MatthewHughes

I'm a Liverpool-based technology writer with a passion for usability and security. When I'm not churning out copy, you'll find me walking my two dogs: Luna and Apollo

Business Content Writer

Matthew Hughes

Queryable encryption, WASM goes mainstream, and a tighter job market

Developers are used to change. No. It’s a job requirement. Being able to adapt is arguably just as important as your ability to produce clean, secure, and well-documented code. 

The software development industry has always existed in a state of flux. Hot new languages and frameworks displace those that have fallen out of favor. New programming paradigms emerge. Regulatory and threat landscapes shift. It’s life. 

2023 promises to be no different. And yet, different. For the first time in over a decade, the tech job market looks precarious, as macroeconomic trends force businesses to tighten their belts and reassess priorities.

We spoke to some of Okta’s leading developers and product experts for their take on the year ahead. And while they acknowledge the bumpy roads before us, they’re also really excited about the maturation of new technologies that promise to change how developers work. 

![WebAssembly](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/280x2sbDIC1LPoqSMtewzd/535ed2be3070e435de09241a7b241513/developer_works_2023_sep1.jpg)

## WebAssembly Will Make Significant Inroads

HTML5 revolutionized the way developers create rich, visual content for the web. It’s hard to overstate its significance. For the first time, developers could use native web technologies to build dynamic browser-based experiences. 

It was a turning point for the Internet. With the legacy albatrosses of Flash and Silverlight discarded, web developers could finally tap its raw potential. The browser could amaze and enthrall. Ever since then, we’ve asked: “How can we do more?”

Enter WebAssembly (WASM). Introduced in 2015 by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), this technology allows developers to eke even more performance from their web-based applications, and arguably more importantly, gives them the freedom to develop for the browser using the language of their choice. 

In short, it’s a language-agnostic virtual machine that delivers performance equivalent to other compiled languages. Or, put another way, it’s fast. Really, really fast. 

Developers write code using a language of their choice — with Rust a popular option. The WASM compiler then produces a machine code and human-readable equivalent. The latter is broadly analogous to assembly language, although looks far removed from the x86 code you wrote during your undergraduate years. Squint and you might mistake it for Clojure or Common Lisp. It’s beautifully parenthetical, with instructions structured in a hierarchical indented tree format.

That was the high-level explanation. For the sake of expediency, I glossed over some important nuances. Most importantly, I should make it clear that WASM isn’t just for the Web, although that’s a popular use case. The WebAssembly System Interface (WASI) APIs allow you to use WASM in the places you’d normally use things like Node.js. 

I should also point out that language support remains patchy. Some languages have WASM compilers for the web, but not WASI. Others support WASI, but don’t make it easy to write browser-based code. As with most things, your mileage will vary. 

Caveats notwithstanding, WASM is currently on an upward trajectory, and Joël Franusic, CIAM Specialist at Okta, expects its use to explode in 2023. Growing numbers of businesses and individuals will use WASM in their products and projects. 

“More and more languages can now compile to WASM. Admittedly, support isn’t quite where it should be — but it’s so close you can almost taste it,” he said. 

He’s not wrong. Most languages have some degree of WASM support, whether via native tools (like Rust’s wasm-pack) or third-party alternatives, like TinyGo for GoLang. That support is only growing. 


## Businesses Will Invest in Developer Efficiency

Developer productivity is always in vogue. Open Hacker News on any given day and you’ll find a new framework or tool that promises to shorten the time between releases and accelerate the development of new features.

Admittedly, many of the biggest facilitators of improved developer productivity emerged during the most fertile years of the tech industry.

The halcyon post-2010 era, when VC money flowed freely and technology businesses had seemingly-limitless resources. coincided with the mainstreaming of DevOps and CI/CD, the emergence of cross-platform development frameworks like Flutter and React Native, and the growing popularity of microservices-based architectures. And that is, by no means, an exhaustive list.

This push to GSD (get stuff done — you can substitute ‘stuff’ for your preferred curse word’) isn’t new. But 2023 will bring a greater urgency for businesses to adopt technologies that help developers quickly write secure, scalable, and performant code.

As Bhawna Singh, SVP of Engineering at Okta, explains: “Given the economic trends we’re seeing, companies will look to improve their developer productivity so they can do more, while keeping product trust high.”

Businesses will invest in technologies that seamlessly slide into existing developer workflows, and will help engineering teams eliminate release and development friction without compromising security, compliance, or reliability.

“Developers face growing pressure to release features faster, but they’re also expected to write code that’s scalable and secure. The focus for teams will be to make the right integration, automation investments, ” Singh added.

> “Tools supporting low-code/no-code options will be of value in accelerating time to market. as developer efficiency entails not only keeping an existing developer force productive, but also being able to onboard new developers quickly and enabling them to make high quality contributions faster.”

It’s not just tools. Singh believes 2023 will see engineering and security teams become more closely integrated as companies embrace the “shift left” approach to software development.

As explained previously, this approach sees security personnel take an active role in the design and development of applications, as well as the training of engineering staff.

By addressing security issues before they reach production, businesses can release stronger and more robust applications, while simultaneously reducing the monetary cost associated with fixing a vulnerability. 

