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How many hours do you work per week?
30

How many hours do you work per week?

How many hours do you work per week?

(OP)
Hello All,

I recently spoke with an old college friend and he said that he was working 60 to 70 hours per week. I feel this is way above average, but not unheard of. Anyway, this got me thinking...

I see a lot of salary surveys in trade magazines (Machine Design, Design News, etc.), but they rarely talk about hours worked. In fact, the only time I remember seeing any stats was in a Design News article back in 2008 (see attached). They reported the following:

Average = 49 hours
Median = 46 hours

I think this is important information to have. We need to know what the market trends are in order to know what is expected of us, stay competitive, and make sure we are not taken advantage of.

Would you guys like to trade stats? At the end, I'll work up our numbers.

I'll start us off. I think it would be useful to mention dicipline, region, and company size.

Mechanical Engineer
New Jersey, USA
Average = 45 hrs/week and 3 or 4 Saturdays a year

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Structural Engineer
Philadelphia, PA
Average = 55 hrs/week and 2 weekends/month (I expect this to continue for the foreseeable future. ZERO paid overtime.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Varies because of business travel, and for business travel more hours are, in general, involved because you are captive. Plant visits tend to go after hours, business meals, working in hotel room, etc.

In the office - 45 hrs/week

During business travel - 55 hrs/week (based on hours worked when away)  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I do about 50-60 hours a week.  I've had a couple of 3-week periods already this year wherein I worked 16-hr days for the entire stretch, no weekends off, at a remote site with no phone access.  The guys back in the office groused that I wasn't getting my regular office work done. Not much fun.  The major difference between that and county jail would be that you have the option of quitting and going home.  My current parole ends in about a month, then it's back to the site.  (no extra pay or comp time for it, but I guess I'm stuck unless I find something better)



 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Engineering Tech III, Energies Group. Never less than 46, 60 is more common, and the month of March was 7 12's all month. At least I am hourly now. At the current rate, I will be very close to doubling my base pay at years end. The hours I work aren't so much the issue as it is to cover off shifts because those more senior to me have 50 weeks of holiday / yr. You do that for a while and it messes with your meal schedule. IE) you wake up in the morning and you want a cheesburger for breakie.

Cheers,

Scott

I really am a good egg, I'm just a little scrambled!

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

When I worked for salary, I came in at 5:00 am to take calls from the UK and points east.  I usually stayed till 6:00 pm to get my job done without the traffic of wankers wanting "just a second of my time".  So 65 or so hours/week.  Plus a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday in my home office checking e-mail that I couldn't get to during the week.

Since I "retired" and started a consulting business I have averaged 280 billable hours/month, call it 70 hours a week.  Had a slow time last year where that was down to 120 hours a month and I went flipping stir crazy.  Finally started developing course material to keep off the video games.

David

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

i've a lot a flexibility and my work time can vary.  since i'm not compensated for time > 40-hrs/wk, i take time off when conditions allow (i.e. not leave immediate matters go unresolved or otherwise) when i do work > 40-hrs/wk.  worked time > 40-hrs/wk are rare.  other than that, right at 40-hrs/wk.  today was a long day (10-hrs); spent driving mostly (5-hrs).  tomorrow afternoon is looking very flexible.

-pmover
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Work at least 50 hours, paid for 40.
Working more hours when the economy is weak is common.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

ME for large govt. contractor
USA - South
40 hrs/week

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

To quote the movie Office Space, "I wouldn't call it work Bob."

I'm here 50hrs, salaried at 40hrs.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of these Forums?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

37.5/per week in the office.

One or two per day outside of office hours.

- Steve

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Military and Special Vehicle Suspension Engineer
60-65hrs / week
Usually on the phone most Saturdays
Sundays are just spent e-mail with overseas contacts
No overtime, straight salary.

Cabbages, knickers, It hasn't got A BEAK!

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Machine Design
39 hours (with flexi time so varies somewhat)
UK - part of a very large company

Will
Sheffield UK
Designer of machine tools - user of modified screws

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Utilities company in Ontario.

40 Hours a week.  Not a minute more.  Sometimes I feel the project I've been assigned to is not big enough to have one person assigned to it completely, and yet I'm one of three people at my company on it, plus we have consultants we pay to do the work junior engineers could do.  The manpower and consultant hours are not my decision though.  Hard to imagine why it's not as profitable as expected.

I spent a few months 3-4 years ago at another company working 80+ a week in the office.  Got an entire $100 bonus at the end of the year for it.  It will take a lot to convince me to work those hours again.

I do like commissioning work, so I will work extra to get that work done whenever it comes up.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Southwest US.
Mechanical Engineering
45 hours per week average in office, salaried.
Usually spend an extra few hours a week at night or over the weekend trying to keep everything organized so my direct reports are more productive during office hours and don't have to put in unpaid O/T.

--Scott
http://www.wertel.pro

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Officially I report 40 hours per week (you have to feed the beancounters since the cost of software development can be capitalized as the source code does have value as a corporate asset) however since about 80% of what I do can be done from my laptop, as long as I have a good network connection, the number of hours I actually work is much higher and never officially reported.

For example, I take my laptop home every night and since we are a multinational company with operations and customers aross the globe the idea of an 8-hour, 9-to-5 job, has gone totally out the window.  Like today; I generally work at home on Fridays (as I am today) and have been logged on since 6:30am local time and probably will do a final check of my mail around 11:00pm tonight.  Also, when I'm on vacation I take my laptop and even if it's only 3 or 4 times a week, I'll still check my mail and maybe even work on some project if I have some down-time that I can't justify doing something else with.  I know that sounds terrible, but when you're part of global a team, being able to respond to others in almost real-time and have them respond to you, whether it's one your fellow employees or a partner or even a customer, it helps keep things running smoother over all.

