CODEX
Making the IT world a better place for introverts
As the world still finds itself affected by the pandemic, a lot of developers are probably still working from home either entirely or at least most of the time.
And if you’re a developer and also an introvert, which is a quite common scenario, this should make your work easier…you know, until you have to be part of a useless meeting where everyone plays charades or wastes time talking about their favorite coffee or whatever (I was literally part of a daily…daily…meeting called “Let’s have a coffee” where everyone sorta joined and…did nothing? Just chatted?).
Does that scenario ring true to you? Well then, welcome to my world…
Modern corporate culture is a software developer’s worst nightmare, especially if that person is an introvert. How do I know this? I am an introverted person and I worked as a software dev for almost 8 years.
And while I had no problem going to the office, I absolutely despised everything to do with corporate culture that employed the “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Here are but some examples:
- making people stand up and singing Happy Birthday in the middle of the office; I didn’t mind the cake afterward of course, but the fact that I had to sit there looking desperately for The Doom Slayer to come to rescue me was not something I was looking forward to
- forced get-togethers at the office - there was a time where this company I worked at (the same one from above…kinda sensing a pattern here), forced us to come to the office every Thursday after hours and do some random activities…which we also had to organize; the activities ranged from karaoke to cooking, to other things I didn’t feel like doing
- forced chit-chat; before every meeting, there was to be a dedicated time in which everyone had to say what they were doing in their lives; it could have been either big stuff or small stuff, but you had to provide something; I remember this one time I told the people there I was sad Dragon Ball Super was ending (they sorta stopped trying to force stuff out of me afterward)
And such activities are a nightmare for people like me who just want to go to work, get the job done, and go home to my actual family because (since I can already hear people typing this), companies are not your family. Companies are sports teams at best, where you need to perform or otherwise you’ll get replaced. And if you think this has anything to do with being a family, go ahead and tell me of any family you know that will randomly kick you out of your house on a Friday because there’s not enough cash left.
The way office culture is organized is based on the fact that everyone is an extrovert and enjoys this kind of stuff. And this is certainly not true. Not everyone enjoys these activities and certainly, not everyone wants to be forced to be part of them.
But all hope is not lost. There is a simple and effective way to make everyone happy: don’t force people to take part in activities they dislike. Seriously, not everyone wants to go out with their coworkers. Some people just want to come in, put in the work, and get out. And there is nothing wrong with that. So long as those devs are doing the work and actually finishing the tasks you’re paying them to finish, that’s all you need.
I know I was motivated by the following things at work: finishing my tasks, learning new things, and salary. In this order. If anyone finds this controversial, then that’s on you. I was never motivated by having these extra perks. Sure, I enjoyed them from time to time and I always attended the Christmas parties at companies because those parties I thoroughly enjoyed.
Talk to your employees, make sure they’re alright and they have everything they need to do their best work (computer, salary, task clarification, etc.). Don’t alienate people by forcing them to be something they’re not. They’re going to be enough of a company presence at these activities and parties. Simply put, let people be who they choose to be. So long as the work is getting done and the profits are coming in…why do you care if a few of them miss out on some of these activities?
