I think there is a lot of disagreement with whether working from home is good or bad in the software engineering industry. I think the reason for this disagreement is because each person works differently. I do have a slightly different perspective of it now since I’m an entrepreneur though and I want to share that.
When I worked with Duck Creek, for most of my time there I went to work everyday. When i finally moved back to springfield, it increased my commute from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. It was at that point I started to work from home more. My typical schedule was WFH (work from home) on Mon-Wed, and commute to work Thurs and Friday. This gave me a good mix of both.
When I started my own business, other than traveling, I am WFH 100% of the time. For me, here are the pros and cons:
Pros
- I work faster and more efficient from home. This is a combination of having more control over my office environment
- I am more comfortable. PJs win over bluejeans/dress pants ANYDAY
- Going out to eat less. It’s just me. I do still try to get out on thursday, but that’s much better than 3-4 days a week
- Family gets to see me more
Cons
- I miss the fun conversations
When it comes down to it, I don’t feel communication is hindered. I have a webcam and a headset that I always use to discuss with my team and It’s become a very effective tool. This is a subjective opinion though. A lot of people put a lot of value in face to face, and I even do at times. This is my typical philsophy:
Remote work is good for when I’m focusing which is most of the time.
Face to face is good for when We’re planning or trying to solve a specific problem.
I will end this post with some opinions:
- There is no prescribed way for whether software developers work best at home or in an office
- Remote option is very beneficial for a software startup
- In software, there is little/no benefit in restricting your employment pool only to people that live locally to the company
- There will be times for face to face, but let the developer generally work wherever they want to. You’ll get the most bang for your buck.