Now there are advantages to this situation as well.  For example, two weeks ago today my wife had foot surgery and she will be in a cast for 6-8 weeks, however that first week she had to keep her foot up and basically couldn't do much for herself.  My company allowed me to 'work-at-home' all of last week as well as each of the days when she has to go to the doctor as she can't drive with the cast.  This allows us flexibility without having to worry about using sickdays, family leave days or vacation days.  And while it is true that I'm not spening an unbroken 8-hours working at my laptop on those 'work-at-home' days, they are still getting way more than their money's worth (and look at the gas money I'm saving not having to make my 42 mile round-trip commute on those days).  In fact, I suspect that on any given day 10%-15% of the people in our group (of some 700+ people) are working from home and close to 5%, for all intents and purposes, works from home 100% of the time (one of the pluses with software development).

Anyway, the bottom line, for many of us the concept of an 8-hour day, 40-hour week, went out the window once laptops got to be powerful enough and highspeed network connections become ubiquitous and our individual jobs became almost totally computer intensive.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Too many

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Senior eng and project manager, small-ish company, Ontario.  40-45 hours/week when we're "normal", 50-55 hours/week max when we're very busy.  

As PM, my job is to plan and schedule so everybody works 40 hours, not 50 or 30.    

I have 8-10 hrs/week of commuting, which obviously I'm not paid for beyond my salary. I work 4 days in the office and one from home.  Having that work-from-home day has increased my productivity and effectiveness a lot, not to mention improving my sanity.

I don't do more work when I get home from the office.  It will still be there tomorrow.

To deal with a problem that I've created, I've put in 70-80 hrs/week for short bursts.  I've even slept in the office to spare the drive during a real crunch.  I don't create those sorts of problems often!  

But aside from business travel, I've never worked a single weekend day. If anyone asks me why, I say it's for "religious reasons"- shuts 'em up quickly.

Salary is based on 40, but the bonus more than covers my OT.  Better than that, it pays me to be smart and productive during my base 40.  Feedback is a powerful thing!

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Everett, WA
Structural/Civil Engineering
Residential, Commercial

For past 2.5 years, averaging only 5 hours per week
This week though, 20'

Shift has been from 95% Structural and 5% Civil 2.5 years ago, to 75% Civil and 25% Structural today.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto:  KISS
Motivation:  Don't ask

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Before:
Sturctural Engineer: I averaged 60+ hours a week over 4 years. I got staight time for anythig over 90 hours. Went on field visits for someone else's project. Gave up Holidays and cancelled vacations for the good of the company. Tried to coordinate new marketing concepts. And it got me laid off.  

Now:
Project manager: 40 hours a week. Thus far no complaints.  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Electrical Engineer
Anchorage, AK

40hrs/week, a couple of 50 hour weeks (no more than 4 a year) when I'm really busy in the office.  A handful of commissioning/testing trips that come up to 60 hour weeks, but those are very rare.  I'm salaried, and uncompensated for OT unless in a business quarter I average over 45/week, and then I'm compensated on an hourly basis for hours over that mark (I haven't ever had this).  We are very flexible so I generally flex my time for hours worked over 45 in a week.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Electrical guy for a few hundred miles of interstate gas pipeline.

I don't work.  I have a hobby with a paycheck, but my timesheet shows forty hours a week.  Occasionally I do a late or an early, mainly traveling to one of the stations from my office in the middle of the system, or some meeting or another, but nobody watches me come and go for the most part.

Life is good.

 

old field guy

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Electrical/Industrial controls
40 hrs per week when I'm in the office, 50-70 when I'm on the road. I don't get paid overtime, and only get to bank time when I work on  a weekend. However we are pretty flexible here, officially on paper I need to work my 40, but if I come back off a 60 hour 4 day trip and I shave a few hours it's not a problem.

I used to do project work, paid by the hour and I would work 90+ hour weeks on a regular basis. That was fine for me for a short time, but in the end time is worth more than money, and to me, weekend and evening time is worth more than the time during the day.
When you die you will never wish you worked more. If a company expects you to work more than you are paid for, and it jeopardizes your position if you don't, it's time to either move to a company that vlalues you more, or upgrade your skills.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

No bonus + no paid overtime + crappy salary + no opportunities to move up = no incentive to work a minute beyond 40 hours

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Gulf Coast (South Louisiana)
Salary (bonuses are rare)
40-50 hrs per week (I've hit 60 a few times)
Any hours after 40 are paid as straight time (not time and a half)

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Perhaps that's the difference.  Where I work, while there is no paid overtime, we do get merit raises and performance bonuses, so in the end, the extra effort is generally acknowledged and rewarded.  Besides, I consider myself as being well compensated, I like what I do, I have a good boss and she, and the rest of the organization, appreciates my contributions, and it's been a good run (I'm coming up on 31 years and hope to work perhaps 3 or 4 more before retiring).

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

2
Southeast US
Mostly structural and construction forensics these days, with design work thrown in.

In the past, working for others, averaged 55 to 60 hours/week.  Always on salary.  Have never been paid overtime, nor would I expect it.  I'm a licensed professional.  I won't repeat my diatribe on this subject, as many of you already know my feelings on it.

I now work for myself and bill hours based on time available around family.  Could probably focus a bit more and bill a lot more time, but I enjoy what I do and the mix of things I do.

In my last job for others, I was in my office at 4:45 every morning.  I enjoyed the time before 7:00 am to get stuff together.  I usually was home by 6:00 or 6:30, but also took time during the day to drive my son to school.  Only lived 4 miles from the office.  Was fortunate enough in my working for others to be in high enough positions that I had flexibility in my schedule, so made the field trips, sports events and such.

If you enjoy what you're doing, give it your all, have a balance with family, and make enough money to support your lifestyle, there's not much more you can ask.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Quote:

In the past, working for others, averaged 55 to 60 hours/week.  Always on salary.  Have never been paid overtime, nor would I expect it.  I'm a licensed professional.  I won't repeat my diatribe on this subject, as many of you already know my feelings on it.

Why shouldn't an engineer expect to be properly compensated for overtime hours?

IMO, how many overtime hours your employers expect from you and how you will be compensated for those hours (if at all) should be a significant consideration when examining the quality of any existing or potential job.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I'll keep it short...

Engineering is a career profession.  If you want to be compensated for overtime, put on a short sleeve shirt and a clip-on tie and work at your favorite fast-food restaurant.

