We all know that a programmers working environment is vital for productivity.
What techniques have you guys used to sway your employer to improve your situation?
Improvements include:
It depends a lot on where you work. If you work at a large enough employer, things like ergo chairs and proper lighting are easily pushed through HR since they are actionable items if you can prove physical detriment.
The other items you list are typically harder.
In your Exit Interview, explain to the HR drone that you accepted a position at a company that values their develoepers and gives them the best tools available to do their job.
At the end of the day, some companies get it - others don't.
Whilst constructing your arguments, try to consider from the company's point of view:
In other words, you need to be objective, not subjective with your points and realise that the underlying suspicion that you are just spending money to get a load of gadgets will not be beaten.
Get them a copy of Peopleware. It's got a whole section on how the work environment affects productivity and they did actual studies to test it.
@[NotMyself]
Depending on the situation, it may be less work to try to change your current environment than to find a completely different one altogether.
That being said, if you have management that doesn't listen to the arguments and facts that a better environment = better productivity, you very well might want to find a new job.
Joel and Jeff have a gold mine of arguments in your favor. Just search their archives and point your management to it. For example, an exerpt from http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FieldGuidetoDevelopers.html
So the bottom line is that an Aeron only really costs $500 more over ten years, or $50 a year. One dollar per week per programmer.
A nice roll of toilet paper runs about a buck. Your programmers are probably using about one roll a week, each.
So upgrading them to an Aeron chair literally costs the same amount as you’re spending on their toilet paper, and I assure you that if you tried to bring up toilet paper in the budget committee you would be sternly told not to mess around, there were important things to discuss.
How can you argue with logic like that?
Dual monitors, chair, and environment you could probably get approved, gmail/tiwtter might be a little harder. Just remember, don't tell them how it will benefit you, but how it will benefit THEM.
If you explain it in terms of $$, your requests may be well received. Explain how the company will save money by giving you these improvements: (Dual monitors / faster computer - will increase your productivity, saving man hours and allowing you to get more done. Ergo chair - will save on missed days and health care costs due to chiropractor visits.)
One approach is to (within reason) go out and buy the thing you want -- it's worked for me in the past. I was at a job where I was running from my office into the lab to run a test; to do that, I had to forward the call to the lab, run like hell and then catch the call before it rang four times.
Eventually, this got tired, and I went out and bought a cordless phone. :) My manager saw what I'd done and told me she'd reimburse me, which she did.
That's an awful lot to change. Your best bet may actually be to try and get to work from home where you have more control over the environment. If your IT department has the skillz to effectively block gmail, twitter, et. al. then they probably have the necessary tools to provide VPN access. If not, start having lunch with them and chat up VPN until they go through the acquisition hassle on your behalf.
Some arguments I have found to be effective:
Argue from the bottom line. Pick a specific item you want to buy and locate research such as that linked from here. Argue specifics, and any manager not currently handcuffed by budget restrictions will be responsive.
Occupational Health is your friend. Where your purchases are to correct poor ergonomic factors that could lead to poor health and/or law suits, most larger employers will be responsive.
I've worked at a few offices where this was understood to different degrees. At the end of the day your health is the most important thing. In tough situations I've just ended up buying things that I wanted myself. If you like where you work then spending $1000 out of pocket is really a small amount in the grand scheme of things. It also sets an example. It shows your company that this is important enough to developers that they'd spend their own money on it. You may end up being a trailblazer that gets changes enacted for your fellow developers (and if they do buy stuff for others down the line you can probably submit retro-expenses for what you paid for).
Finally it makes the statement to your company that you're dedicated to them in a strong enough way to spend your own money on your workspace.
Just make sure you get your personal stuff registered with your inventory folks.