Given the lean months and years ahead, it’s no surprise the “shift left” approach is about to hit the mainstream.

![Efficiency](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1rabbt78ePblwoBEDhDXcx/52a6962a11716f8277bb120bff8f5f96/developer_works_2023_sep2.jpg)

## Queryable Encryption Enters the Mainstream

One of the biggest cryptographic advances in recent years is “Queryable Encryption.” It’s exactly what it sounds like. The ability to execute search queries on encrypted data, without first having to decrypt it. 

Queryable encryption had previously languished on the fringes of academia — theoretically possible, but difficult to perform in any practical sense. Not only did it require a high level of understanding in order to execute securely, it also came with a steep computational cost. But that’s beginning to change.

Aïda Diop, Software Engineer, IAM Crypto at Okta, believes that Queryable Encryption is on the cusp of mainstream success. 

The [cryptography expert](https://auth0.com/blog/a-primer-on-cryptography/) highlights the recent launch of MongoDB’s Queryable Encryption feature, which she says will help popularize this feature. 

“The ability to search encrypted data is a major research area in crypto, but it presents a number of challenges. These are mostly due to performance issues, and the difficulties in developing complex search functions on encrypted data,” she said. 

MongoDB’s Queryable Encryption, she said, promises to change that. Diop, who is actively experimenting with the feature, described it as “exciting” with the potential to bring real security and privacy benefits. 

As Queryable Encryption allows businesses to analyze and process encrypted user data, we’ll see an expansion of the things they choose to encrypt. On a basic level, it dramatically expands the list of things that can be secured with end-to-end encryption.

> “One interesting use-case is where users want to look up their data, but they don’t want their service provider or its employees to have access to that data in plaintext,” Diop added. 

## Developers Will Adapt to a Tightening Tech Job Market

After a booming decade for tech jobs, the market is now set for a dramatic contraction, driven by wider macroeconomic turmoil. Already, we’re starting to see the early signs of what promises to be a brutal few years for developers, with Twitter, Facebook, and Salesforce all announcing major layoffs. 

Cassio Sampaio, Senior Vice President of Product at Okta, believes both businesses and individuals will need to adapt in the face of these trying conditions. 

As engineers plan their personal development, they should focus on the skills that can bring value wherever their career takes them. “Reusable skills matter a lot,” said Sampaio. “Developers should brush up on the skills that are more widely needed as teams are reorganized to meet this new reality.” 

Businesses, meanwhile, should seek to improve efficiency by investing in tooling that improves efficiency and productivity. “Every dollar counts,” Sampaio argued. “Your developers should focus on core business needs, rather than trying to build everything under the sun.” 

![Developer-First](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1xL11M3kvAG33UWVT0dfAK/f65c7984e18dd7a1f7ece98859a6ed48/developer_works_2023_sep3.jpg)

## A “Developer-First” Culture Means Respect and Authority

It’s not all bad news for engineers. Although the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 were undeniably trying, they were at least accompanied with a booming job market for developers, and workplace changes that allowed for fully-remote teams. 

Developers were always a hot commodity — especially in the competitive tech hubs of Silicon Valley, London, and New York. The shift to remote working gave developers greater choice in who they worked for. They could be more discerning. 

As a result, many companies placed greater emphasis on wooing tech talent. They created “developer-first” cultures. 

Ana Cidre, Developer Advocacy Manager at Okta, expects this trend to continue, even throughout the tightening tech job market. But it’s not just perks that define a “developer-first” culture. It’s also defined by developers being placed in greater positions of decision-making authority. 

And for B2B tech businesses, developers are now a key buying persona. “It’s incredible to see how companies are creating communities and thinking about the developer first. In my opinion, the pandemic drove this trend. Developers aren’t merely more respected, but also more accessible,” she said. 

## The Rise of Rapid Coding 

The 1990s were a simpler time. Software came in big cardboard boxes — or as floppy disks buried within thick manilla envelopes. Patches and bug fixes were calendar events, happening relatively infrequently by today’s standards. And with computers a relatively small part of our lives, the stakes were lower. 

Now software is less of a product and more of a service. It’s something we rely upon, and we expect it to improve from day to day. Few (if any) are prepared to tolerate months-long waits between bug fixes. 

Developers need to be faster than ever. To meet their customers’ need for immediacy, they will have to fundamentally change the way they work. Fortunately, the modern developer apparatus is well-geared towards agility. Businesses can write, test, and deploy a software update in a matter of minutes. 

But there’s more that can be done. Joël Franusic, CIAM Specialist at Okta, is particularly intrigued by the approach taken by Glitch, which was in turn acquired by serverless computing pioneer Fastly earlier this year. 

Glitch and Fastly come from two different worlds, but there are obvious synergies between the two companies. While Fastly started life in the CDN (content delivery network) space, it has since placed greater emphasis on containerization — allowing developers to package their applications as low-footprint, low-dependency units that can rapidly scale and deploy. 

By contrast, Glitch is a playful, web-based developer sandbox. It describes itself as a “yes code” company. Developers can build and execute code directly in the browser and see the effects of their changes in real-time. It offers a level of immediacy that you don’t typically get within traditional developer environments. 

