Senior programmer on management side. Personally when I'm coding, yeah, isolated, distraction free environment is my demand. I'm knocking stuff out, achieving flow state. Anything else I feel frustrated that I'm not performing at my peak. I liken it to brain surgery. You wouldn't expect to be well received if you just pop into the OR to discuss getting new scalpels in the middle of an operation.
That being said, it's really the crux of the issue with work from home that the trajectory of the company doesn't really depend on individual workers hitting their maximum output. An individual having the best coding experience is rarely the ideal option for the company. It is far more important that the team moves in a cohesive formation. If the distractions truly cut productivity in half we can double the number of seats. Going too far and too fast without focused guidance results in deadtime and technical debt. It's a tortoise and the hare situation. Would we rather have 10 rabbits moving one brick at a time or 20 turtles strapped together towing a trailer with a full stack of bricks.
It's also not like we haven't tried to make remote work and other options be successful. The reality is that it's something we can pretty effectively A/B test. The results have been fairly consistent across fields and even companies. Physically collaborative environments yield better and faster results.
> If the distractions truly cut productivity in half we can double the number of seats.
Usually salaries cost more than offices.
> Going too far and too fast without focused guidance results in deadtime and technical debt.
Focused guidance requires intentional communication. Not hoping people will overhear the right conversations.
> It's also not like we haven't tried to make remote work and other options be successful. The reality is that it's something we can pretty effectively A/B test. The results have been fairly consistent across fields and even companies. Physically collaborative environments yield better and faster results.
> An individual having the best coding experience is rarely the ideal option for the company
I think a company that wants to keep talent for as long as possible without offering FAANG level salaries should reconsider this position. Hiring is super expensive and risky. If you have good people, you want to keep them. I think offering flexible, meaningful and enjoyable work is a great way to keep people around longer and if it matters to them that they have a space where they can focus, I would give it to them. Creating an environment where they are less happy probably will make them look elsewhere.
That said, I do agree that siloed work comes with a set of issues, but I think there are other solutions to the problem.
> It's also not like we haven't tried to make remote work and other options be successful. The reality is that it's something we can pretty effectively A/B test. The results have been fairly consistent across fields and even companies. Physically collaborative environments yield better and faster results.
I have never heard this and I don't even know how you would measure it. There are so many variables this would affect, not to mention, how do you even measure productivity short and long term? Do you also measure turnover? I don't think we actually know nor do I think results from one place translate over to another. I've done both and both have worked and have had their own set of challenges. My personal take is that hiring good people matters more than whatever setup you have. Remote gives you a bigger pool of people to pick from and is desirable by many, so based on that I think that it can give a very big competitive advantage.
That being said, it's really the crux of the issue with work from home that the trajectory of the company doesn't really depend on individual workers hitting their maximum output. An individual having the best coding experience is rarely the ideal option for the company. It is far more important that the team moves in a cohesive formation. If the distractions truly cut productivity in half we can double the number of seats. Going too far and too fast without focused guidance results in deadtime and technical debt. It's a tortoise and the hare situation. Would we rather have 10 rabbits moving one brick at a time or 20 turtles strapped together towing a trailer with a full stack of bricks.
It's also not like we haven't tried to make remote work and other options be successful. The reality is that it's something we can pretty effectively A/B test. The results have been fairly consistent across fields and even companies. Physically collaborative environments yield better and faster results.