Benefits and Limitations of Remote Work to LGBTQIA+ Software Professionals

Abstract

Background. The mass transition to remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected software professionals, who abruptly shifted into ostensibly temporary home offices. The effects of this transition on these professionals are complex, depending on the particularities of the context and individuals. Recent studies advocate for remote structures to create opportunities for many equity-deserving groups; however, remote work can also be challenging for some individuals, such as women and individuals with disabilities. As the discussions on equity, diversity, and inclusion increase in software engineering, it is important to explore the realities and perspectives of different equity-deserving groups to develop strategies that can support them post-pandemic. Objective. This study aims to investigate the effects of remote work on LGBTQIA+ software professionals. Method. Grounded theory methodology was applied based on information collected from two main sources: a survey questionnaire with a sample of 57 LGBTQIA+ software professionals and nine follow-up interviews with individuals from this sample. This sample included professionals of different genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and levels of experience. Consistent with grounded theory methodology, the process of data collection and analysis was conducted iteratively using three stages of coding: line-by-line, focused, and theoretical. Member checking was used to validate the findings obtained from interpreting the experiences commented on by LGBTQIA+ software professionals. Findings. Our findings demonstrate that (1) remote work benefits LGBTQIA+ people by increasing security and visibility; (2) remote work harms LGBTQIA+ software professionals through isolation and invisibility; (3) the benefits outweigh the drawbacks; (4) the drawbacks can be mitigated by supportive measures developed by software companies. Conclusion. This paper investigated how remote work can affect LGBTQIA+ software professionals and presented a set of recommendations on how software companies can address the benefits and limitations associated with this work model. In summary, we concluded that remote work is crucial in increasing diversity and inclusion in the software industry.General Abstract. Remote work is here to stay. There is no denying it, as some software professionals would rather quit their jobs than return to the office full-time. Therefore, software companies want to understand how the remote working model can be successfully used without causing major issues. The problem is that the effects of remote work are complex because they depend on individual and group characteristics that require careful evaluation. In this scenario, one thing has been extremely positive: remote work is helping to increase diversity in software engineering by fostering new opportunities and better work conditions for individuals from equity-deserving groups, for instance, LGBTQIA+ software professionals. The software industry is overly homogeneous, most of the professionals who work in this area are heterosexual men (a reflection of the university courses on computer science and software engineering), but diversity can only be good for an area that strongly depends on creativity and innovation. What better way to innovate than putting several individuals from different backgrounds and with various experiences to work together? Remote work plays an important role in improving equity, diversity, and inclusion in the software industry. In this paper, we discuss how remote work is affecting software professionals from the LGBTQIA+ community and provide a list of recommendations to support software companies in dealing with this work model.