Earlier it seemed to me that every developer is already familiar with this concept in one way or another. But what was my surprise that some colleagues, friends and acquaintances heard this word for the first time.Let's start with a definition:
Stuffiness is an emotional state of a person, team or project, in which the maximum expenditure of time and effort is directed to useless actions.
Useless actions can be: clarification of relations between colleagues; tasks sucked from the finger; work without a clear specification; tea management .
It is also worth mentioning the salary delays. This factor greatly affects the state of the developer (I think it's clear here without me).
In fact, there are much more useless actions , I just gave some frequent examples. Let's now talk about why I think this topic is very relevant and acute at the moment.
Stuffiness is one of the main signs of developer burnout .
If you, your colleague or ward are constantly dissatisfied with new edits, tasks, management, etc., then most likely he (you) feel stifling to work in this company / team / project and he (you), sooner or later, leaves for another the company is under the threat of burnout. The most offensive thing is that the overwhelming majority of such cases are not taken into account in any way, therefore, no experience is gained from this.
I want to make a reservation that for the most part I am talking about outsourcing companies, because in grocery and even more so in startups, this problem is very rare.
From my own experience, I will say that stuffiness is the only reason why I tried to change jobs. Neither the salary, nor the project, nor even the complexity and setbacks affect your morale as much as the stuffiness. The most striking example I had was last winter, when we were doing a "startup to order". That company had everything: from tea management to monthly salary delays.
"One feature per person per day. Everything is wrong, we are redoing" - we worked with such paradigms for six months. True, I was just starting to get real experience, so it was very difficult to change jobs. But from this I drew several conclusions:
1. Do not be afraid to change jobs
I know this is a very drastic move for many developers. But you must always remember that if you feel stuffy and they don't hear you, then this is the only salvation from burnout. Either you go to another company for better conditions and new experience, or you lose the value of yourself as a developer and burn out for several months, or even years.
2. Know how to assess yourself adequately
Developers often underestimate their abilities, sometimes overestimate them. To more or less adequately assess your level, you need to at least interview different companies. Each team has its own technologies, experience and abilities that are most valued, but everywhere there are those criteria that give you some sort of gradation.
3. Don't be afraid to talk about problems
If you notice that your colleague is creating stuffiness that prevents you from working, do not be afraid to say so. This person himself may not know that he is interfering with your development, because he is just used to being like that. He can also be toxic or a snob, then such a person in the long run will interfere with the whole team. Remember: because of the stuffiness, not only your morale suffers, but also your health and strength. Because of the stuffy work, you will get tired faster, you will not have time for your family and yourself.
It would be very interesting to hear your opinion and experience in the comments.