Is it inappropriate to bring my own larger monitor into the office?

Question

I've been programming for years on a 24 inch monitor as my secondary monitor both at home and sometimes at work. I just got a new job and they've ordered me a 13 inch laptop which I consider to be pretty small to look at and use and I'll be getting a 19 inch or smaller monitor for the secondary. Would it be inappropriate for me to bring in my own 24 inch monitor into the office to use for development?

Answer 1

Ask your manager.

I know that at my company they won't explicitly allow you to bring in your own hardware, but they will look the other way. Other places I've worked don't care, and others will do their utmost to prevent you from using your own hardware.

Answer 2

I would mention it to your supervisor or IT department first. If you just walk in and hook up your own monitor, it can make the person who is responsible for that sort of thing look bad.

If they tell you that the company can not or will not provide monitors larger than 19 inches, then I don't see a problem with bringing in your own.

Answer 3

I think that largely depends on your company. Unless its a cubicle garden situation where people would get upset because you have a bigger monitor, I don't think it would be a problem.

Best thing to do, IMO, is to ask your boss if its OK and explain the fact that you have used a big monitor in the past and have no problem using your own. If you sell your "boost productivity" case well, they might just spring the cash for a bigger monitor for you.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Go for it :) It might make them get you the larger monitor anyway.

For added embarrassment get a "Size Matters" bumper sticker for it too ;)

Paul

Answer 5

I think you need to argue that you aren't being given the necessary tools to use in a modern software development environment.

Point out that a 24" monitor costs less than a couple of days of your wages, yet will last several years.

Point out that modern IDEs require at least a 22" monitor to be used effectively and quickly. Sure they can be used on smaller displays, but only by hiding away the useful functions, which introduces delays in development, which over three years will probably be a multiple of the cost of the monitor.

The 13" laptop itself is fine, when set up as your web browser display and everything else on the other, assuming the resolution is 1280x800. But you can't do squat on a 1440x900 secondary monitor if you're doing serious work.

Still, at least it is a dual monitor setup, and it's far better than what we got a few years back. Maybe they have a 19" in the cupboard, and due to the present economic climate arent' spending money - in which case just ask for a consideration of the setup in 6 months to a year, or once you have passed your probationary period.

Answer 6

Larger monitors are not always simply preference -- there are ergonomic issues that can be alleviated by larger monitor sizes.

Eye strain (headaches, spasms around the eye, etc.), neck pain and posture issues that result from a monitor whose print is not clear or is too small can often be alleviated by a larger monitor.

Developers often need to see larger blocks of code, especially when doing spelunking/archeology on existing systems. Often, view of documentation/reference material alongside code is extremely useful to productivity.

Productivity and ergonomics make sense to most managers and organizations. Be truthful about your needs and you may be surprised at the response/results.

Answer 7

Find out what other people have before making a fuss. No matter how true it is that a 19" monitor is small, if that's all everyone else has then asking for special treatment on your first day might be a bad move.

Ask around before bringing your own monitor in. We don't know what's considered appropriate in your new company, but your new colleagues do.

If you bring in your own monitor, label it clearly and make sure your manager and at least one person in IT knows what you've done. Firstly because otherwise it's confusing for anyone auditing the equipment (either for asset management or for insurance). Secondly because IT have to support your setup, and it's only common courtesy to tell them if you change it. Thirdly because then it doesn't look like you've had special treatment when you're sitting behind a 24"/19" pair of monitors with your laptop closed, and everyone else has 19" plus the laptop.

Something similar happened at a company I worked at (startup): the company was slow buying big monitors, and most people were using just their laptop. My immediate boss brought in a spare monitor of his own from home, and then successfully argued that since he cared about it enough to do that, he should be near the top of the queue for the next batch of new ones. I didn't mind too much, even though I cared too but didn't have an available spare at home, since he then loaned me his spare rather than taking it back home...

Answer 8

This reminds me of a short story from The Daily WTF.

Not all of us are fortunate enough to work in "spacious, windowed private office" like the pampered developers over at Fogcreek. At my company (Inedo) for example, developers are constantly trying to figure out, do I get a chair today, or is it my turn to plug-in to the network? While I'm sure your work environments are equally less-than-ideal, not too many can compare with Baughn's experience.

"I was called in by a small company to make some minor changes to their software," Baughn wrote, "mostly language translations. Apparently, the normal maintainer had just up and quit."

"As I entered my temporary office, I got an inkling of why. On the wobbly desk sat a flickering 15" CRT attached to a grimy, Compaq-branded Pentium II. But what made up my mind, however, was this following line."

if (exitStatus==(3-3)) // Sorry, some ov my keys are broken

Answer 9

Get permission first. Here in the UK, the company is responsible for ensuring that all devices used on its premises have been tested for electrical safety. Technically, you are not allowed to use your own equipment unless it has the appropriate green sticker that indicates that it has been tested within the last 12 months. They might turn a blind eye to mobile phone chargers, but not something like a monitor.

Answer 10

It is a sad state of affairs when there is caution when a craftsman wants to bring a superior tool to do his craft.

That is like saying, hey don't don't sharpen your axe, cause we all have blunt ones, and that would be unfair. As if they were not all on the same side anyway.

I acknowledge that there may be legal constraints as suggested by @Dan Dyer, but surely the company in question ought to see this as a cost saving, for just the price of some maintenance, they get to allow their developer to work with a better tools and get all the benefits as describe by @Ken G.

..but enough ranting...

Like everyone else, I would encourage it, but do it in a way that respects the authority and responsibility of the people you are working for, that is part of being a professional as much as using the correct tools. Just let them know that you just want to do the best job you can.

Answer 11

The economy is tough right now, but:

If these kinds of things are important to you, you need to find our during the interview process what caliber equipment you will have on the job. It's easy to take for granted that everyone has big screens these days, but sadly it's not the case.

That said, I had my own personal Mac with 4 monitors at my last full-time-in-the-office-every-day job for years. It was just an X11 front-end to my Linux workstations, but the fonts and working multi-head on the Mac (vs a buggy Xinerama at the time) made me a lot faster. That was a small company though.

When I worked at Motorola, this would probably be a firing offense, so find out before you do it.