Fastly has promised a hands-off approach to its latest acquisition. It doesn’t want to change the formula that made Glitch popular in the first place. But it does seek to extend Gitch’s technology to a broader audience, particularly those who write code for work — not merely fun. 

Franusic doesn’t just find this prospect enticing — he thinks it has the potential to fundamentally change the ways developers work. 

“When Glitch and Fastly complete their integration, I think we’ll see a growth in rapid development. Glitch makes it ridiculously easy to make the quick changes that comprise most day-to-day software updates, but in a way that’s also highly visible, easy to test, and simple to document,“ he said. 

![Passkeys](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5rywMgNpd8I4LXCyPWhM1Y/617c949355943892e458e83ed61e1ce8/developer_works_2023_sep4.jpg)

## The Debut Year of Passkeys

Vittorio Bertocci, Principal Architect at Okta, eagerly awaits the mainstreaming of passkeys as a widely-used authentication method for both businesses and consumers. 

“For the past decade or so, every year has been the year we finally get rid of passwords. It’s the identity industry’s equivalent of the ‘Year of the Linux Desktop.’ And while 2023 will be no exception, I do think we’ll make some significant inroads to a glorious passwordless future this year,” he said. 

“Apple, Google, and Microsoft all [delivered (or promised) support for passkeys](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/10/passkeys-microsoft-apple-and-googles-password-killer-are-finally-here/) — a new take on FIDO2 authentication that makes it possible to use biometric authentication across multiple devices.” 

A major differentiator between passkeys and existing FIDO2 platform authenticators is that they’re backed up in the cloud and aren’t tied to specific devices, allowing them to be used across the various devices the user owns within a given ecosystem (iCloud, Google, etc). This, Bertocci said, is a “game changer.”

“Passkeys have the potential to bring phishing-resistant authentication to the masses. They’re a massive improvement over passwords, but they do present some challenges, particularly in workforce use-cases.” 

“Workers may find themselves using passkeys as consumers, but unable to do the same at work. In some cases, use of personal devices at work will become problematic, as passkeys require cloud sync to function on some platforms, and administrators aren't keen to allow that. This — and many other yet-unidentified challenges — will complicate the rollout of passkeys, but it’s clear we’re going in the right direction,” he said.

How Developers Will Work In 2023

jenny-obrien

I'm a former business journalist who's fascinated by the intersection of tech and business strategy — in particular how the right solution can transform an idea into reality. I specialize in ROI, data privacy, and identity.

Business Content Manager

Jenny O'Brien

Actionable Advice from Women Who Code InfoSec Panel + Auth0 QAs on How Women Can Transfer Skills to Help Close that Gap



By 2021, there will be [3.5 million open cybersecurity jobs globally](https://cybersecurityventures.com/jobs/), reports Cybersecurity Ventures. [Worldwide](https://cybersecurityventures.com/women-in-cybersecurity/), women hold 20% of the filled positions.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Actionable advice on how women can transfer skills to fill the project 3.5M gap in cybersecurity talent. @womenwhocode"/>

[Women Who Code](https://www.womenwhocode.com/), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women’s career growth in the tech industry, sponsored a panel of seasoned InfoSec professionals from [Nike](https://www.nike.com/us/en_us/?ref=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F), [Intel](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/homepage.html), [Google](https://www.google.com/about/), and [Auth0](https://auth0.com/) at their [Portland chapter](https://www.womenwhocode.com/portland). The panel shared how they got into cybersecurity, what they’re looking for when they hire talent, and how interested applicants can easily transfer their skills to lucrative cybersecurity roles ([full video](https://youtu.be/lAraWX64ZJw)).

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Discover what it’s like to be a woman in InfoSec at @google, @intel, @nike, and @auth0. —and find out how to make the most of your opportunities. @womenwhocode  (https://youtu.be/lAraWX64ZJw) "/>

Auth0 Former CISO/VP Operations **Joan Pepin** suggested we reach out to two other women on our cybersecurity team to talk about how they ended up in InfoSec, what it’s like to work at Auth0, and advice for women looking to break into the field.

## Annybell Villarroel, Security Operations Manager 

![Annybell Villarroel, Security Operations Manager](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/PMOss4ZNEJdF9Rum21Quy/66839db9c86453c90d646c6b6612b9af/annybell-villarroel)

Anny started working with Auth0 as a contractor back in 2015. She joined the company as a technical support engineer in 2016 and has since transferred her skills to infosec by becoming our security operations manager.

### What made you make the switch to security?

While working on a ticket, I realized something that could potentially be used in a phishing campaign. I did a quick experiment with a small sample group to gather feedback, and we noticed that our training could be improved in different ways. After hearing about the project, Jon Gelsey, our CEO at the time,  suggested to Joan (Auth0’s Former CISO) that I work in security. I got offered my current role. 

### Tell us about your current role

Besides managing projects for our Security Team, I’m preparing our Security Awareness training as well as our quarterly phishing campaigns. I recently took training at the Black Hat Conference to learn best practices and how to raise our general security awareness through [social engineering attacks](https://auth0.com/blog/achieving-security-awareness-through-social-engineering-attacks/).

