... what is productive ? is it LOC ? or is it optimal code ? is it a product ? the problem with the "more productive" approach is that it's not about developers at all. There are devs in a basement in shitty conditions who are very productive because they're spirited.

The next thing is innovation, big innovations are about new ideas or reassessing old ideas ... this is not at all productive in a sense because the output is at the end of a long cycle.

What you should ask is "how can a company help her employees to be motivated" or something that at least not about "well you can put crystal meth in their drinking water, threatening their families might help" .... productivity is a symptom not a cause ...

If i have fun with my friends doing what I love and we work together for a common goal we the output is probably productive .... but it's the fun, the common goal, the corporation and doing what we love that will make us productive ....

And those things come from within people you cannot induce them.... it's like change it has to come from within ... sorry for my ranting ... i'm just fed up about treating people like machines ...

Is to let them work.

Yes! The majority of the companies are wasting lots of money on open office environment, fun parties, meetings and lavish conference rooms and so on and so forth but I think they are forgetting one important thing - give the developer a freedom to work.

Before you hit the downvote. Allow me to explain.

"Just shut up and let your devs concentrate" - Joel, CEO of StackOverflow.

I am not against the amazing facility of office, whether its fridge packed with food, gym or open office environment. I am against the fact that in making the workplace looks more lavish from outside we are putting away our focus from one important thing - concentration.

I am sure you guys have watched "The Social Network". There is one scene where the developer is "wired on" i.e working and wearing headphone and during that time he is not allowed OR no one else is allowed to interact with him. What's that for? Concentration.

Concentration is the key to productive work. We must design our office with a mixture of open office culture where there is lots of fun, abuses floating around in air along with a place where people can sit down, cut off from the rest of the work and concentrate. In my case and I am sure in lots of devs case, concentrate on solving the problem.

Bring your own device! All security policies should be tailored to actual security, not to the software you happen to use at the moment. Two factor authentication instead of weird password rules! Free access to safari bookshelf :)