Do some employers abuse this premise?  Of course.  Do engineers, and more importantly, the profession, advance as a result of this premise?  Yes.

Engineers have relegated themselves to a second class profession, more often run by accountants than engineers, by compromising professionalism.  This is just one example.  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Quote:

Engineering is a career profession.  If you want to be compensated for overtime, put on a short sleeve shirt and a clip-on tie and work at your favorite fast-food restaurant.

I really don't see why overtime compensation is damaging to the perception of a career profession.  Whose perception are we worried about?

Quote:

Do some employers abuse this premise?  Of course.

That's the big issue and based on what I have heard from peers and other posters on this board, it is pretty common.  What is to stop an employer from piling on an insurmountable amount of work, and then saying "get it done at all costs, you are a professional"? They have every incentive to push that limit as far as they can.  There is also the issue of whether or not a proper balance of work is being distributed to all salaried professionals.  I've seen the scenario where some departments of a firm work way more overtime than other departments, yet all the salaried employees in the company got the same bonus at the end of year based on overall company profitability.

Quote:

Do engineers, and more importantly, the profession, advance as a result of this premise?  Yes.

How so?  IMO, when it becomes common for employees to essentially give away 10-20 hours each week to their employers, then we are devaluing the profession.  A fresh graduate making $55k a year and working an average of 15 uncompensated overtime hours is making the same effective hourly rate as person that makes $40k a year.  I'd rather be teacher if thats the case.  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Do your medical professionals get paid for the time they put in?
Do you legal professionals get paid for the time they put in?

But, if you are an engineering professional, you are not expected to get paid for the time you put in?  
When did the "sucker" stamp get placed on our foreheads?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

[rant]

My employer removed our bonus scheme, because it was bad for staff morale.  Then they rearranged salary grades, so that we (plebs) can no longer get paid overtime.  And then, for for fun, they've introduced a bonus scheme for management grades ... those people who already get a £5k car allowance.

BIG LOUD SWEARY WORDS!!!

- Steve

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

(OP)
I didn't mean for this forum to take this turn, but now that it has, I'm going to throw my thoughts out there too.

It's clear that most of you are putting in more than my 45 hours/week. If that's your choice (or you have to in order to stay competitive), I have no problem with that. However, I don't see the obligation to put in 50 - 60 hours/week. I feel I'm giving them a good deal. I'm good at what I do and I give 100% while I'm there. I've heard the "you're a professional now" and "your job is to get the job done no matter what" comments before and it just sounds like some management nonsense (i.e. scam) to me. Where is the rule book? When I look up the definition of a professional, I just read that it means that we get paid to do what we do.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but being at work for ten hours is enough for me. I have other things that interest me in life too (and not much time to pursue them as it is). I love hiking too and after a ten hour day hike, I've had enough of that as well!

I don't even have a wife and kids yet and I still feel like I don't have much free time. I can't imagine what it's like to hold down a family and put in a 60 hour work week. I guess I could if I had to, but not as a choice.

To the older guys:

Please put me in check if I'm out of line. I have an open mind and I want to learn. I'm just not getting it. The deal is that I give them work and they pay for it; it's business. I want to keep my customer happy, so I give them buy 8, get 1 for free. If they want to get greedy, I'll get a different customer (unless every other engineer is giving them more work for their money).
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

My attitude is that I have a certain number of hours in my life. If an employer wishes me to spend my time doing his bidding he'll pay me for it. Since, demonstrably, I make a profit for him when I work, he would be foolish not to do so.
 

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies  http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

7
curiousmechanical:

You owe them 40.  Give them an honest (meaning best effort) 40.

Don't let them or anyone else bully you.  Life is important; work isn't.  "Work" is what you do in order to be able to afford and enjoy "life".

You should only work more than required for one of two reasons:

(1) You need / want the extra money.
(2) You enjoy your "work" enough to make the compromise in your "life".

Don't know how else to put it.

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

The difference between clock-watchers and task-watchers is ownership.  No one ever told me I had to work unpaid overtime, and when I didn't have ownership in a process I didn't.  The one time someone told me that "we have lights and it is quiet around here on the weekends", I started arriving at work when everyone else did, leaving when they left (40 hours a week)--I did that for a year and was miserable the whole time.  Interestingly, I was almost exactly as far behind at the end of the year as I was at the beginning, work will expand to fill 110% of the effort available.  

My last couple of years working for a salary, my hourly rate (if you assume 40 hours/week) was borderline obscene.  My hourly rate based on the hours I worked was quite acceptable.    

I WASN'T GETTING PAID FOR MARKING TIME, I WAS GETTING PAID FOR RESULTS.

My employment contract didn't mention expected hours, start times, quitting times, etc.  It did say that I was "exempt" from the burden of collecting overtime (a phrase that always amused me).  Those of you that think you are getting paid for 40 hours a week (or 35 hours a week in some countries), should really be in a profession with time clocks.  There is nothing "wrong" with that mind set, I just see it as a path to considerable personal dissatisfaction.  If you are getting paid to do a job that excites you, a job that you hate to walk away from at the end of the day, a job that you can't not think about on the drive home and while watching stupid TV shows in the evening, then I personally think that you have the makings of a happy life.

My last salaried job had three components:  (1) I was the "technical authority" for several disciplines and felt that I needed to be available for a bit of most every one's work day (my choice, the person in the job now works 40 hours/week and does not take a cell phone or pager home), I got a lot of satisfaction from solving problems all over the globe with my crappy language skills; (2) I had operational responsibility for a group of gas wells; and (3) I had some of the administrative crap that comes with any senior engineering position.  Basically I saw my salary as paying for Job 2 and those parts of Job 3 that I couldn't avoid.  I got exactly the same financial benefits from Job 1 as I get from eng-tips.com.  I spend a LOT of time here and don't bill anyone for this time.  That was the same and if my company got a "free" benefit from it, so did I.

