Lions and Tigers and Children, Oh My!
The global response to ending the COVID-19 pandemic has created a widening swathe of communities requiring some kind of shelter-in-place (SiP). Many companies are mandating working from home, even if their communities have not yet implemented SiP, shutdowns, or lockdowns. Developers are still working—and for some, working from home is their status quo. But now, even those developers who usually work from home are finding that they have new “coworkers” with schools and other workplaces shut down. CodeProject asked its developer community, “What are your biggest challenges with working from home?”
Survey Says…
Respondents could select more than one answer. But even with that caveat, the overwhelming majority (49.31%) of respondents listed distractions from their roommates, spouses, or children as the biggest challenge they face while working from home. The next most popular response was completely forgetting the day of the week (which must make it hard to plan and meet deadlines). Motivation and the loss of all the usual screens were tied for third.
Survey Results
| Response | Votes | % Responses* | % Error** |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distractions from housemates, kids, animals, significant other... | 431 | 49.31 | 3.31 |
| The Xbox, PlayStation, etc. sitting in the corner | 62 | 7.09 | 1.70 |
| Interruptions by the snack pantry | 139 | 15.9 | 2.42 |
| Interruptions by the beer fridge | 34 | 3.89 | 1.28 |
| Poor internet | 129 | 14.76 | 2.35 |
| My screens! Where are all the screens I’m used to? | 235 | 26.89 | 2.94 |
| Constant Zoom/ Teams meetings | 140 | 16.02 | 2.43 |
| Motivation | 231 | 26.43 | 2.92 |
| Completely forgetting what day of the week it is | 255 | 29.18 | 3.01 |
| Other | 97 | 11.1 | 2.08 |
| Responses | 874 |
** 95% confidence/1.96
Survey period: 23 March 2020 to 30 March 2020
Don’t Miss the Comments
Start with the write-in answers if you want some eye-opening, often funny, and sometimes TMI-cringe-worthy responses. Our favorite was “cat on the keyboard.”
The comments reveal the very human aspects of our current situation working from home. Everything from frustrations getting groceries to new “coworkers” like spouses and children. And finally, the realization that there is no place to hide—If you lacked motivation at work and thought it was the work environment, and it’s still lacking at home…well…it points to something else.
Developers Are Distracted
Developers working from home in the COVID-19 crisis are facing more distractions than ever— from the pantry to family. Keep this in mind when offering advertising and content to developers. Their already fragmented attention is juggling new and different distractions. For more details on how to create successful advertising campaigns in developer communities, check our ebook, “D2D Marketing: An Advertising Guide.”
