Environmental Effects on Programming Effectiveness

[Kreij]

Here's something interesting I found. A little dry but a good read if you are interested.

As industries employ programmers to fulfill their need for custom applications and to maintain and manage ever increasing code bases and archive, there has been a increased focus upon what environmental factors affect programming performance and how those environmental factors increase or decrease the quality of the finished product.

Early on, companies packed employees into cubicles like sardines and demanded long hours from their salaried employees. This resulted in high attrition rates and a level of worker fatigue not seen since the sweat shops of the 1930s. Companies tried to deal with this problem by trying to rotate the programmers to different areas of the overall code base, but this resulted in unfinished projects, the placing of inexperienced programmers into positions of high stress and an overall reduction of programming effectiveness. It could be marginally extrapolated that this method of trying to correct the deficiency actually made the problem worse.

In the early 1980s, a different focus on why there were problems with the existing mindset when it came to the environment surrounding the programmers emerged. The first, and wrong, suggestions were to hire single programmers (regardless of gender) so that the additional stress of home, family and the like did not play a part in the overall equation. While the single programmers were willing to work longer hours, it can into focus that they wanted to have a normal life outside of their work environment as well as those with families.

As a result of some of the earlier failed attempt to rectify the situation, some companies swung the pendulum completely to the other side. They lavished their programmers with all kinds of benefits including; lavish relaxation rooms, open places to drink liquor in the work places and even free massages for the stressed out workforce. At first this seemed to be accomplishing what they wanted, but the resulting sleeping, drunk and prostituting employees quickly put a damper on this over indulgent workplace environment. Roger Bahman, the senior human resource manager at Oldfeld and Patterson (one of the largest employers of programmers at the time) was quoted as saying, “This thread is a stealth contest, post your favorite song to listen to when writing code, and a winner will be picked randomly. Don't quote this.” His rather poignant observations and response what at first condemned in the corporate circles, but they had no answers to the persistent problem.

As time passed, and the dime-a-dozen attitude toward programmers was refined to realize that keeping the people who could perform under adverse and sometimes stressful conditions, regardless of gender, by allowing them more free time to persue out of workplace interests actually made them more productive employees and not just keyboard typing drones. This resulted in less attrition in the computer science (programming) departments and a higher rate of production of the next generation of programmers.

The study of environmental factors to increase programmer productivity, efficiency and overall contentment is still going on today within companies such as Microsoft, Google and others who rely on the skills and attitude of their programmers to keep their companies profitable. Perhaps in the near future a new corporate mindset will emerge to increase the overall view of how they treat, respect and respond to the needs of the programmers who slave in the trenches for them on a daily basis.

Thoughts?

 

[Zyon]

Fortunately, the company I'm working on doesn't force you to work long hours and instead follows the 40-hour week (8 hours per day, over 5 days) principle although occasionally I stay around half an hour longer to finish a component that I am comfortable with finishing. They even allowed lunchtime to go as long as necessary (so actual work hour is less than 8 hours), casual clothes on Friday and drinking beer in the Friday afternoon

 

[Kreij]

Many times as programmers we are expected to perform under pressure and with expectations of quick results.
Attention to detail is paramount in these cases. In this case it was ~18 hours for the code junkies here at TPU.

Once again, my fellow coders, you proved ineligible to work at Kreij Softworks, Inc.

Contest closed. Nobody won (or even noticed ).

I warned you all about these stealth contests ...

 

[oily_17]

I'm deaf...I cant hear the songs

 

[silkstone]

I think if employees are allowed to listen to music while programing it increases productivity more than any other ways mentioned in the above article.

But Alas, i do not program and so have no real first hand experience.

 

[Kreij]

No one pondered two things ...
1) Why would Kreij post such a god-awful boring article (which I wrote myself and is completely bogus)?
2) Why would BP (a non-programmer) thank me for the post? (Yup, she was aware it was a contest)

lol ... keep an eye out, another coming soon since I didn't have to send anyone a prize this time.

Oh and in case anyone had actually read the quoted "article", you would have seen this ...

Roger Bahman, the senior human resource manager at Oldfeld and Patterson (one of the largest employers of programmers at the time) was quoted as saying, “This thread is a stealth contest, post your favorite song to listen to when writing code, and a winner will be picked randomly. Don't quote this.”

 

[Kreij]

In case anyone was wondering, I was listening to Todd Rundgren's "Adventures in Utopia" CD, in particular the song "Last of the New Waver Riders", when I thought of having this little impromtu contest.

 

[streetfighter 2]

1) Why would Kreij post such a god-awful boring article (which I wrote myself and is completely bogus)?
2) Why would BP (a non-programmer) thank me for the post? (Yup, she was aware it was a contest)

I actually pondered both of those questions. I concluded that it was 2 AM and I was going to sleep.

Bravo!

 

[Kreij]

This one was actually easier than the last one as I posted that it was a contest right in the OP.

Here's my take on some things on TPU.
I put these in the programming section and kind of aim it at the coders, but I've seen a lot of threads that erupt into arguments because people do not do the three basic rules ...
Read ... Comprehend ... Post.

Take the time to read what people post. Skimming the post does not cut it (especially in the case of my contests). We will all do better if people take a moment to contemplate what the poster is trying to get across and respond in an appropriate manner.

The University of Connecticut has a link on their "Reading Comprehension" page to these tips

In particular is this ...

Anticipate and predict.
Really smart readers try to anticipate the author and predict future ideas and questions. If you're right, this reinforces your understanding. If you're wrong, you make adjustments quicker

Anyway ... I'm going to keep sneeking in contest to keep the TPU members on their toes.

 

[streetfighter 2]

The University of Connecticut has a link on their "Reading Comprehension" page to these tips

I get that we missed it, but you don't have to insult us.

I think the more rational problem would be how much food and beer was in my stomach when I came across that thread? What are my motives when coming to TPU? What behaviors are triggered when reading Kreij's posts? Why am I on TPU instead of partying at 2 AM on Saturday?

 

[Kreij]

I get that we missed it, but you don't have to insult us.

No insult intended. We all do this, myself included. I make these hard for a reason and it's not to belittle anyone.

I think the more rational problem would be how much food and beer was in my stomach when I came across that thread?

Most appropriate word bolded. lol

What are my motives when coming to TPU?

To learn something new, help others and perhaps find Kreij's stealth contests?

What behaviors are triggered when reading Kreij's posts?

Fighting off a comatose reaction?

Why am I on TPU instead of partying at 2 AM on Saturday?

Only you can answer that honestly. rofl