I was discussing my colleague's and his brother's negative experiences with workplaces. Having had my fair share of those and observing some, let's say, not-so-healthy discussion surrounding the "return to office" trend, I felt compelled to share my thoughts.
The concept of what is deemed acceptable in a workplace seems to be distorted by extremely ambitious and outspoken individuals. Therefore, let us begin by addressing...
Diversity
I don't know where you stand on the political spectrum, but for some people it is the "D" word they don't ever want to hear. However, diversity is present in every aspect of our lives, both overtly and covertly.
The overt forms of diversity include your skin color, height, gender, etc. Yet, many aspects of diversity remain hidden behind your skull, subconsciously or consciously concealed ("masked").
There are certain traits of diversity that are celebrated as "just being a hard-working individual" and not considered "special abilities" stemming from maybe genetical reasons.
For instance, if you can function on only four hours of sleep, regularly work 12-hour days, six or seven times a week, and experience no adverse effects, my friend, you do not possess a """neurotypical""" nature. Similarly, if you don't feel distressed by spending just one hour a week with your family, you deviate from the norm. You can't base the workplace requirements on any of these.
Moreover, if deadlines, especially missed ones, ignite a hyper-productive state within you, it is highly likely that you exhibit characteristics of certain type of ADHD (please note: unless you are a psychiatrist conducting a proper diagnosis, refrain from diagnosing individuals, please, okay?).
You should not assume what the normal person can do, based on yourself or on a very narrow group of your personal environment.
I strongly suspect that a significant number of people live their lives with (mostly subconsciously) concealed mental conditions, completely unaware of them. While we tend to medicate some of them, I yet to encounter the pill that would make Elon Musk less of a sociopath. (Sorry folks, firing that many people at the same time, they way he did, cannot be, and had not been, justified by any decent reason.)
Which is Better: Remote or Office?
Now that we have a better understanding of these factors, it becomes clear that the answer is:
YES, BOTH. Whether
remoteorofficework is preferable depends on the specific psychological attributes of each employee.
If you find that you are more productive working from home, it may indicate that your boundaries have become blurred, in which case you should try going back to the office. On the other hand, if commuting causes you stress detracting you from doing your job effectively, or if you struggle to concentrate due to the chatter in an open office: stay at home.
If your employer lacks the ability to objectively evaluate the work you have done and requires you to be observed during work hours, it is their fault, not yours. For the love of God, you can just put up some excel sheets every time "the boss" is around and not do a damn thing in the office.
No Emotional/Mind Games
This one should be self-evident, but I will mention it for the sake of completeness: we should not engage in things like saying "stay in the office 12 hours for the next month for the team", providing proper overtime compensation. Unless, of course, such an arrangement has been discussed and agreed upon by the team.
Unpaid labor, stress, distress, bullying, and harassment have no place in a professional workplace.
While some may argue that certain practices, like not paying overtime, can increase profits, it is important to recognize that even robbing a bank can also yield financial gains (what a nice euphemism for something so unethical).
Instead of the constant surveillance and stress we should focus on the magic of...
The Right Preparation
Now that we have discussed the emotional and interpersonal aspects of work, let's talk about the work environment.
With closed eyes let's imagine the ideal setup:
- You have a clear understanding of the tasks you need to work on each day. The requirements were either prepared for you or you have easy access to the people who can clarify those.
- You can see how your work contributes to the bigger picture and the overall goals of the organization.
- You know that your work will be utilized relatively soon (i.e. you are not working on "something that might be used or not, we don't know").
- You feel a sense of excitement about the impact of the work you are doing. (This is a huge motivator on its own!)
- You are well-rested, and your periods of high concentration and flow are not constantly disrupted.
- You have a clear understanding of the types of work that are valued, and you know that you will be rewarded for your contributions.
- You can rely on the support of your colleagues, and everyone around you is invested in solving problems collaboratively.
Notice that I did not mention things like "we want less meetings" - because, honestly, it is never about the number of meetings but rather by respecting how individuals work best.
Please notice I never mentioned traditional work schedules, or how much an individual should work. I think the answer is dependent on these factors.
Summary
The most professional workplace, I think, is one that supports and facilitates individuals in finding their optimal configuration for productivity and well-being - and on the long run. Pushing employees to the point of burnout for personal ambitions is unacceptable - whether you have money and power or not. Freedom should not translate to the "freedom to stress employees whenever and however one pleases."
As software engineers/designers/researchers, etc. it is important to speak with each other, bringing together individuals from various work environments to hear out where they work, how they work, to assess whether any toxic or harmful practices we have been normalizing.
Now, dear reader, it's your turn! What are your thoughts on the ideal professional workplace?
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