### How have your skills transferred?

As a support engineer, I learned a lot about the product itself, knowing the historical context and how it works has been useful for a few projects in the security team and my experience talking with customers has helped me with the training. I believe that asking “why” and trying to find the root cause of the problem can be useful in any project.

### What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

It’s been pretty smooth and I feel very supported in this role and the team is super-great. If I don’t know something everyone is willing to help. 

### There are a ton of jobs for women in InfoSec. Why work for Auth0? 

The job was offered to me and in general, the opportunity was given. I really like the culture here and have an emotional connection to the company. I’ve seen it grow. Auth0 is a security-first company and I find it rewarding to do work that fits with our mission statement of making the internet more secure.

### What advice would you have for women breaking into InfoSec?

Don't be afraid to ask security engineers for help. Be willing to make experiments, and take online courses on your own to learn. Practice with Capture The Flag challenges with a mentor that can guide you, and if you like to understand people or are a people person, learn about Social Engineering. **We’re hiring**.

## Eva Sarafianou, Application Security Engineer

![Eva Sarafianou, Application Security Engineer](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1WB3sUlt6NSIx4GFKnqb9T/6d148e76110d0246bd276b8943a15f27/eva-sarafianou)

Intrigued by cryptography’s underlying maths, research, and study while working on her masters at the University of Athens led Eva to a career in InfoSec, which she describes as “a whole new world.” Eva joined Auth0 in Aug. of 2018.

### Tell me about your current role

I work as an application security engineer. In the Product Security team we work closely with the developers, try to find vulnerabilities in our codebase and give guidelines for mitigation. We’re working on security automation, building tools that will help the engineering team write secure code by default and we're also responsible for the vulnerability disclosure program

### How have your skills transferred? 

A few months prior to obtaining my master's degree, an internship for security consultancy gave me the opportunity to start applying security in industry instead of academia, specifically web security and mobile — how many things you can control as a user even if you shouldn’t. And how, if you really dig into it you’ll usually find something interesting, even if a code does seem very secure. It may not be something huge, but security is an ongoing effort. It never ends. Even with something small, some very sophisticated attacks are possible.

### What’s been the biggest challenge so far?

Being a woman in InfoSec. During my internship, we were visiting customers for assessments and because I was young and the only woman in the office, the customers asked my manager whether or not I knew things. I had to put in extra effort to make sure the customers believed that I knew what I was doing and could explain things. It got better over time, but male interns who came to the office after me didn’t receive questions like these.

### Anything seem surprisingly easy?

I think the problem most engineers have is that they love working on their computer and digging into code. If they have to explain this to a non-technical person, they find it a bit difficult. It’s easy for me to take an issue step-by-step and make sure that somebody without the technical background understands.

### There are a ton of jobs for women in InfoSec. Why work for Auth0?

I knew Auth0 four years before I joined and really liked the product and the culture. Remote working is the most productive thing.

### What advice would you have for women breaking into InfoSec?

First of all and maybe take a direction in college and university that has to do with a computer. Be confident. I think that in InfoSec — not in Auth0 — there are many people who believe they are experts and will ask you “why” in a not very friendly way always. Always ask what you don’t know.
I’m usually the only woman on my teams — even at Auth0, in our small team, I am the only woman. Feel confident and don’t feel at all weird that you’re always a minority.
If we want more women in tech, as companies and we can do participate in organizations like WWC, but this needs to be spread to the world — it’s how parents raise their daughters. My parents were the same with me as they were with my brother — no change. I was never the little girl that had to be protected and I think that helped.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Find out what’s like to be a woman in InfoSec (https://youtu.be/lAraWX64ZJw)  — and learn how to get the most out of lucrative cybersecurity job opportunities. @womenwhocode"/>


3.5M Open Cybersecurity Jobs Worldwide by 2021

sambiopic

I'm Director of Developer Relations and a Google Developer Expert for Angular and Web Technologies. I believe anyone who wants to learn to code should be able to learn code and I love teaching. When I'm not coding or writing, you'll find me outside hiking or camping in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Director of Developer Relations

Sam Julien

Auth0's Sam Julien shares some of the things that have surprised him in switching to his first remote job.



Starting my first remote job has been everything I’d hoped for, plus a bit more than I expected. When I first moved to Portland from Gainesville, Florida ([Go Gators!](https://floridagators.com/)) in November 2014, I got a job writing software at a financial company out in the western suburbs. It wasn’t ideal, but it got me out here and I was grateful for it. I quickly got tired of the commute, though — it took over an hour each way in traffic just to drive 11 miles. Ugh. Back in Gainesville I could get anywhere within 15 minutes, so this came as quite a shock.

I made it my mission to get a job downtown to reduce my commute. Before long, I started working at a small non-profit and eventually became the lead front end engineer there. I commuted downtown from Southeast Portland on public transportation in about 40 minutes for three years. It wasn’t the worst commute by any means, but it started to wear on me because it felt unnecessary. Most days, I just sat or stood at my desk wearing headphones writing code and occasionally instant-messaging coworkers. Why did I need to travel somewhere for that? Aside from some focused tech sessions with my team, I rarely felt like there was any reason for me to be physically in the office.

