Listening to developers' feedback in recent years, it became clear that our community members face anxiety, and burnout and are trying to find ways to improve their overall health and well-being. If you have been around the tech industry and developer communities for a while now, you might have observed an increased need to address these topics in your communities too.
We wanted to learn more about our developers’ experiences and what is a better way than asking? In Q1 we ran a survey focusing on developer well-being and we are ready to share the results with everyone in the space!
State of Developer Wellness Report
With this week being Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK (15th – 21st May) it seems fitting to announce the launch of our State of Developer Wellness report. The report provides insights from our Developer Nation community including workplace experiences, burnout, mental wellbeing, happiness and lifestyles.
We hope that the report will raise awareness around the importance of work well-being for developers and creators, and encourage more discussions within developer communities.
Our first State of Developer Wellness Survey reached 870 respondents from 91 countries around the world. The report covers:
Distribution of Developers based on their Workplace Setup Remote work, how it affects their mental well-being, do developers feel their employers care about their wellbeing
Developer burnout How often developers have felt burnout in the last three months, how do they decompress and relieve stress, are they successfully managing their workplace stress?
Developer Happiness and Health Lifestyles We encourage everyone to read the report and share it with their colleagues and peers. If you’d like to invite share it with developers in your community, here is the original announcement from Developer Nation.
How developer community builders are addressing developer wellness?
While working on the survey, we also reached out to the members of our DevRelX community, comprising of Developer Advocates, DevRel practitioners and community builders, asking if they’re addressing burnout and overall wellness in their respective developer communities, and here are the results.
The overwhelming majority (62%) of the respondents are not addressing wellness within their communities. On the positive flank, 38% to some extent include wellness-related topics in their community activities, of which 60% are actively promoting wellness within their developer programs.
Wellness tips from our team
A big thank you to all developers and developer community builders who supported our first survey and the team, without whom this report would not have been possible. Here are wellness tips from some of our team members.
Get your thoughts, ideas and worries out onto paper, break your tasks into manageable chunks, learn breath work, get out in nature, stay hydrated, keep moving during the day, listen to a fun podcast, and start every day with the question "how can I be of service to others today?" - Vanessa Measom, Developer Success Executive
Organise your thoughts, your day, and your tasks. Stay active and don’t hesitate to reach out for help.
Anastasia Alexopoulou, Senior Partnerships Manager
For folks working remotely: invest in a good work desk and chair and separate it from your leisure space. Having a good essential aromatic oil in a diffuser also helps lighten the mood sometimes 😉. Don’t hesitate to change your work scenery; cafes, mountains and co-working spaces can be great places to work from.
Ayan Pahwa, Developer Advocate
It's ok to feel overwhelmed. It's not ok doing nothing about it. Find your passion and let it fill up your batteries. Fight energy draining with energy-boosting activities. Motorcycle rides do that for me.
Stathis Georgakopoulos, Product Marketing Manager
If you work remotely, adopt a pet. They will be your companion, distraction and a reminder of a different, stress-less way of being. If you're an anxious type, consider alternating your coffee with decaf - it also helps your nutrient absorption!
Viktorija Ignatavičiūtė, Sr. Community Lead
Find your optimal work hours. Discover the time of day when you’re most productive and build your schedule around it. Also, remember to take regular breaks. Coffee or Tea breaks work ☕️.
Gottfried Moh, Community Lead
Let’s build on a culture of wellness that promotes the mental, physical and emotional well-being of the developer industry!