This year has been an immense growth in learning about myself and working professionally. When I started at Omni Biotech last year, I had never released an application or led a software development team.
One of the most insightful learnings from working with the Omni team is that I am more productive and enjoy working more when I can work in an office with others. My prior software developer role was fully remote, with regular online meetings where we discussed work and caught up with each other. I had been working in fully remote settings since the COVID-19 pandemic, and I think I forgot what it was like to work around other people.
Since the pandemic, research has escalated on workplace productivity, and research has shown that hybrid workplaces improve worker retention and have no impact on productivity (Bloom et al., 2024). I’ve rarely worked away from the office this year, even though Omni is very supportive.
Personally, I’ve found that working from the office allows me to explore my ideas more easily and soundboard with my co-workers about how I will tackle issues. The bond I have formed with my co-workers has also made me more excited to come to work and ensures that I deliver a high standard of work that does not disappoint them.
Artefact: Collaborative whiteboarding with the team to plan our data pipeline
I’ve also learnt to plan more of my work before jumping into the development and blocking time on my calendar to ensure I can balance my workplace role and completing required school work. I know I can still improve on time management, but I hope that once I graduate and focus 100% on my work, I can stick to deadlines more frequently.
I am at a sort of crossroads, though, as my partner has received a job in Denmark, and we have moved there since the beginning of September. I love working for Omni Biotech, so we’re exploring how we can make remote work more manageable for me.
References
Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2024). Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance. Nature, 630(8018), 920-925. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07500-2