Daniel Tsui
With the advancement of technology, the tech industry accepts more and more flexible schedules and telecommuting opportunities. In recent years, more statistical SAS programming jobs in the Pharma/Biotech industry have shifted from office-based to home-based. There has been ongoing debate about how beneficial the shift is. A lot of room is still available for discussion about the pros and cons of this home-based model. This presentation is devoted to investigate and discuss some issues and the pros and cons as home-based SAS programmers within the pharma/biotech industry. The overall benefits having been proposed in a Microsoft whitepaper will be used as beginning in our discussion. The paper was based on a survey, Work without Walls, which listed the top 10 benefits of working from home from the employee viewpoint, such as work/home balance, avoid traffic, more productive, less distractions, etc. However, to be a successful home-based SAS programmer in the pharma/biotech industry, some enemies have to be defeated, such as 24 hours on call, performance issues, solitude, advancement opportunities, dealing with family, etc. This presentation will conclude some key highlights of these pros and cons of being home-based SAS Programmer and some suggestions with ending up a healthy and successful role.
View paper.