This week has been very different to my normal working week, as it has been spent in sunny Alicante in Spain instead of my home office. This wasn't a family holiday but a team meet-up.
As a 100% remote company, we don't get to see each other in person very often. Remote work has a lot of benefits such as a better work-life balance but when it comes to getting to know your team and coming up with ideas you can't beat seeing each other in person.
Except for lockdown during COVID, this is the first job where I have been able to work remote all the time. I don't think I could ever go back to working in an office again, especially not with the long commute that I used to have.
Working remotely has allowed me to gain back an extra 20 hours a week. I not only get to see my kids during the week, but I get to eat breakfast and dinner with them every day as well. I have more time for everything, including exercise which I am sure will have life changing benefits as I get older.
The downside of working remotely is that it can get quite lonely without the banter and the "water cooler" conversations you get in the office. Luckily I get to eat lunch with my wife every day, without that I would likely resort to a co-working space occasionally.
Working remotely can sometimes lead to a longer feedback loop between colleagues which takes some adjustment. It is important to find that balance between working remotely and having some in person meetings.
I still don't believe that hybrid is the right option for most people. When I did work hybrid most days in the office were spent on Zoom meetings anyway. For me the best balance is remote with the occasional face to face meet-up.
From a financial perspective you need to take account of your commute when considering between a remote job and an in office job.
For me working in London, I had at least a 40-hour work week with an additional 20 hours of commuting. So my working time was effectively 60 hours a week. On top of that I had to pay for a £5,000 season ticket.
Let's say you are earning £80,000 a year as a software developer in London. After tax that is around £57,000 a year, excluding pension for simplicity.
If you didn't commute then this equates to £27.40 per hour £57000 / (52*5*8).
With the commute however you need to deduct your season ticket and add on the additional commute time. This then takes your effectively hourly wage in this case down to £16.67 per hour `(£57000 - £5000)/(52_5_12).
This is the equivalent of a gross salary of £34,673.60, which is very low for a senior software developer. This doesn't even put a value on missing out on seeing your children grow up or spending more time with your family.
Even with the few downsides that you get with remote work it is miles better both financially and in terms of work-life balance.
❤️ Picks of the Week #
📝 Article - You can force employees back to the office, but not the good ones - It seems I am not the only one to see all the downside of in office work. Luckily since the pandemic there are more companies that are hiring remotely.
📝 Article - TDD: 5 test smells - 5 solutions - I have seen several of these test smells come up in code reviews, and I am guilty of a few of these myself in the past. A great list that is worth a read.
📝 Article - AI has an “Anus” Problem - AI is fascinating and can be useful, but you have to be even more careful now with what you trust on the internet. I am sure the readers of this newsletter wouldn't consider putting glue on a pizza, but we know not everyone is as smart as this readership. I am sure there are going to be some disastrous consequences for those blindly trusting AI.
📝 Article - Engineering for Slow Internet - An interesting look at what it is like to work with a incredibly slow connection in the Antarctic.
💬 Quote of the Week #
More than your salary. More than the size of your house. More than the prestige of your job. Control over doing what you want, when you want to, with the people you want to, is the broadest lifestyle variable that makes people happy.
From The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.
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