#Working from Home or Office – What is More Recommendable for Developers in 2022?

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Working from Home or Office – What is More Recommendable for Developers in 2022?

Wake Up, Buddy! It’s Time for a Skpye call! Have you ever thought that working from home would be the new normal someday? Gone are the days when people used to get out of their beds and somehow make it to the breakfast table. Today the situation is like getting out of the bed and reaching your desktop for work. It’s literally bizarre to think how was the previous year and everything seems to have changed to a great extent. Like it or not, your working realm is going through some major transformation that might last forever. So brace yourself because the bumpy ride has already begun!

Post COVID, the global village is right at your service! No kidding! A significant number of businesses are found investing in outsourcing or offshore software development companies to remain a cut above in their niche. Not to mention that due to the pandemic and closure of various industries, only the IT or software development vertical was the one that somehow managed to keep the economy of the world intact. The rise of offshore software development is no longer a buzzing term, it has become the way we trade off.

Recently, I happened to stumble upon an interesting post that focuses on how to hire a reliable offshore development company for your business?, how offshore outsourcing is beneficial and tips to keep in mind while hiring offshore software development company. Anyways, the following post focuses on whether it is advisable to work from home or work from offices for developers today and a few years down the line.

Work in Offices Vs Work From Home – What is More Recommendable for Developers in 2022?

The trend of Offshore Outsourcing

The global IT industry seems to be advancing at a phenomenal rate – all thanks to ever-evolving COVID. Though the worldwide lockdown may have adversely affected several businesses, IT is and will always remain an exception. The idiom – If nothing is going right; go left seems to have been implemented by masses. Businesses literally have ditched the way of creating in-house development teams and have been trending towards outsourcing software development in the long run.

Not to mention that with the increase in offshore development, work-from-home (WFH) set-ups have also been given an immense amount of importance. Gone are the days when WFH was pretty much tedious as one couldn’t communicate effectively or faced connectivity issues but with Zoom and Skype, communication is no longer an issue. Not just that, even one can track how efficient your employee is even while WFH with the help of productivity tracking tools. Lastly, a significant amount of money can be saved in regards to electricity, coffee machines and what not! So yes, it is a safe bet to say that we are becoming positive about full-time work from home setups.

Remote working is given importance due to a couple of reasons, saves money, it is near to impossible to manipulate tools and technologies, and less commutes. Though there was a time when managing offshore teams was pretty much a challenge but not anymore. And whether you like it or not, offshore software development is not going to slow down anytime soon.

Now thinking from the developer’s perspective lets see which situation is better whether to work from home or work from office.

Work from home or work from office – Which is worth Choosing?

Even though working from home has become the new normal. Several professionals, especially software developers, are still in a dilemma whether to keep that going or not. Because of the urge to see their colleagues, the strict work-environment is growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, many experienced developers have admitted that they are unable to strike the right work-life balance, whereas others have become pretty-much comfortable with the work from home scenario. Their preferences might vary for example, for some social exposure, convenience is at paramount whereas for others proper work environment is important.

Some of the significant benefits of working from home include, you get enough time to spend with your family members. Due to less commuting, ample time and energy can be saved. Of course, the money as well. Developers can work under sunlight or wherever they feel like. In fact, several programmers tend to go on a workcation where they work and enjoy remaining time exploring the new city or space with their loved ones. These perks can definitely not be avoided!

Well, for starters both situations come with a significant amount of advantages and disadvantages. Let’s go through that first!

#1 Remote or Not – Communication is important!

Whether you are working from home or working from the office, communication is extremely important here. Now software development is not one man army’s show, it takes a village to develop a software product. And since you are working with a team here it is very crucial to conduct effective communication and collaborate with your team members at regular intervals. And not just among your members but members from other departments as well such as testers, designers, SEO and what not!

Now if you are working from home, developers tend to remain at ease and it can be said their productivity can be compromised to a great extent. Apart from this, real-time communication is next to impossible due to any issue such as power-cut or network connectivity low, childrens roaming around the house and making noises, etc. If the person is sitting right next to you then no such issues need to be taken care of. Also, face-to-face communication does strengthen professional relationships. People sitting around you know you so well that even if you are sick or leave, your work can be adequately handled by your peers by accessing your systems. That’s the beauty of working from offices!

#2 Flexible

Next aspect to compare work from home and work from offices is in regards to flexibility. Is WFH more flexible or WFO? Of course WFH has no two ways about it! When a software developer works from home it is not a compulsion for them to be present during the office working hours from 9am to 6pm. They can join a little if they want and leave a little late since they no longer have to keep commuting for hours.

Here one no longer feels bound to their desk. In fact if they have some emergency they can definitely address it and come back and reimburse the time, maybe more. The essence of freedom can be explored only when you are working from home and not otherwise. In addition to time, developers no longer have to follow the specific dress code. They can even work with their comfy pajamas and have as many coffee breaks as they want. With such flexibility and the essence of freedom, programmers tend to work more than expected. It’s a win-win situation for both the software development companies and their valued developers.

#3 Productivity

Another crucial factor to take into consideration is productivity. Many of you believe that WFH reduces productivity and makes developers less efficient whereas others might disagree. Generally speaking, on the contrary when working from home a developer’s productivity is enhanced quite upto a great extent. Reason being, since ample travel time, break-time, discussing match updates time is saved, so all that time is diverted into working. Also, developer’s tend to remain active and energetic all day long. However, it is not necessary that the productivity can be increased only by working from home even at offices, if one believes in planning and being adhered to it, uses communication for work purposes and take few breaks, efficiency can be well taken care of.

#4 Achieving Solitude – Work-Life

Who doesn’t need the sense of tranquility? And that can only be achieved by attaining a proper work-life balance. When you are working from the office, it is quite possible that you have to compromise on certain aspects in regards to the work environment. With work from home, you can set up your own working space and wherever you feel like, whether it’s your garden area, patio or balcony – all you have to do is make sure that there is a strong internet connection available. Working from home for software developers means getting the best in regards to personal preferences. But at the same time you might get distracted with the sound of birds chirping, loud music from the streets, kids playing around, etc.

Above all, the best advantage offered by working from home is you can achieve work-life balance. You can spend adequate time with your family members, friends, focus on your physical health, eat healthy and what not! Many software developers have become physically fit and maintained & consistent due to work from home facility.

#5 Reduced expenses

Finance is a very important and a differentiating factor here. When you are working from the office, you have to pay every now and then whether it’s to travel or buying formal clothes, shoes, accessories, at times you get to pay for unplanned colleagues birthday’s or farewells. This is definitely not the case when working from home. Although, WFH has its own expenses such as you have to pay for strong internet connection and workstation set up. But still working from home is less costly than working from offices.

Conclusion

So which of these two are better? Work from home or Work from office for software developers? Well, it depends on what’s more important for you. If convenience and flexibility, then work from home and if productivity and sincerity and social exposure, then working from office. With the current situation, there are only three possibilities left for software development companies across the globe –

Let’s do permanent work from home
Let’s come to office
Come to office but not for the entire week

by Evangeline Reece

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