You have absolute control over your own attitude, and if you consider yourself a victim of "unfair" management expectations, then you will be much happier either trying to change your attitude or leaving (don't tell me that "jobs are scarce out there", I'm not saying you should just walk away from a paying job, I'm saying you should start thinking of ways to make yourself happy where you are, there are always ways).  If you find it easy to consider just quitting, but feel imprisoned by your salary then you don't have ownership in your job--develop the ownership and the feelings will improve.

David

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Texas
Structural/Civil Engineering
Residential, Commercial, Industrial

-Last 5 years averaging 65 hours per week
-In by 0730 done by 1930
-Work at least 2 weekends a month even if it is a holiday
-No overtime pay, salary
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

zdas04 (David) has said it nicely.  You now have two distinct perspectives.

I think David and I speak from similar experiences.  Further, we've both been around long enough to see the distinct decline in the professional stature of engineering over the past 30 years.  I know I'll step on a few toes in this thread with my next statement, but I fully believe it....much of the decline of our profession is self-invoked by the very attitudes displayed here.  Using that attitude, we as a profession, are asking the rest of the world to look at us an any other hourly worker.  We are now on par with the auto mechanic, the hourly salesperson, the burger flipper and any of a thousand other jobs.  As David noted, there's no dishonor in that, but it does not promote the professionalism that an engineering education and responsibility demand.

Someone above asked if Doctors or Lawyers worked without compensation, implying that they do not.  WRONG!  I know many examples of both who have done as many of us have....they worked because they thought it was an honorable profession...without regard to getting compensation for each and every hour put in.  Doctors often make a lot of money.  They don't typically work on an hourly basis but it does work out that way.  Most appointments are for 15 or 20 minutes.  Flat rate office visit.  If the doctor needs to give you an extra 5 or 10 minutes to properly determine your health needs, he will do it...still under the flat rate.  The only time that ever gets questioned is when that doctor works for a service run by accountants, not doctors.

Lawyers are a bit more overt about their mercenary ways!  They charge by the hour.  Most firms that I work with will bring an associate onboard and he will be expected to bill 50 to 60 hours a week until he becomes partner.  That's why after a couple of years he'll be pulling down 6 figures.....but never by punching a time clock.  Most of the ones I know still give away time to their clients.  All of us do that.

Quote (zdas04):

I WASN'T GETTING PAID FOR MARKING TIME, I WAS GETTING PAID FOR RESULTS.

That's exactly right.  David also mentioned ownership.  That can come in the form of company ownership or just the ownership of your own pride in your profession.

I'm proud to be engineer.  It is not an easy path, any way you take it.  I'm proud that I stuck through the 50, 60 and even 80 hour weeks when necessary.  They got better. I progressed financially and in responsibility.  I'm proud of the fact that I was selected to be in the top 1% technically in a company known internationally and considered a leader in its field.  I'm proud of the fact that I became a corporate officer in that company and another without compromising my engineering involvement or being a corporate weenie.

There was a time when essentially all engineers felt this way about our profession.  Much to my dismay, it seems to be a thing of the past.  So punch your timeclocks.  Grouse about your overtime.  You'll soon be replaced by outsourcing.  After all, that's what you've asked for.

 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

(OP)
Zdas04 & Ron,

Thank you very much for your detailed posts!

Zdas04,

I hear the "getting paid for results" comment from time to time and it confuses me. Maybe it depends on what environment you work in. Where I work, there aren't any live or death situations where something needs to be done at all costs by a certain time. Customers order machines and we design and build them. Schedules are pretty demanding, but we manage. I feel like I'm given work to do and I get it done as fast I can and I do the best job I can. When I'm done, there's a never ending list of more work to do. There's no meaning in "work until the job gets done;" it's never done (or else I'd be out of a job when I'm done!). I feel like most people are pretty smart, come to work, and do a good job. "Results" sounds like something more epic is happening. I don't see anyone really blowing anyone's minds around the office. I'm not arguing, I just don't get it...

I really liked your comments on attitude. That was inspiring. I was recently thinking about how well I have it because of the division of labor. I don't have to grow my own food, make my own clothes, etc. I get to play on a computer all day and somehow that counts as "doing my part in society." Pretty good deal...

Ron,

You have lived through a transition in engineering. I am curious and would like to know more.  I only know what I see today. How was it different from now? How have engineers ruined it for themselves? If engineers didn't change on their own, would their environments have forced them to?

I see old photos of engineers wearing suits and lab coats. It looked a more serious profession. Although, those looked like more serious times in general. Maybe it's society in general...
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

In my mind, the only possible fallacy in the posts by zdas04 and Ron is in the assumption that, in a typical employer-employee relationship in the field of engineering, the employer will more often than not value and reward that level of ownership and commitment.  My experience is that such is simply not the case, and that is why one has to choose their employer carefully.  It is also why I believe that it is just plain stupid to work an inordinately long work week just because someone (i.e. an employer) states that it's what a professional ought to do.  I even had one employer in my past tell me that it was wrong to put my marriage ahead of my career when it came to extended field assignments away from my wife, since I hadn't been married long enough for the company to consider my marriage to be as important as that of a more senior person who had been married longer.

Perpetuation of attitudes like that serve to do as much damage to the dignity of our profession as does an employee sticking to his or her guns with respect to a reasonable work week, because such attitudes force us to believe that we deserve no better than this.  You either support that mindset, or you do not.  I do not.  My belief is to the contrary.

Over the course of time, we have driven ourselves as a profession into being forced into maximum effort for minimum reward in order to undercut or outbid our fellow business competitors.  We have brought this upon ourselves for entirely the wrong reasons, and what once might have been "working overtime for the sheer pride in what you do" has become "working like a dog for fear of being fired if you don't".

There is nobody to blame but ourselves...the "Corporate Weenies" rule over us because that is what we have set ourselves up for, and we collectively either lack the brains or the courage to change that situation.

Let me state in advance that my stance should not be construed as a lack of commitment to what I do; I work a 50-60 hour week half of the year anyway, taking work home for free, etc., but the minute somebody says "...Thou shall bacause I deem that it is expected..." is when I say "...Osculate With My Gluteus Maximus...".

Life is short.  Work honestly and put in a good effort, as opposed to stupidly for no good reason.