On snow days, furniture delivery days, or not-quite-sick-but-not-quite-well days, I was able to work from home through a VPN. Those were my most treasured and productive days. I could listen to music without headphones, I had no interruptions, and I could just get in the zone and code. Sadly, because we were such a small company — and not a software company — it wasn’t possible to make remote work permanent or even regular. We just didn’t have the infrastructure.

When I got offered a fully remote job at Auth0, I was so happy to have achieved my goal to no longer be tethered to an office or a daily commute. Most of it has been everything I’d hoped for. Since I’ve started working remotely, I’ve slept better, worked out more, cooked more, and spent more time with my friends, girlfriend, and family. Auth0 has also been super supportive of my speaking and travel responsibilities as a [Google Developer Expert for Angular](https://developers.google.com/experts/people/sam-julien). I love getting to work from anywhere.

It hasn’t all been a bowl of cherries, though. Remote work has its own set of challenges, some of which really caught me off guard. I want to share these surprises with you in case you’re looking at transitioning to a remote job (hopefully [here at Auth0](https://auth0.com/careers)!).

## What’s Surprised Me about Going Remote

Even though there are [tons of benefits to having a remote job](https://auth0.com/blog/we-are-thankful-for-these-benefits-of-working-remote/), there are some things people don’t tell you about working full time from home. An office job is kind of like having a clock speed on a processor or a governor on an engine. The office regulates your life and keeps it maintained. It provides some basic boundaries of when you need to wake up, when to work, and when to come home. It regulates your meal times and your social activities. When you remove the governor or overclock the processor, you can get a lot more performance, but you take more risk.

Most people think about the "no boss over your shoulder" and "no commute" benefits of working remote, but they’ve taken for granted the rest of the regulation: the set schedule (with a physical boundary between home and work), the regulated meal times, and the planned social interaction. Some people jump enthusiastically into remote work and quickly realize it’s too much. Their work time is blending with their home time, they’re eating too often or too much, and they’re desperately lonely.

For me, I would take being fully in control over my time any day over outsourcing that to an office. I’m also extremely introverted, despite how much I love teaching and speaking. I thought I’d be absolutely golden switching to remote, but while it has been amazing, a few things have surprised me.

### It Takes Work to Build Your Own Structure

Unlike my job at the non-profit, my role at Auth0 is fairly autonomous. I occasionally collaborate with team members or work on group projects, but the majority of my job is to write great technical content alone. This caught me a bit off guard after a life of daily stand-ups and regular team meetings. It’s back on me to set and maintain a schedule. Unlimited freedom takes a lot of discipline.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="A remote job requires you to build your own structure into your day to stay productive, like regular workouts and breaks."/>

I was surprised by how long it took me to get into the "self-motivated focus" routine by building my own work day from scratch. I think part of this was due to traveling so much this fall, but it still felt like it took longer than I predicted to get into a routine. I had always imagined that, whenever I finally started working from home, I’d wake up at 5 am, hit the gym, and crank out a super productive workday every single day with no trouble.

It turns out real life is a bit more complicated than that. That surprised me because it’s not as if I haven’t had to focus in the last few years. For example, when I was making my first Angular video course, I had to force myself to crank out at least a few videos every evening after work in order to get 200+ videos finished. Or, at development jobs during the day, I had to focus to get a particular feature done or bug resolved on time. There’s a key difference with those that’s a principle of life and work: work expands to the time you give it. If you give yourself three days to work on something, guess how long it will take? Yet if your boss tells you a new feature in the application needs to be done by the end of the day, guess how long it will take?

I’ve learned that working from home and being autonomous, I have to give myself shorter deadlines and more work. I’ve also built in structure to my day through scheduled gym time and breaks. It’s certainly been a slower process than I imagined, but I’m getting into a solid routine.

### Even Introverts Get Lonely

As I said earlier, I’m a hardcore introvert. I love my alone time. Even so, I’ve been surprised by my need for social time. I worked with some really great people at the non-profit and I miss them much more than I anticipated. On top of that, when you cut out meetings, chatting with coworkers in the kitchen, commuting on public transportation, and going out for lunch or coffee during work, you end up with...a lot of alone time. That goes double when you live by yourself as I do. I'm not alone in this, either. In Buffer's [State of Remote Work 2018](https://open.buffer.com/state-remote-work-2018/) survey, they found 21% of remote workers struggled with loneliness.

->![Buffer remote work survey chart showing 21% of remote workers struggle with loneliness](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3fQVUgLA0xvqtRlcO6pwO2/e44787e96ed3f019dcc818d9ceb1c64f/buffer-loneliness)
[[Source](https://d2mxuefqeaa7sj.cloudfront.net/s_6A1F19D3C9C27A032B77599B390536CA1709A830CEA405B393E39F6D5868EB7B_1519662359312_Biggest+Struggle2x.png)]<-

One of the best decisions I made when I joined Auth0 was to also join a new gym that offered classes. I had been going to a 24-hour bare bones gym. The new gym has a triple benefit: it gets me out of the house, it gets me around people, and it gets me a killer workout every time. If I was still going to the 24-hour gym, I’d have yet another thing I’d be doing alone.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="A great way to combat loneliness while working remotely is to take up new hobbies with friends."/>

I also run the [Angular Portland](https://www.meetup.com/ngpdxers/) meetup, so that’s another scheduled event that I go to about every month. Beyond that, it’s on me to be purposeful with scheduling time with friends. I’ve figured out that I need to see some pals about one or two times a month to retain my well-being. Of course, I still spend a bunch of time with my girlfriend, but that’s sort of a different category of social time. Everyone needs friends outside of their relationship, but especially when you’re inside alone all day!

