Crazy Rules Firms Give Software Devs
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
Software developers oftentimes consider themselves a special breed. They are the ones who deliver value to a company and in some cases produce the entire product for the business.
This makes it more surprising that they are given nonsensical rules to follow.
“Give a little respect to me.
Here are the rules that I’ve been given in a number of positions during my career. Some of them are ‘worse’ than others but I think many devs will be able to relate to these experiences working as a software developer”
Laptops Are For Work Use Only
Companies can create rules about how their tools are used. That is fair as they own the means of production and want to make sure that their property is used correctly.
“Fair enough you might think. They provide the tools for work, and you should do that work.
The counterpoint is that sports teams oftentimes forget that the rest of us have 9–6 jobs and don’t schedule games for us office clones. It might be the big day for those who prioritized sports at school but for us software devs who like sport (a small group, yeah) we need to manage our time.
I remember a *big* sports game in these parts when several members of the team planned to go to the office and stream the game.
They didn’t plan to go to the bar and slack off. They planned to work and watch the game at the same time.
They were told just a few hours before the game that they were not allowed to stream the game using their work machine. As a result, many decided to WFH instead (and I’m not sure how much work got done on that particular day.”
We can ask ourselves questions about the company's behavior: Is this reasonable?
The streaming service that would be used is perfectly legal, although there might be an argument that streaming on work property may require a license from the company.
The message received by devs
The message to developers is clear: the laptop is for work use only, so don’t even think about using it for fun.
I think we know what The Secret Developer thinks about this but let us go over to them for a pity comment.
“When it’s on my desk I’ll do what I need. That goes double if it’s using my power in my home”
No Stack Overflow
“This is one particular experience working in financial services. They used a whitelist for acceptable websites and our old friend the junior’s favorite wasn’t on the list. Amazingly enough, you could use GitHub and even clone repos from there so it seems like logic was really missing from the process here.
A lack of logic in a tech firm is not a first.
Anyway, I still don’t know how junior developers managed to function in that environment.
Well, actually I think I do. Slow at pushing poor code as usual.”
Avoid Charging Your Cell
“I’m not sure that the company meant this as a diktat, but for me, the message was clear when we were told to avoid charging personal cells on “our” power.”
“Please avoid charging mobile phones at work because the cost adds up for us over time.”
“My interpretation?
‘Thanks for your work. Please subsidise your employer. You are not appreciated.’
The company wanted to save money wherever it could. Although, in a tech firm, money often felt tight, I don’t think this cost would really add up to that extent.
I still took in my cell and charged that in the office. I also took in my laptop. Switch. Wireless keyboard.
I wonder if I could run an EV charger to the parking lot?”
Recommendations For Tech Firms
Big tech should never make up these inappropriate rules for staff. After all, they create value in firms.
Here are recommendations from The Secret Developer which might just make the whole industry that little bit better:
Make sure you have a robust interview process to get people with appropriate values into the company
Trust your staff
Help staff to work and to grow
“If you want your employees to work hard for you and to produce a great product you need to do the following. It shouldn’t be hard.”
Treat Developers with respect
“If we say that developers deliver value to an organization there may be a tendency to view software developers as resources. As soon as you do that if employees take from the organization they can be treated like thieves.
In my experience, they are treated as both.
Thieves and value drivers? It’s insane to think this is simultaneously possible.”
Appreciate staff
“The details that don’t matter? They, well, don’t. That means that managers need to focus on helping their staff and giving them the tools to do a good job. If not, what is the point?
Look after your employees, and your employees will look after you”
Conclusion
“Good vibes run both ways
If you don’t like your staff, why take them on in the first place? If you want to develop them, then you need to look after them and support them in their work.
Programmers used to be called knowledge workers. They aren’t really paid for the time they spend at work but rather for the value they deliver. Why would you put something into place that drives a gap between the organization and the workers?
I think.”