Darja Šmite at myConf 2023

The Truth about Working from home

Working from home (WFH) or telework is something that, until COVID-19, has been considered voluntary and often exceptional practice in the workplace. Remoters were looked at with scepticism. However, the forced working-from-home experiences have appeared to be better than expected. Coupled with the investments enabling remote work during the pandemic have caused many knowledge workers to rethink their return to the offices. They now favour working from home occasionally, primarily or indefinitely. In response to the growing demand for remote working, companies are experimenting and quickly adjusting their work policies to allow more flexibility. But do we know enough about remote working on such a large scale to make informed decisions?

In this talk, you will hear about the impact of remote work on software engineers' productivity and work habits based on two detailed industrial cases. Further corporate surveys of employee preferences for remote work suggest that WFH is here to stay and marks the rise of hybrid work arrangements. We will also dive into the current status of office presence and the strategies companies take to deal with emerging changes in the workplace. The experience comes from studying 20+ new work policies from companies in Scandinavia, Europe, and Asia.