### It’s Hard to Build Relationships Online

Finally, I’ve been surprised by how necessary occasional in-person communication is with coworkers, even when you’ve got great remote infrastructure. We use Slack and Zoom to stay in touch with each other at Auth0. Those help a lot, but I won’t lie to you. Meeting my coworkers in person at our team offsite in Miami this September made a big difference in feeling bonded with them. The same was true of my onboarding at our Bellevue office, where I met folks like our CEO [Eugenio Pace](https://twitter.com/eugenio_pace) and Chief Architect [Vittorio Bertocci](https://twitter.com/vibronet) and had coffee with my teammate [Jenny O’Brien](https://twitter.com/jenny_obrien).

![Most of Auth0's Content Team at the Miami Offsite](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1Zb9aa4iSGcWlBfu8z9Wrq/0bdc3d5b673205487296fbca89d2e020/content-miami)

Along those same lines, it’s a heck of a lot harder to pair program remotely. Not being able to just hand the keyboard off to someone or debug directly on their machine is a pain. So far, I’ve paired with teammates by simply cloning the code and running it myself (or them doing the same). We haven’t checked out [Visual Studio Code’s Live Share](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MS-vsliveshare.vsliveshare) feature yet, but we definitely should. I have a feeling it will help a lot. It still won’t replace being able to wander over to a coworker’s desk, but at least it’s a start.

Auth0 does a great job with remote infrastructure and encouraging lots of communication between teams, but as much as I love that, I have to admit that there is no substitute for meeting coworkers in person to build relationships. That’s why I can’t wait to go to my first annual company offsite next May. It will be great to meet everyone in person!

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

## Set Yourself Up for Remote Success

If you’re thinking about going remote, dreaming of days of unending focus while basking in your cave of solitude, you may want to do some thinking ahead. Look into community gyms, adult education, and new hobbies you can take up with some friends. Build some structure into your ideal calendar. Yes, even my fellow introverts should do this. Also, if you have a chance to meet your coworkers at any point in person somewhere, even if you’re just on vacation in their city, do it! You’ll be glad you spent a little time with them face-to-face.

Whether you work remote for Auth0 or someone else, I wish you the best in your journey! If you’re working remotely now, please feel free to share any tips you’ve learned in our Community post for this article.


Surprises in My Switch to Remote Work

eHk3ciM

I am the Group Manager, Developer Content at Okta, and a Google Developer Expert in Web Technologies and Angular. I'm passionate about identity, authentication, constant learning, and developer communities. As a developer advocate, engineer, mentor, and international speaker, I love learning from and sharing with other inhabitants of the tech space.

Group Manager, Developer Content

Kim Maida

Explore the many ways to manage job stress and burnout when overtime is an expectation.



**TL;DR:** Many jobs in the tech industry are fast-paced, stimulating, rewarding—and notorious for being stressful. The key to managing stress and burnout is to realize that we have more control than we think regarding the way we work, interact with the people around us, and engage in self-care. We'll consider a plethora of ways we can cope with job-induced stress both in the workplace and at home.

## When the Obvious Answers are Unrealistic

Consider a hypothetical: your current project is under pressure to meet a seemingly unattainable deadline. Your entire team is working nights and weekends. The delivery date is immovable and there's no more scope to cut. You've looked for help managing stress and have been told you should "go home at five no matter what" and "refuse to work Saturdays". 

This is sound advice, but right now it seems idealistic to the point of impossible. You feel obligated to do whatever it takes to complete the project on time, including working long hours and giving up weekends. Maybe you love your job, even if it's stressful. You normally enjoy the fast pace, but you're getting burned out. The situation feels out of your control. What can you do?

Perceived lack of control makes a high-pressure situation even more stressful. However, there are things we can do to alleviate this. We'll go over techniques aggregated by consulting devoted tech employees in a variety of positions including engineers, system administrators, project managers, engineering managers, quality assurance engineers, user experience architects, and more.

## Coping with Work Stress: At Work

There is no magic bullet for work stress or burnout. You might get a hundred professional massages (but seriously, who has the time?) and not feel better. **The most direct line of defense is to tackle work stress _at work_.**

### Be the Canary in the Coal Mine

Let's start at the beginning. After all, every situation has one: a point when we first sense things becoming painful. If we're lucky enough to be present at that time, we should _not_ stand idly by. Even if we came aboard after the ship set sail, we shouldn't remain silent through the storm.

[Dave Winkel](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-winkel-b9438a) emphasizes the importance of being "[the canary in the coal mine](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canary_in_a_coal_mine)". **Raising red flags early and often helps us steer a situation and alert others.** [Laura Kimpel-Matthews](http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurakimpelmatthews) recommends **escalating with solutions for upper management** and including all potential options to open a discussion. Suggest reprioritizing features, increasing resources, extending timelines, shifting responsibilities, etc. It's difficult to ignore a well-crafted proposal for improvement and good management should be willing to work with our suggestions. 