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

CM...thanks for asking.  It's a little of both...societal changes and changes in the engineering profession.

I have seen a clear dilution of the stature of engineers.  Much of that is our own making, unfortunately.  As a societal group, we are somewhat introverted...even though within the group there are a few extroverts. When judged by other extrovert groups, we still pale in comparison!

As a group, we are more often than not agreeable to that which is thrust upon us.  As business society has move to a much more profit motive than anything altruistic, the shift to force engineers to a purely hourly purveyance is a concern to the profession.  We have quickly become a commodity...engineering services where once only technician services were considered.

We are not technicians.  We struggle through a relatively advanced curriculum of science and mathmatics.  We then graduate with degrees in engineering and go to work for employers who want to exploit our knowledge and capability....many times those employers are not engineers and have no concept of our obligation to professional ethics and professional advancement.  When that happens, we must stand up and tell the employer...NO!  "I will not accept this manner of treatment and employment as a professional..goodbye".  If you are not willing to do so, then you will be relegated to technician status... It's that simple.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Ron,
I see it a little differently.  I always refused to be a victim.  When the corporate weenies wanted me to do something that I believed was counter to the best interests of my projects, I would explain the consequences of doing it their way and then say "no".  If I was not compelling in my explanation then they had every right to replace (or fire) me.  That never happened.  I never compromised either my ethics or what I saw as the best interests of my projects, but I was quite prepared to take the consequences of that stance.

CM,
Don't get me wrong.  The company that I worked for was run by MBA's and of the 175 engineers that started with the company during the month I started, 3 of us were left on the tenth anniversary.  Many of the ones that left went out the door pissed about the hours, pissed about their treatment, pissed at the company.  I knew many of them.  All of the ones that left because they were mad (as opposed to the huge number who left because they were approached with offers they couldn't refuse) had said at some time "I'm only getting paid for 40 hours, that's what I'm working".  They set themselves up as victims of "evil management weenies and their lackeys".  Once you perceive yourself as a victim it is easy to rationalize stealing office supplies or spending excessive time playing World of Warcraft on line within your 40 hours, or (the worst sin of all) doing sloppy work.

As to the company not "giving" you projects that you can take ownership of, you are silly if you think anyone will "give" you anything.  Let me share an example.  When I started, I was the user representative and project manager on computer systems development.  One of the systems I was responsible for (for 10 years) was the one we used to capture hydrocarbon reserves data (which encapsulated the value of the company).  My predecessor on the system was a stickler for the progam exactly following internal company policies.  If the laws changed such that the policies became more restrictive than they needed to be (which happens more often than you'd think), he would have the program modified to address the changed regulations within the confines of the new law (still more strict than was required).  When I took over, I reviewed internal policies and federal regulations on my couch after the kids went to bed.  I saw that our policy was resulting in our hydrocarbon reserves being undervalued by many tens of billions of dollars.  I re-wrote the company policies (on yellow pads at home) and sent the revisions to legal.  A month later with legal blessing I implemented a formal policy change and we restated reserves (and the stock price jumped measurably).  

This long winded example was intended to show that even though your project may be proscribed to a small box, you don't have to be.  Look for policies that hurt the project, look for equipment that is adding costs, look for organizations that hurt the project.  Then find ways to nudge changes without looking like a know-it-all wiseass engineer.

I always made it a point to take time to BS with my colleagues about our projects and occasionally I would be able to tell "Bill" that "Bob" had found a cool work-around to a specific problem that Bill was currently having.  This project awareness used to be normal and was always beneficial--by 1990 it had become quite rare.  Today it is often seen by the clock watchers as butting in.  So, I butt in.  It is personally rewarding and if the company doesn't reward you for it, it will greatly improve your scope of knowledge.

If you can't find an indirect way to grow your responsibility, write a paper, get involved in an engineering society, offer to teach an internal class.  Don't watch the clock.

David

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I'm lucky to have a job, and like it.
If I didn't like it, and wanted more pay, I would quit the engineering field and become a union laborer.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

... or become a Pimp.  

peace
Fe

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Isn't that what he said?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

4
During a discussion with a headhunter, I stated working conditions, hours worked, % travel, etc.  He thought there must have been a lot of turnover in the department.  Turnover was almost non-existent.  There were divorces, heart attacks, high blood pressure, and fear of being fired.  No joke.  Some of the men had been married multiple times because women don't marry to spend the rest of their lives minus their man 50-75% of the time or greater.

I think it is foolish to waste your personal time on a job that will take you nowhere.  That is what I ran into and did not like it.  I know men who did it and got laid off in spite of their efforts.  In the meantime, they damaged relations with their wives and kids.  Those men have regrets.  Is that worth it?

I've worked 45-90 hour weeks for years.  I did whatever it took to get the job done and was going nowhere fast.  It took me time to realize what was going on because I was so focused on the work.  The HR Director finally summed it up for me.

I am single, no kids so it wasn't too hard for me to get caught up in the self-importance of doing a great job for the company.  However, when friends began to not invite me to social functions, I began to realize the damage I was doing to me.  I lived years away from home working in plants across the country.  It's very hard to develop bonds with people doing that.  You're always transient.  We all need human interaction on a more intimate level than, "Looks like my work yesterday solved the problem."

You know there is a problem when the hotel managers begin inviting you to social functions on weekends.

I regret wasting so much of my personal time on work.  Some of that work could have been done more efficiently had other engineers done their jobs correctly.  It's hard to hit a target that other engineers cannot even articulate and have no interest in trying.  But, I digress......

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

In August I will have been married 39 years.  My lifetime airlines miles on United is over 1 million.  Since I've been married I've worked on every continent that people raise families on (never been to Antarctica).  I was out of the country for the first 5 Christmases of our married life and the first wedding anniversary that I was home for was number 7.  I've had times when I loved my work.  I've had times when I hated my work.  The family knows instantly which is which.  When the kids were little, I came home at a reasonable time (in a car pool that dropped me off at 5:00 every evening unless I was traveling), spent time with the kids, we ate dinner together, they went to bed and I went back to work in my basement office.

