OK, I’m Finally Really Tired of Working on the Trading Floor
This morning is like all other mornings in the last year, and in that, it's horrible. While I like the idea of teamwork and togetherness as much as the next person, the space I currently work in is the absolute worst space I've ever worked in. Seriously, all kidding aside. This is the bottom of the barrel for working conditions for a developer.
I like the vast majority of the people I work with - which is a real plus. I think the work is, for the most part, interesting enough, and while not really good work, it's good enough, and I can live with that. Again... most of the time.
No, this morning I'm really just sick and tired of the environment I'm working in. It's not a sometimes thing, or an occaisional problem - it's a daily, constant, reminder that my management doesn't have the first clue what it takes to be a developer delivering the kind of results that they are constantly asking for.
It'd be one thing if they didn't ask for much, and then the lower-than-average productivity of this space would be offset by the lower-than-average expectations. But that's not the way it is. Nope... I get hit daily with more things to do, and even two days is too long for major functional enhancements.
The Conditions
To give you a glimpse of what The Shop really looks like, this is the main floor of the Chicago offices. We are in the middle of a move to newer space - just one building over, but the space there is a carbon-copy of this picture. The furniture is all custom-made and at least ten years old. It's falling apart in places, and cobbled together in other places, but it works, and it hold up the sea of monitors and keyboards.
and I'm in one of those long, flat desks at the bottom of the picture. Here's a different view showing me in the center flanked by my manager on the left and a teammate on the right:
I'm sitting on a 6' long, 3' deep desk with one to the left of me and one to the right. I have three other desks facing my "row", and then behind me the same thing repeats across the entire trading floor.
I don't have any privacy. I don't even sit out of the way in some alcove where no privacy might not be so bad, as it might be quieter, but I don't get that. I'm sitting right next to one of the loudest group of traders I've ever seen. I understand that it's their job - they need to yell and talk all day long. That's what they do. But to think that I need to be next to them for some reason - well... that's where I beg to disagree. As much as they need to have the noise and the walls of monitors, I need quiet.
But I'm out in the open.
Clean and clear view of the entire office.
Not a single piece of foam or wall to stop even one bit of the noise of the traders on the floor.
I found a reference to this Joel on Software article where he discusses the keys to writing better code:
The Joel Test
- Do you use source control?
- Can you make a build in one step?
- Do you make daily builds?
- Do you have a bug database?
- Do you fix bugs before writing new code?
- Do you have an up-to-date schedule?
- Do you have a spec?
- Do programmers have quiet working conditions?
- Do you use the best tools money can buy?
- Do you have testers?
- Do new candidates write code during their interview?
- Do you do hallway usability testing?
I might expand Question 8 to read: Do programmers have the right working conditions? Because right now, I'm wearing three layers of clothes and thinking about putting on my winter coat to stay warm. Being cold, hot, uncomfortable in any way, is going to hurt productivity. But that's what I'm thinking about lately. I'm thinking about simple peace and quiet.
Giving it the Ole College Try
When I started a year ago, I had never worked on a trading floor. I had visited plenty, did little bits on the floor, but never really worked day after day on the floor. I had no idea. And primarily because I had no idea, I thought I'd give it a try. I have always liked working with the traders and I thought it might be nice.
Well... when I found out what the reality of this situation was, I was still willing to give it the ole college try. Stick with it... maybe it'll get better in the future. Maybe I'll learn to tune it out. After all, lots of other folks work in this noisy environment, why can't I?
The answer to that question was I have no idea, but I can't. This noise level means that I have to play music to tune out the distractions on the floor, but that's not really good for concentration, it's just familiar, and a little better than the constant, random noise of the floor.
What Could Have Been
In the new space, we could have moved into nice quiet space. I say could have because we're going to be down on the floor again. My manager wants to be in the thick of things. I can understand his motivation, it's understandable. But that's also because he doesn't need to have peace and quiet when he does his emails and his best gopher impression to pop up and interrupt me to ask me to do something else.
There's no solution here. I've tried to make this point time and again. I've sent links to studies, and even this morning I sent my manager the link to the article. But it's not going to help. This is how it is. If I want something different, I'm going to have to move.
Crud.