HASEL members, Dr Zainab Masood and Dr Kelly Blincoe, together with Prof Daniela Damian at the University of Victoria, recently studied work settings of New Zealand software companies after the first COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were lifted.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most software companies operated in office settings. Lockdowns imposed during the pandemic forced them to work from home. There are speculations around what a post-pandemic work setting may look like. In this study, we investigated how software companies in New Zealand operated after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions after the March/April 2020 lockdowns. (Note: the study was conducted prior to the August 2021 re-introduction of COVID-19 restrictions in New Zealand)

Based on data collected from software professionals from 13 different companies, we compared their work settings before, during, and after the lockdown. We found that most companies adopted a hybrid work setting combining work from home and office. We identified challenges they faced in this way of working as well as practical recommendations to overcome these challenges, while ensuring productivity and employee satisfaction. The rest of the world can learn from their journey to make a hybrid setting work as their own COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

 

The paper reporting the results from this study was recently accepted at IEEE Software. You can read the full paper here.