It worked for my family mostly because my wife made it work.  She is a confident, self-reliant woman who generally sees our family as something that is worth considerable effort.  The legions of our friends that have gotten divorced have tended to miss the fact that a relationship takes at least as much work as a career.  When I hear stories about "the job killed our marriage" I usually get in trouble because I mention that if either of them had put a significant portion of the effort that they put into their jobs into their relationship, the job might not have been able to do as much damage.

We can continue to be victims of a demanding career or we can accept who we are and set achievable goals for our personal life.  Not being a victim has worked for me.

David

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

If you're given (or more properly "sold") ownership, then you should work like an owner.  By "ownership" here, I mean both the benefits of ownership (i.e. a proper and fair share of the profit) as well as the responsibilities of ownership (i.e. the responsibility and authority to do to your best ability what is in the interest of your company, within your competence).

If you're given NONE of the benefits of ownership, you're a salaried employee, and you should work like one.  A salary is not the same as indentured servitude:  it is not a fixed amount of money for any level of effort and commitment the company can demand from you.  Everyone has to establish what level of effort, beyond the bare minimum required by contract, that they can give SUSTAINABILY to their employer.  Each person must also determine the circumstances under which they are willing and able to give more than that- and for what compensation.

Don't assume that going well beyond the call of duty as a salaried employee will lead to a position of ownership in any meaningful sense.  In most companies, it absolutely will not, for structural reasons.  That's a polite way of saying that your contribution has been designed to be replaceable- you are a commodity.  If you're attempting to buy goodwill from a boss, are you certain that boss will be there even next year?  Storing up your reward in heaven may work with your favourite deity, but it's poor strategy down here on earth.

Again, we're not talking about extra time fixing a problem you created, or helping out your colleagues through a rough patch- that indeed is the minimum required of a professional.  When this strays into consistent and hence unsustainable over-commitment, especially when this is compelled in the name of professionalism:  then we have a problem.

As the Dilbert guy says, any amount of self-sacrifice that you make on behalf of your employer will be accepted.  Not likely compensated for in a truly meaningful way, or even acknowledged- or even NOTICED- but it will certainly be accepted!

 Services that are given for free in a commercial context understandably tend to be undervalued- by both the person giving and by the one receiving.  If volunteering is your kind of thing, I suggest you find a charity.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Well said, David.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Well, we're going on 44 years this coming month and I have 3+ million miles with American Airlines and bunch with several other programs and we've made it work.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I like what David said about ownership.  Even though I have no ownership stake in my company, for the most part I feel that I own my projects.  I sometimes work a few extra hours but only when absolutely necessary and only because I really care about my projects.  If something is going on in the field, and I feel that I need to be there, I'll drive all night if I have to.

Mixing topics, but what about us women who do not have stay-at-home wives to take care of the kids? When mine were small, working much overtime simply was not an option.  Not only did my kids suffer from the lack of attention, hiring extra baby sitters cost me real money.  No way was I not going to charge any extra hours I had to work.

Even with my aversion to overtime, I still go to be technical lead some great projects.  I simply developed the discipline to get done what needed to get done in 40 hours, and to say NO to additional projects when my plate was already full.

No that my kids are grown, I still do not work much over 40 hours.  There are too many other fun things to do.
  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Being a professional does not mean allowing your employer to exploit you by expecting you to work long hours without extra compensation, unless you agreed to this when you accepted the job.

Being a professional means living up to your part of the agreement you made with your employer when they hired you, and occasionally going above and beyond that agreement to help them through a tight spot.  

There is absolutely nothing professional about letting your employer or anyone else take advantage of you time after time and year after year.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I feel like I own several bits of software that I've created.  Makes it hard to contemplate leaving, which is kind of sad really.  If I did leave, I'd still want my orphans to succeed.

- Steve

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

"f I did leave, I'd still want my orphans to succeed."

thumbsup2    

peace
Fe

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I work about 45 hours.  Not counting any late night meetings with overseas counterparts.  But those are few.

Occasionally we have to work late to help with a project, but that happens maybe twice a year.  

But I don't even like working 45.  Between that and drive time it really cuts into family time.  But our hours are pretty set.  Really miss flex time.  It is so much easier coming in early and getting out at 3:30 or 4. 5 o'clock stop times is horrible.

Don't know how I would survive 60 or 70.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

It varies.

I like to make sure at least 40 hours of productive hours, usually a bit more since In practice I get some flexibility in schedule.  In terms of hours in the office or work at home, a good bit over 40 to make up for time I waste spend on Eng-Tips or in excessively long non work related conversations etc..

I have worked a lot more than 40 hrs at times, and ashamed to say a few times probably a bit less than 40 for one reason or another.  Though I'm pretty sure I average well over 40.

I got rated as highly productive or similar this year by my boss, which I find amusing as I'm sure I waste a lot of time for one reason or another.

Some flexibility etc. doesn't seem unreasonable from my understanding of what it means to be salaried, however routinely working a long way over 40 seems questionable.

As to the issue of the changing status of engineers, I wonder which changed first, engineers attitudes toward their employers or the employers attitude to their engineers?

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Greybeach,
I've seen it work when one spouse had a "job" and one had a "career".  That is how my wife and I saw it before our oldest was conceived.  We had a friend about that time who's husband was a barber and was able to stay home to raise the kids.  It was really a lot easier than it seemed at the time.  I just can't imagine how hard it must be when both of you have demanding careers.  Selfishly glad that I didn't have to solve that one.

David

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Mechanical engineer

50 hours averae, but I also get paid straight time for every hour.  So if it rains, I go in the office and catch up, if its beautiful out, I dont.

knowledge is power

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I would say I average 45.  Never less than 40, rarely more than 50.  On a handful of occasions in the last 5 years I've worked 70+ but I can't keep that up for long.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Mechanical engineer

55 - 60 hours and get paid time and a half for hours > 40. No weekend work and leave between 12 and 2 on Fridays.  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Averaged 44 hours in previous salaried position, 40 now in a contract position.  I would be more than willing to put in more hours if OT is approved, but no contractor works for free.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Are we counting time lost during lunch or "breaks"?  I am suppose to get 1hr for lunch and two 15-minute breaks during the day.  I rarely take the entire hour (unless I have to run an errand), and ignore breaks.  There are times that I'll launch a rubber band across the office though, or return a salvo of thrown stress balls, but that usually only happens on Fridays.  Oh look, today is Friday!

