Pandemic Programming: How COVID-19 affects software developers and how their organizations can help

TL;DR

This study examines how COVID-19 impacted software developers' wellbeing and productivity, revealing negative effects and highlighting the importance of organizational support and ergonomic improvements, with particular attention to vulnerable groups.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on pandemic-related impacts on developers and offers actionable insights for organizations to support employee wellbeing and productivity during crises.

Findings

COVID-19 negatively affected developer wellbeing and productivity

Wellbeing and productivity are closely linked

Disaster preparedness and ergonomics influence outcomes

Abstract

Context. As a novel coronavirus swept the world in early 2020, thousands of software developers began working from home. Many did so on short notice, under difficult and stressful conditions. Objective. This study investigates the effects of the pandemic on developers' wellbeing and productivity. Method. A questionnaire survey was created mainly from existing, validated scales and translated into 12 languages. The data was analyzed using non-parametric inferential statistics and structural equation modeling. Results. The questionnaire received 2225 usable responses from 53 countries. Factor analysis supported the validity of the scales and the structural model achieved a good fit (CFI = 0.961, RMSEA = 0.051, SRMR = 0.067). Confirmatory results include: (1) the pandemic has had a negative effect on developers' wellbeing and productivity; (2) productivity and wellbeing are closely related; (3) disaster preparedness, fear related to the pandemic and home office ergonomics all affect wellbeing or productivity. Exploratory analysis suggests that: (1) women, parents and people with disabilities may be disproportionately affected; (2) different people need different kinds of support. Conclusions. To improve employee productivity, software companies should focus on maximizing employee wellbeing and improving the ergonomics of employees' home offices. Women, parents and disabled persons may require extra support.