I’ve been working with software engineers for 13 years, more often than not as one of them.
They come in various shapes and types but often as slightly introverted people. Not always the most talkative.
They’re smart people, so if they have a problem, they will talk about it. But if not, they often just do their thing.
I am not a big fan of meetings in general. But I think it’s good to force your team to talk to other devs about exactly what they’re doing, just to get feedback. Maybe a co-worker
- has solved that problem before
- knows a great library to do it
- will tell you it’s simply not worth going that route for X or Y.
So if the office space has been silent for too long and nobody is committing code, start talking. Ask to ignite conversations, don’t wait for them to ask for help.