Field Guide to Caring for a Developer (2.0)

Surrounded by constant workflow advancements, new frameworks, and version updates, tech culture often makes exhaustion a badge of honour. How do we best take care of ourselves when faced with obstacles like burnout, isolation, and uncertainty?

Whether you’re a remote employee, freelancer, or working within a larger tech team, striving towards a greater understanding of mental health supports the sustainability of both individuals and the industry as a whole. In this talk, I’ll discuss my own lived experience as well as examine the state of mental health awareness within tech.

Transcript

1. FIELD GUIDE TO CARING FOR A DEVELOPER WORDCAMP DETROIT 2018
2. TODAY’S JOURNEY ◇ The Stats ◇ The Why(s) ◇ How we can work towards change as a community
3. I’M ALLISON. Feminist. Writer. Mental health advocate. Front-end developer. @allisonplus
4. CONTENT DISCLAIMER aka “You Do You”
5. WHY THIS MATTERS TO ME
6. HULA HOOPER. CANADIAN. MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE. FEMINIST. FRONT-END DEVELOPER. ASPIRING BANJO PLAYER. DAUGHTER. WRITER. TRANSPLANTED CALIFORNIAN. VEGETARIAN. AVID READER. DOLLY PARTON FAN. INFJ. INTROVERT. PARTNER. SISTER. AUNT.
7. THE STATS
8. 1 in 5 people living with a mental health issue
9. Over 500,000 people miss work each week due to mental health issues.
10. $50+ billion estimated annual cost of absenteeism + lost productivity
11. WHY DON’T WE TALK ABOUT IT? ...being treated differently ...exclusion ...judgement ...being labelled ...being viewed as less competent
12. {AWKWARD AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION SECTION}
13. Has your employer ever formally discussed mental health (for example as part of a wellness campaign or other official communication)?
14. ...discussing a mental health disorder with your employer would have negative consequences? ...discussing a physical health disorder with your employer would have negative consequences? DO YOU THINK THAT...
15. WHY THIS APPLIES TO TECH
16. THE TECH INDUSTRY AS A WORKPLACE ◇ Compressed deadlines ◇ Ambitious goal setting ◇ Constant review and approvals ◇ Communicational chaos ◇ Independent work ◇ Expectations of being available outside of hours
17. I totally understand all the latest technologies, systems and workflows within my industry. —No One
18. WHAT IS BURNOUT? Physical, mental or emotional exhaustion caused by long-term stress.
19. TECH INDUSTRY can make this seem like the status quo. THE
20. 5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL TEAM ◇ Psychological safety ◇ Dependability ◇ Structure & clarity ◇ Meaning of work ◇ Impact of work
21. GOOD JOB RESOURCES ◇ participation in decision making ◇ task variety ◇ job autonomy ◇ potential for qualification ◇ support from colleagues, peers, & family ◇ lack of social support ◇ low job control ◇ poor performance feedback ◇ time pressure POOR JOB RESOURCES
22. THERE ARE WAYS OF KEEPING UP THAT DON’T INVOLVE BURNOUT.
23. STRATEGY SUGGESTIONS
24. HOW TO CREATE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ◇ Frame work as a process, as opposed to execution problems ◇ Acknowledge your own fallibility ◇ Model curiousity by asking a lot of questions.
25. PUT ON YOUR OXYGEN MASK FIRST ◇ Setting boundaries ◇ Know the perks + benefits available to you and your rights as an employee. ◇ Take your vacation ◇ Communicate empathy. ◇ Improve and model your self care strategies
26. 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE GIVING* 1. Prioritize the help requests that come your way — say yes when it matters most and no when you need to. 2. Give in ways that play to your interests and strengths to preserve your energy and provide greater value. 3. Distribute the giving load more evenly — refer requests to others when you don’t have the time or skills, & be careful not to reinforce gender biases and who helps and how. 4. Secure your oxygen mask first —you’ll help others more effective if you don’t neglect your own needs. 5. Amplify your impact by looking for ways to help multiple people with a single act of generosity. 6. Chunk your giving into dedicated days or blocks of time rather than sprinkling it throughout the week. You’ll be more effective — and more focused. 7. Learn to spot takers, and steer clear of them. They’re a drain on your energy, not to mention a performance hazard. *Adam Grant & Reb Rebele, Harvard Business Review
27. FREELANCE STRATEGIES ◇ Set aside time for learning ◇ Switch up working environment ◇ Client boundaries re: communication ◇ Seek out professional supports ◇ Work towards your strengths ◇ Avoid presenteeism
28. EMPLOYED STRATEGIES ◇ Lunch n’ Learns or training sessions ◇ Pre-mortems & blameless post-mortems ◇ Respectful code reviews ◇ Celebrate non-feature work ◇ Create a dialogue with management ◇ No work email on personal devices ◇ Management modelling behaviours
29. WHAT CAN WE DO AS A COMMUNITY?
30. EMBRACE NEURODIVERSITY CHALLENGE STIGMA OF TALKING ABOUT FEELINGS REDUCE STIGMA BY EDUCATION AND DISCLOSURE SUPPORT OTHERS IN A SUSTAINABLE FASHION
31. https://osmihelp.org Open Sourcing Mental Illness
32. DON’T ACCEPT THINGS IF THEY’RE NOT WORKING FOR YOU. YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY.
33. WE’RE NOT JUST CODE, WE’RE COMMUNITY.
34. ◇ Open Source Mental Illness: osmihelp.org ◇ WPHugs: https://wphugs.org/ ◇ IMAlive (online crisis network): https://www.imalive.org/ ◇ National Alliance on Mental Illness: http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/national-standard ◇ Mental Health First Aid: http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca/ RESOURCES
35. ANY QUESTIONS? @allisonplus hello@allisontarr.com Presentation template by SlidesCarnival & Photographs by Unsplash