The Pre-Internet era, saw our fathers and forefathers, used to working in a definite and programmed work cycle. In other words, working out of office, irrespective of the responsibilities and positions, they held, was the first and last choice. However, things have changed a lot since then and the post internet era, influenced by technology, has brought in phenomenal changes. Most notable amongst them are automated processes and subsequently, remote working or work from home possibilities.
In more than one way, we can consider ourselves lucky as developers. Because there is a good demand for our skill sets with a good salary package and above all, we can consider working from home!! However, it would be very interesting to know why remote working suits developers and how it benefits the organization too.
Any decision making revolves around how beneficial it is for both the organization as well as the employee. Let’s begin with the Developer’s perspective.
When we look at it from a developer’s end, the decision to work from home can be reasoned out to something much more than, just going ahead with the trend! If recent studies are to be believed, then almost 60% of the global business entities allow work from home option. Or at least, it could be distributed like two days out of office and the remaining three days from home, so on and so forth, depending upon mutual agreements.
Why remote tech workers contribute equally well as those who work out of office is primarily because they can space out their work schedules and organize themselves. However, many organizations would still prefer them to maintain the same work rules, as would be applicable at office. For example, maintaining strict login and logout timings, strict lunch timings(though this varies more often than not) as well as reporting formalities.
In between these, an important aspect which work from home is looked to benefit, is keeping yourself fit, by planning routine work outs at the gym, just before you log on. From a developer’s perspective, this is seen to improve efficiency by giving full focus and concentration as well as benefit the organization.
It’s not just the developer who benefits. The organization too has its own share of benefits. In terms of direct return on investment! If you ask me how, then it’s pretty simple. To begin with, a company with remote workers may not have a strict work schedule. As such fixed working hours may not be necessary. As any organization would look more into productivity and justification for the money earned, having a mix of working hours is always aplus point and strength; This amounts to more time for following operations, development, test and reviews by collaborating with colleagues, especially if they fall in different time zones.
One of the most important things that happen to a company in this case is earning the confidence of the developers, as well as developing mutual trust. This automatically happens as the developers tend to feel more valued and independent.
It also gives the organization more flexibility to choose the best of the talent, from any part of the world. It is a key competitive advantage in the fast-paced tech market.
However, as much as there are benefits, there could be a few challenges, which I am sure will not be that hard to handle.
For remote tech developers, efficiency and productivity is the key. However, there are few factors, which can play a spoil sport in tech developers, achieving their objectives, by working remotely. These are few opportunities to collaborate and communicate with your manager and team on a regular basis, unavoidable distractions and time zone challenges. In some cases, this could lead to developers getting demotivated and lose out on productivity.
But isn’t there a solution to every problem?! We presume that there surely is solution. So if you are all up to rise up to the challenges and defeat them, here’s what you can do.
As we mentioned, staying motivated and avoiding distractions can get a bit tough. However, rather than completely blaming yourself for getting distracted, once in a while, why not think of taking a break, relax and come back fresh with new thoughts, new ideas. The objective lies in meeting the customer deadlines and if you can do that by the end of the day, how you really space out your working hours, shouldn’t really matter for the organization.
At the same time, be transparent and share periodic reports with your colleagues and managers. This ensures trust and collaboration. It’s all about being accessible to your team leads and managers, as and when they may need you.
There could be another instance where your workplace is quite close by to your residence but still you opt for a remote working option and have got it! In this case, developers would do good to get involved in activities like social meet-ups and after work activities.
The key mindset for any manager or project head, is developing a good team of motivated individuals and developers, irrespective of wherever they work out of. If developers feel a sense of belonging to the organization, either working from home or out of office, they have made it!