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies to make the best use of these Forums?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

If we're going to start talking about 'perks' during the workday, while I've never experienced this my oldest son, who's worked since he was 16 years old (he's now 41), except for 4 years in Army, in the restaurant business, starting out as a grill chef (he's now the Directory of Culinary for his company which has over 90 stores nationwide) and back when he was working the line the only way that you could get a break was if you smoked.  If you were a non-smoker you were expected to stay at your position since there was NO NEED for you take a break.  But if you smoked, it was assumed that without a regular nicotine break that you would not be able to perform as efficiently as you could.  I was shocked by this and frankly didn't believe him until our other son, who also works in the restaurant business (but for a different company) confirmed that that was pretty much how things were in the industry.

As for where I work, almost no one smokes but the few that do can be seen out in the parking lot 3 or 4 times a day puffing away.  However my beef is with another common 'vice' and management's attitude towards it.  I've worked 46 years in the engineering field and at virtually very employer, when I was working out of an actual office, it was just assumed that the company would supply free coffee to the office staff.  When I was in a small office they paid for a coffeepot and supplies and someone volunteered to take care of making the coffee, clean-up and so on.  But in a larger office, like where I'm located now, they have an actual coffee service which comes in once a week and refills supplies and cleans out the equipment and make sure that everything is working and while someone does have to remove the old coffee grounds and recharge the machine, but since everything is all prepacked and the machine is plumbed into the building's waterlines and runs automatically that's only a 30 second effort.

My issue is, I've never had a cup of coffee in my life!  But if I want a soda or a juice I have walk down to the lunch room (note that there are FOUR of these 'coffee stations' located so that no coffee drinker will be more than about 100 feet from his closest caffeine fix) and BUY it from a vending machine or if it's during lunch hour, I can get a fountain drink from the cafe.  And as you may suspect, I've never smoked either, so I can't recall the last time I've NEEDED to take an official 'break' winky smile

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Houston, TX
Mechanical Design Engineer
40 hrs maybe 4-5 times a year I will put in 45 or so.  
No overtime, no reviews, no hope of advancement, but we do get raises pretty often and are paid rather well for what we do.


SW 2007 SP 5.0

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Ah, Houston, where I am also currently working...
here they have a "sin tax" - diet soft drinks are 10 cents cheaper than regular ones, and contractors have to pay more for any and all food.
To save energy, the thermostats were raised to 76 degrees, except in private offices and guest areas where is remains a comfortable 72.  Four degrees can make a difference in work efficiency.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

... and if you want to smoke, you have to go walk along the roadway shoulder, away from the property (but not on any neighboring property).  Thank goodness I'm still an ex-smoker, because that may have been a deal-breaker.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

When I was in boot camp in 1971, we got breaks several times a month.  The drill instructor would walk through after 2 minutes and anyone not smoking was selected for whatever crap detail he had in mind (since they must be finished with their smoke).  At the start of the 16 weeks about half the company smoked, by the end it was 100%.  It sounds like the Restraunt business has kept that ancient tradition alive.

David

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

7
Generally 40 hours a week.  If there's problem and a project gets behind, I'll work more.  I understand we're paid to get the job done (or "results" if you prefer), but if you're given so many responsibilities you consistently need to spend 60+ hours a week to fulfill them, I think you're getting taken advantage of, and your company needs to hire an additional engineer.  If you love your work, and are ok with that, then good for you.  I don't, it's pretty much just a job, and I'd rather be spending time with my family.  I only got to watch 2 of my son's HS baseball games because of working late (something I'll forever regret), and still got laid off.   

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Currently working in the field at 77 hours a week,2 weeks on 1 week off with 45 minute commutes on each side of the work day.  When I'm in the office it's 40 hours a week unless OT is dire and approved... OT doesn't count for an hour here or there to finish something that I want finished.

I take the attitude in general on salaries that as long as you feel you're being fairly compensated then that's all that matters.  Me currently getting paid 1.5 OT for a set amount of hours a week is what makes my salary for the current job acceptable; I've also worked another job where I was straigt salary, I stayed longer than the set 38 hours on some days and took off early on others that were slow.

What's damning engineering as a profession is not how we get compensated but how we let ourselves and our work be viewed to the public, saying that a engineer that charges hourly is ruining that seems misguided to me.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

An interesting article which appears to reinforce many of the comments posted here:

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/113075/end-40-hour-workweek-mainstreet?mod=career-worklife_balance

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.com/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

If you have a "cash and carry" policy for material things and save your pennies, you can walk away from jobs that are unhealthy for you and/or your family.  Live well within your means.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

A person should be compensated for working overtime. A company will work you into the grave if you let them and won't look back a second if you are a gone.  

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Alberta
Salary employee
7am -5pm / 4 days a week = 40.  (Paid lunch/breaks)
Any overtime is typical taken in lieu days later at 1 for 1.   

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Ireland.

Used to work a 60hr week Mon to Fri.(Highway construction.)
Then got a local government job
Now doing 35hr and have a life again.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Oil & Gas Mechanical Engineer.  Large US consulting firm.  Last job was 50+ hrs/wk management position no OT compensation, no bonus.  Definitely was being taken advantage of.  Currently work 40 hrs/wk with some paid overtime when necessary.  I would guess average is not much above 42 hrs/wk.  

I don't know about all this discussion about being a professional.  All I know is that my parents taught me to always do my best.  I have worked hard at every job I've had from the time I was a teenager sweeping floors at the theater.  I have always given very good value for my time.  People bringing up doctors and lawyers is a joke.  Both bill for far more time than they actually spend.  In fact, it is not uncommon for lawyers to bill more hours than there are in a week.  They just use the hours to measure a unit of effort rather than literally.  If we want to be more "professional" in that regard, then I should charge 10 hours for some tricky stress analysis that only took me 3.   

