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Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

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Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#31

Post by _random_ »

gknoy wrote: post #18
_random_ wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also helps if there are no boring bring-lunch-from-home types.

If bringing your team together is the goal, it cannot be served by labeling those who choose to bring a lunch as "boring types". I know my feelings would be hurt if my coworkers decided to exclude me for that reason. How does bringing lunch from home prevent team lunches? If it's scheduled ahead of time, it's easy to bring less. One might even be able to justify budgeting N lunches/month out with coworkers. Also, lun…

I guess that's true, maybe the problem is elsewhere.

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#32

Post by jakub_g »

zaphar wrote: post #14
mikeleeorg wrote: post #6

If you are an engineering manager, you can see huge gains in team satisfaction and productivity if you are cognizant of issues like this. My suggestion is to take the time to understand each member of your team, then create various interactions that can foster teamwork, satisfaction, etc. This can include: + Lunches or dinners - Going out to a restaurant together can give your team a reprieve from the stresses of wor…

We used to do Starcraft lunch at work. 2 people would play a starcraft game and the rest of us would gather in a conference room to watch the stream and provide running commentary. We also have an in house tool that sets up lunch times between a random group of 4 people periodically. It's a great way to meet others in the office and socialize. Both of these were employee provided ideas. If you empower your employees…

> We also have an in house tool that sets up lunch times between a random group of 4 people periodically. It's a great way to meet others in the office and socialize.

This is an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing that.

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#33

Post by greggman »

mikeleeorg wrote: post #6

If you are an engineering manager, you can see huge gains in team satisfaction and productivity if you are cognizant of issues like this. My suggestion is to take the time to understand each member of your team, then create various interactions that can foster teamwork, satisfaction, etc. This can include: + Lunches or dinners - Going out to a restaurant together can give your team a reprieve from the stresses of wor…

> Lunches

This actually reminds me why I think free lunches at company cafeterias might be a net negative.

At a more traditional company lunch involves

1. Gathering the group (who wants to go to lunch?)

2. Deciding where

3. Getting in cars

4. Driving to restaurant (5-10 mins)

5. Waiting for seating (5-10 mins)

6. Ordering

7. Waiting for order to arrive (5-10 mins)

8. Eating (10-15 mins)

9. Driving back to work (5-10 mins)

That's 30-55 minutes spent together talking, interacting.

At a company with a free lunch cafeteria steps 4, 5, 7, and 9 are removed. I worked for 5 years at a company that had free cafeteria lunches. While I appreciated saving money on lunch my personal impression is I got far less camaraderie, team spirit, etc from it than from the more traditional "drive to restaurant" style.

I'm not saying companies should get rid of free lunches. Only that maybe people should look into ways to increase the time spent building friendships etc...

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#34

Post by greggman »

mikeleeorg wrote: post #6

If you are an engineering manager, you can see huge gains in team satisfaction and productivity if you are cognizant of issues like this. My suggestion is to take the time to understand each member of your team, then create various interactions that can foster teamwork, satisfaction, etc. This can include: + Lunches or dinners - Going out to a restaurant together can give your team a reprieve from the stresses of wor…

I'm curious, do your movies, outings, and activities happen on company time or do people have to use their personal free time to attend? Many employees have significant others, family, etc which means they want to spend their free time as theirs.

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#35

Post by mikeleeorg »

greggman wrote: post #34
mikeleeorg wrote: post #6

If you are an engineering manager, you can see huge gains in team satisfaction and productivity if you are cognizant of issues like this. My suggestion is to take the time to understand each member of your team, then create various interactions that can foster teamwork, satisfaction, etc. This can include: + Lunches or dinners - Going out to a restaurant together can give your team a reprieve from the stresses of wor…

I'm curious, do your movies, outings, and activities happen on company time or do people have to use their personal free time to attend? Many employees have significant others, family, etc which means they want to spend their free time as theirs.

I did this all on company time, though there were occasional evening and weekend outings (all optional). I should note that I did this at a large corporation that gave me the ability to do all of this on company time too - not all companies are that flexible.

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#36

Post by mikeleeorg »

zaphar wrote: post #14
mikeleeorg wrote: post #6

If you are an engineering manager, you can see huge gains in team satisfaction and productivity if you are cognizant of issues like this. My suggestion is to take the time to understand each member of your team, then create various interactions that can foster teamwork, satisfaction, etc. This can include: + Lunches or dinners - Going out to a restaurant together can give your team a reprieve from the stresses of wor…

We used to do Starcraft lunch at work. 2 people would play a starcraft game and the rest of us would gather in a conference room to watch the stream and provide running commentary. We also have an in house tool that sets up lunch times between a random group of 4 people periodically. It's a great way to meet others in the office and socialize. Both of these were employee provided ideas. If you empower your employees…

Great idea, especially the running commentary part! Sounds like a great way to include more people, plus make these lunches potentially hilarious.

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#37

Post by pjungwir »

selimthegrim wrote: post #23
pjungwir wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Portland, a bunch of Ruby freelancers have started working together out of a coffee shop on Fridays. This is a lot cheaper & more casual than a co-working space, and it's a lot of fun. (It's also probably not a bad way to get the occasional new project.) I also have a couple closer friends I walk with on Monday afternoons, and that's a great way to catch up, get outside, and talk shop/life/etc.

Which coffee shop, may I ask? Not Ford Food and Drink?

They've moved around a bit, and it's fairly new. I attended at Sisters and Floyd's so far; I think there were others. There was discussion on the pdxruby list you can probably find archived, and future sessions are on Calagator. (Looks like Caffe Vita was today.) I'd love to see you there!

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#38

Post by kelvin0 »

benched wrote: post #25
hrish2006 wrote: post #11

It reminded me of this https://xkcd.com/664/ when I read it. The difference between what is intellectually stimulating and gives you a sense of aesthetic pleasure and joy, and writing something that will work correctly in IE6 is too damn huge.

Programming is one of the most exciting, flow-inducing, mentally stimulating, mathematically and logically enlightening, rewarding activities I do. Programming is one of the most mind-numbing, soul-sucking, procrastination-inducing, lonely, repetitive, mentally exhausting activities I do.

Amen to that. I also feel like there is an 'OCD' part of me that allows me to do the soul sucking stuff, this drains me. I prefer it when the 'creative' part of me is expressing itself, this recharges my batteries.

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#39

Post by Dewie »

mikeleeorg wrote: post #6

If you are an engineering manager, you can see huge gains in team satisfaction and productivity if you are cognizant of issues like this. My suggestion is to take the time to understand each member of your team, then create various interactions that can foster teamwork, satisfaction, etc. This can include: + Lunches or dinners - Going out to a restaurant together can give your team a reprieve from the stresses of wor…

> This may give introverts a more comfortable setting,

How?

Re: Developer depression: Isolation is the biggest problem (2012)

#40

Post by kungpooey »

michaelochurch wrote: post #7

I think the issue is more that we have a skill that powers the world, but 95% of us are just business subordinates-- not professionals like doctors or professors, not even unionized-- and the 5% who have good jobs at any given time still live under the threat of an unforeseen issue (AI winter, financial crash wiping out the quant jobs, age discrimination, "Series A crunches") putting them back into the EnterpriseJava…

I quit two very decent jobs last year. I've burned out hard after 11 years as a professional developer, mostly due to the outlook, more culture crap, more "unrequired" socializing on personal time to 'fit in', more pay than I need, less free time than I desire and no companies in sight that want to truly negotiate away from the norm of 20-ish year old suckers buying into the open offices and cultish companies. I'm trying to invest the next few years in my own startup idea(s), if I can't be my own boss, then I'm heading toward another industry.
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