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Raising red flags early and often helps us steer a situation and alert others."/>

### We're All in This Together Now

**Remember that our teammates are experiencing the same situation.** We're all in this together. It's easy to accidentally cultivate a toxic atmosphere when everyone is stressed and overworked. [Emily Gladstone Cole](http://twitter.com/unixgeekem) emphasizes that we "need to help foster a culture of supporting each other. Answer each other's questions, don't be negative about someone, and be as impersonal as possible when raising concerns on their work."

**Do things as a team.** Take twenty minutes to go out for gelato together. If everyone is working late, expense dinner and eat together (_not_ at desks!) while having a lively conversation about anything _except_ our stressful project. [Mike Behnke](http://twitter.com/localpcguy) recommends "tracking wins" and sharing them: any positive feedback received from clients, management, or peers can help bolster the team.

### Take Breaks and Recognize When to Rest

It's easy to feel like we need to keep our eyes glued to our monitors to meet a deliverable, but getting away helps keep us healthy _and_ productive. We need to **set and know our limits and go home when we've hit them**. [Ado Kukic](http://twitter.com/kukicado) makes the important point that "being constantly on edge and stressed greatly decreases the quality of output, which only ends up in working even longer hours to fix an already crumbling deliverable." 

**Don't eat lunch in front of a computer or at a desk.** Get food elsewhere with friends if possible and try not to talk about work. This provides a much needed mental reset partway through the day.

**Get up and walk around.** A short trek to the break room for coffee, a chat around the water jug, a brisk walk around the parking lot, any movement and small change of scenery keeps our bodies active and our minds alert. This doesn't need to be time-consuming or disruptive. Five to fifteen minutes taken periodically throughout the day helps far more than it harms a busy schedule.

Even if we aren't in a position to take time off right now, [Steve Pheley](http://twitter.com/spheley) encourages us to **negotiate some much-needed vacation in the near future**. This can supply valuable recovery time. Also, don't cancel pre-planned vacations even if they occur during the project schedule. If our vacation was on the books and approved a long time ago, we shouldn't surrender it to stay and work. **Time off is an employee's right and sacrificing it only makes us unhappy and resentful.**

### Leaner Workflow and Work Style

Scrutinize the distribution of work. **If there's a way to make more efficient use of resources, do so.** Sometimes it's difficult to delegate when everyone appears to be under equal stress, but [Mike](http://twitter.com/localpcguy) reminds us there are often valid ways to unburden individuals. Let the team distribute tasks according to their strengths to gain efficiency.

[Karen Ford](http://twitter.com/karenforda2) reminds us to **ask "am I really needed here?" when being invited to meetings or included on email chains**. Managers and senior level employees spend a substantial amount of time in meetings, sometimes standing on ceremony rather than out of necessity. This consumption of time can be reduced if we take a moment to consider whether our presence will actually be beneficial. We can also make it clear we'll respond to emails at certain times of day but instanteous feedback shouldn't be expected. Then we can gain some uninterrupted productivity.

**Ask for help.** [Maitland Hemby](http://twitter.com/androidqueen) offers an excellent serenity prayer: "**Grant me the patience to figure stuff out when I can, the courage to ask for help when I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.**" When we have the luxury of time we spend many hours Googling things. When we're under the pressure of a deliverable or drowning in an ocean of tasks, we should ask for help when we're struggling. The people around us can provide a wealth of valuable knowledge.

[Karen](http://twitter.com/karenforda2) promotes **breaking large tasks into smaller, more digestible ones**. The benefits are twofold: this "helps you keep sane of your goals and helps you feel more accomplished at the end of the day because you can cross things off your list." A sense of daily achievement is an important reassurance that progress is being made.

### Communication and Support From Management

**Potentially the most effective way to manage workplace stress is to have a channel of communication with our bosses that produces positive outcomes**. This can also be the most challenging. Sometimes pushing back yields good—or at least encouraging—results, and sometimes it's frustratingly unsuccessful. 

"**Active engagement from supportive management is important**," H. Jeffrey affirms. Managers should check in regularly with their team and set a worthy example. [Emily](http://twitter.com/unixgeekem) notes that employees who see their manager working until midnight may conclude such hours are standard for the position; this is something we want to avoid. Team leads often do double-duty because they're just as stressed as their team, but they _also_ need to keep the project on track, provide on-the-ground support, and present a good game face.

Even when previous discourse hasn't been fruitful, **in most cases we should continue to be vocal**. It's equally important to frame our concerns so they don't evoke complaining. It's easy to dismiss a complainer. We stand on solid ground when we present well-reasoned options and solutions. Even if upper management does not have direct control over some project details (ie., a client with a drop-dead launch date), **good managers should be willing to explore any and all options to help their employees succeed**.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Good managers should be willing to explore any and all options to help their employees succeed."/>

## Coping with Work Stress: At Home

Addressing work stress at work is the most productive way to be proactive at the source of the situation. But we can't always avoid taking our stress home with us. We need to make sure we're promoting self-care outside the workplace too.

