I want to compare and contrast two different scenarios for you. Let’s make up an actor, named Jeff, who is a software developer. Jeff lives in Smallville (not a real town) and works in Largecity (also not a real town, go figure). Jeff loves his job, but it’s almost 40 miles away and takes him over an hour to get there in traffic.
Scenario 1: Jeff wakes up at 8:30AM, drinks his coffee, eats his peanut-butter-slathered bagel while reading HN, then has to begin getting ready for work. He showers, shaves, brushes his teeth, dresses, and packs his bag. He’s not out of the house until 9:15-9:30. He’s not at the office until 10:00 earliest. He’s not productive until 11:00.
That’s an important detail, so let’s make it a metric. We’ll call it TTP (Time to Productivity). Remember that for later.
Scenario 2: Jeff wakes up at 8:30AM. He sees a Slack from his boss that says that he doesn’t have to come into the office today because the A/C is broken. Jeff still performs his usual morning routine, except he skips the part where he gets dressed to go out and also skips his entire commute. He may also skip the part where he showers and shaves because he knows he’s not going out (don’t be gross, Jeff). He sits down at his company-issued laptop which he brings home every day and he’s productive by, say, 9:30AM.
What’s his TTP? In this scenario, it’s 60 minutes. In the previous scenario? It’s almost triple that. There’s a lot of time spent in Scenario 1 that has to be spent, because Jeff can’t teleport, but that’s time no one can get back. Time that could be spent fixing bugs.
The problem is, there are more costs than most people realize to commuting to an office that’s far away from the developer’s home. Time loss is just one. Wear-and-tear on a vehicle is another. There are environmental tolls from driving emissions–Jeff doesn’t drive a Tesla–and there are mental tolls from fighting traffic and other drivers. So what’s the point? Why bother with all the wasted time?
The answer is: because face-time is important. When I’m in a meeting with my manager, his facial cues tell me things his voice doesn’t and vice-versa. His body language. Being able to point at one another’s screens. Being able to round the corner and knock on his door. Just being available.
Except, it’s 2019. Online communication platforms like Slack, video chatting programs like Skype, and document collaboration platforms like Google Drive Enterprise are better than ever, so all Jeff (or you, or me) really needs to do his job is a solid Internet connection and access to a terminal.
Tools are what companies should be investing in, not traditions. I write some of my best code at my own computer, snacking on popcorn, with my triple monitors, and my obnoxiously-loud mechanical keyboard. It’s always been that way, and it always will be.
So don’t take developers out of their natural habitats. Managers, allow remote work and watch your TTP shrink and your productivity grow.
Related links:
- 100% Remote! 13 Cool Companies to Apply to Today on the Glassdoor Blog
- At These 125 Companies, All Or Most Employees Work Remotely by Laura Shin
- 25 Virtual Companies Without Headquarters by Jessica Howington
Leave a Reply