13:44:51","slug":"developers-remote-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/backend\/developers-remote-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Remote Work Is the New Normal for Devs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you’re reading this and not wearing in pants, it’s entirely likely you’re working from home. Well, we hope for the sake of your team that you’re not sitting in the office. Whether you work from home one day a week and the rest in an office or are part of an entirely remote team, you’re part of the massive shift occurring in where we work.  There will be many in future generations who will never experience a 9 to 5 in-office workday, instead of working from home, a coworking space or cafe. It’s a popular topic at Codemotion conferences, according to a 2017 Stack Overflow<\/a> survey, 53 percent of developers surveyed reported that the ability to work remotely was a priority during a job search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remote work (I’ll use the term to encompass any work that is done outside of a company office, typically at home for the sake of this article) removes the need for the daily commute. Your office is as quiet as your choice of music, unlike shared space where as Alex Warren, Engineering Manager at AlphaSights asserts, “There\u2019s always someone who\u2019s got a mechanical keyboard.\u201d Remote work also offers great flexibility for people with kids, as well as those who like to travel. It’s also a great option for startups who save on the cost of office overheads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A work from home experiment facilitated by Stanford University found that work-from-home employees work a true full-shift (or more) versus being late or leaving early and found it easier to concentrate at home.  The study also found that employee attrition decreased by 50 percent with shorter breaks, had fewer sick days, and took less time off. Remote workers also typically return to work faster after surgery or recovering from medical issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are downsides to working in your pajamas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However remote work is not just raiding the fridge or sitting at beachside cafes. You need to have a lot of self-discipline to ensure that you stay focused and work is actually completed. Alexandra Marin, a software developer at crossplatform.io believes you need to have the right personality for remote work. As Alexandra notes: ” I’m either the type of person that draws your energy from being with people are you easily distracted? Can you work without guidance?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexandra believes that the issue of time management vs productiveness is often misunderstood. This is enforced in Buffer’s latest State of Remote Work<\/a> survey which reveals that splitting a team between remote and office-based can be a cause of conflict.  Alexandra shared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The problem is is that we’re measuring and managing time rather than being productive this is how you get in in all kinds of situations like for example, if you are working in an office, you’re always trying to appear busy. You’d love to go home early when you finish a task but immediately when you finish that task there’s a full backlog.<\/p>

I think we should make changes in how we reward work finishing a task faster should reward me with some time off not more tasks from the backlog.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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