![Manage tech job stress at home](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5TnVTdFdcNhQEkxA4gEzzS/90d71d68f2496dc13a07305f64428827/managing-stress-image)

### Physical Well-being

**It's well-known that [exercise](https://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st) [is](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/21/exercise-reduces-stress-levels-anxiety-cortisol_n_3307325.html) [good](http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/7-ways-exercise-relieves-stress) [for stress](http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax)**. At the same time, many of us know how difficult it can be to find motivation to exercise when we're overworked. When we snatch a precious spare moment, all we want to do is languish on the sofa. Keep in mind that **getting exercise doesn't have to mean hitting the gym at midnight or waking up at 4 AM to run 5K**. If we can squeeze in 10-15 minutes each day before work, it's a worthwhile habit. The barrier to entry is lower than it seems; running, stairs, jumping jacks, squats, situps, and pushups are good places to begin. **Start small and do what you can** because something is always better than nothing. It can be surprising how much of a difference a 10 minute jog every morning can make.

**Don't skip breakfast.** Eating in the morning, as opposed to just drinking coffee, provides some [much](http://www.livescience.com/39598-reasons-never-skip-breakfast.html)-[needed](http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/many-benefits-breakfast) brain food to tackle the day. If you're not a breakfast eater, try to develop the habit. We're pressed for time, but even a granola bar or a greek yogurt helps.

### Relaxation

If we're working long hours, sometimes we're too frazzled to have time for lengthy massages or even half an hour of yoga. **Instead, a quick 2-5 minute meditation is a good way to soothe a stressed and overactive mind.** [Quick meditation](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/08/guided-meditation-relaxation_n_4235832.html) [exercises](https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-2minute-exercise-that-can-completely-transform-your-day) can be performed in a matter of minutes at home _or_ at work.

We may feel so drained that we just want to be left alone, but **spending time with loved ones and pets takes our minds off work and reminds us that we have things that bring us joy**. Rituals also help: walking the dog, eating dinner as a family, or reading a few pages of a good book. [Steve](http://twitter.com/spheley) suggests setting reminders if we need to. Habit-forming apps like [Productive](http://productiveapp.io/) can help, but simple calendar reminders work as well.

### Help and Outsourcing

We should **be okay with asking for help or outsourcing chores**. If the house is dirty, we can hire housekeeping. H. Jeffrey notes that  we can go out to eat, get food delivered, or batch-prepare easy meals on the weekends. We can **ask friends and family for help, but we shouldn't delegate the things we find comfort in**. If walking the dog or watering the flowers relaxes us, we should make sure we keep those for ourselves.

### Work vs. Hobbies

For many tech workers, hobbies can overlap work. Many of us love designing, systems, or programming, so we do these things in our spare time as well as for our career. We should be careful to avoid overlap when we're stressed at work and in danger of burnout. If we're not, fun rapidly becomes work instead. [Ado](http://twitter.com/kukicado) advocates **"doing something completely different" in our off time**.

### Consider Alternatives and Cultivate Options

Sometimes we power through stressful projects or periods of burnout because we love our jobs. Sometimes we don't. **Sometimes it's best to leave a job that we don't enjoy or find fulfilling.** It's challenging to drum up the time and motivation to apply for other positions when we're already burned out, but **knowing when to consider other opportunities** is just as important as knowing when to stick it out.

Looking for another job can also be therapeutic. **Putting our resumes together and recognizing the value of our skills reaffirms that we have options and are in control of our future.** Even if it's hard to cultivate the motivation necessary to apply for jobs, [Maitland](http://twitter.com/androidqueen) reminds us that doing so should be incorporated into our self-care routine. Our future prospects do not need to be dictated by a bad situation.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Recognizing the value of our skills reaffirms that we have options and are in control of our future."/>

## At the End of the Day

Before going to bed, take some time to wind down. **Our minds race with all the stressors we've experienced throughout the day and it's important not to sleep with those things hanging over our heads.** We can meditate, read, or spend time with those we care about even if only for half an hour before we crash and need to sleep.

### Complaining vs. Gratitude

One of the easiest things to do when we're in a difficult position is complain. **Complaining may feel good in the moment, but [science](https://www.fastcompany.com/3040672/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/why-complaining-may-be-dangerous-to-your-health) [has proven](http://bigthink.com/ideafeed/complaining-is-bad-for-you) [it's unhealthy](http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/complaining-rewires-your-brain-for-negativity-science-says.html).** We should remind ourselves to think of things we're grateful for instead. It may be difficult to feel much gratitude when we're in a tough spot, but **remembering the people and things we love is [beneficial](http://www.today.com/health/be-thankful-science-says-gratitude-good-your-health-t58256) [to our](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mequilibrium/gratitude-benefits_b_3321351.html) [health](https://www.innerbody.com/ways-to-cultivate-gratitude)**.

### We Have Control

There are many things we can do to manage job stress. Tackling it at the source at work is vital and taking care of ourselves is also important. If we follow the advice of others who have walked our path, we can take charge of the ways we conduct ourselves and interact. Armed with knowledge and support, we can overcome stressful situations and emerge tired, perhaps, but whole. **We always have more control than we think we do, and recognizing that is a monumental accomplishment.**


"job"