Why do software developers like working from the office?

Context: The inquiry of the optimal number of working days per week for home-based (versus office-based) work, poses a challenge for many organizations within the high-tech sector. Studies in this area tend to overlook the responses and preferences of specific populations, and there is a lack of contextualization in the discussion. Given that software developers' needs have an impact on their performance, turnover, and well-being, it is important to understand their needs in relation to where work should be accomplished. Research that illuminates this topic can lead to different presumptions regarding developers’ preferences for home and/or office work. Objective: To analyze preferences for home- versus office-based work among Scrum team software developers employed in a multinational organization. Method: To achieve a broad, global scope and an in-depth understanding of developers’ preferences for work that was office-based or home-based, we used a combination of two data collection methods: a survey administered to 651 employees and in-depth interviews conducted with 35 employees from the same organization. Results: The results show that the employees preferred to work from home for the majority of weekdays, yet, about 70 % of them preferred to come to the office at least once a week. The main reasons for home-based preference were “no commuting,” and “more productive and concentrated work”, more time for myself, and a relaxed comfortable environment. The reasons for office-based preference were to socialize with colleagues, to engage in work interactions, and to enjoy the ambiance and facilities available at the workplace. Conclusions: The study illuminates developers' social preferences and their work motivations as related to their need for peer interaction, which contrasts the dominant argument in existing research that portrays developers as having a low need for social interaction. Second, the study depicts a contextual factor, working in Scrum teams, as an explaining variable to the developers’ preferences for office social interaction.