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

After much consideration I want to amend my previous post:  I believe you have to look at your level of compensation as well.  Some positions (not mine) require longer hours.  If you're in one of those positions, you should know about it going in, negotiate a reasonable salary based on what your project hourly pay would be ($$$$$$), and be prepared to work the hours needed. Of course there are people out there that could Never be worth what they're being paid, no matter if they worked 24/7 (thinking CEO types and such), so it's still all a personal decision.  

 
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Why should some positions require longer hours?  If someone has eaten seven meals at home in the last four months, is that a measure of success or failure?

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

The more you have to keep track of, the more hours you generally have to put in.  Robert Oppenheimer, for instance, probably had to work more than 40hrs a week to complete his project on schedule.

There are two ways I can think of,generally, to measure success: What you've accomplished, and how much you make.  I guess the measure of success or failure for your example would be what they sacrificed and what they accomplished by not eating at home, and which was greater in their opinion.

 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

lacajun:

I personally believe the answer to your last question is "failure".  Did that last year, got nothing for it - and I mean NOTHING - and basically lost a year that I could have spent with my wife.

Never again.

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Careful, what about delegation?  Hiring other worker bees?

A former manager's father-in-law was the vice-president of a major company.  He told my manager that younger people were crazy for working so many hours.  He didn't understand it.  He never worked more than 40 in a week.  If he couldn't get his job done in 40 and he was giving a good effort, they needed to hire more people.  If he was goofing off, that was his problem.

Shouldn't managers be evaluated on their ability to identify the need to hire?

SNORGY, I hear ya'.  I was criticized last week for not being something I've been criticized for being not enough of by others.  You can't win sometimes but you have to keep plugging away.  I agree with your answer, too, by the way.  Are you doing OK?

Knowing men whose children were neglected because they worked or traveled with work too much helps me realize the responsibility men have in the home.  Rearing children is not the domain of the mother only.

I also know being a workaholic destroyed my personal life.  I wouldn't do it again.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

lacajun:

I am doing fine - thank you for asking.

Fortunately for me, I have a very understanding wife.  She often works very long hours as well.  We simply went through a period of work-imposed disconnect.

It was really, really stupid - and completely worthless.

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

SNORGY, good to hear!  I'm glad it's over for you and all is fine.  Life can be that way sometimes.

I spent years working too much and traveling for work too much.  I've been single a long time so a spousal unit wasn't an issue.  However, when my friends began to drop me from invite lists, that really hurt and was the beginning of realization of self-inflicted damage.  sad  That's why I am so sensitive to excessive work.  I couldn't take care of me and my personal life, which caused a great deal of latent resentment.

But, it's spilled milk and you don't cry over that.  smile

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I only cry over spilled beer - and that's only when I can't recover it.

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I work in a power plant and a normal work week 47.5 to 50 hours per week.  I am required to be on site for a daily 630am meeting and I normally leave at 4pm.  I could leave at 3pm but over the years the culture has been to leave at 4pm.

During major overhauls I will work 12 hour days, 7 days per week, for several weeks.  It wrecks your family life.  I worked like this for many weeks during my wife's high risk pregnancy and it took 2 years for our relationship to recover.  As a project manager I could be flexible with my hours and I was not willing to work more than 12 hours but some of the millwrights on various proejcts were forced to work 16 hour days.  After working those kinds of hours I was always found it difficult to stay awake during the drive home.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I was working 50-60 hours a week (mandatory overtime with weekends). After working four full weeks straight, I put my foot down and said 'enough.' I come in at 8 and leave at 5. I am willing to come in for emergency situations (equipment failure for example), but that is it. Things got to the point where every task was considered of the highest priority. Most of the time I busted my back to get things done, only to sit around a wait or have the scope changed completely. Not worth the time away from my family. Life is too short.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I am fortunate to be compensated for most of my overtime...at a straight time rate, no 1.5x or 2x rates.  We don't always get paid OT.  When the economy tanked, OT pay was cut but we still had to work crazy hours to complete projects on time.

I don't really understand the whole "Learned Professional" exemption.  One of the reasons I decided to major in engineering was that it paid a good salary.  I knew engineering jobs were salary jobs but I never liked the idea of not getting paid for my overtime work.  Working 12-16 hour days for weeks and not getting any extra compensation is a hard pill to swallow.  Also, getting called in the middle of the night or during family outings and being asked to stop your personal life and attend to the issue at the plant without extra compension is tough.  This wouldn't be so bad if the salary was far above what I could expect to earn in a hourly wage job.  Many of the hourly workers in my plant have higher annual incomes than I do due to their overtime rates.  One guy asked me why I became an engineer if there is a chance to make more money in an hourly craft.  At the end of the day, it is about the quality of the work.  I would rather do engineering and manage projects than repair pumps, valves, etc.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Piping Engineer
Location: Argentina
7+ yr experience, in between Jr and Sr.
While working at main offices I´d say 40-42 hrs/week with no paid pvertime.
But when going abroad to be in the field living on project compounds, that will steeply increase to 78-80 hrs/week for 2-3 months periods. Of course the wages for "going field" are bigger, but sometimes if you make the math, the hourly rate you get is the same.

Of course, the average salaries for engineers here are much lower than in the US or EU, so many people like me will at least consider to earn those extra bucks.

Regards
Gerez

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

With new laws currently being considered by Congress (see news item below) providing corporations with new and additional criteria by which they are allowed to classify who is and who is not an 'exempt' employee, the idea that compensation will continue to be based on an 8-hour day or the 40-hour week will become nothing more than a faded memory.  Think about what this could mean for America's industrial sector as most all engineering and manufacturing personnel are already using computers in their work, not only in air-conditioned offices, but out on the shop floor and even into the field with new mobile information devices.  Granted, most professional positions have been considered 'exempt' for years (it's been nearly 40 years since I worked where I earned over-time pay of any kind), but with these broad new classifications being considered, soon even machine tool operators, draftsman, technicians, even mechanics, could all be classed as 'information workers' and thus 'exempt' under the provisions of legislation similar to what's discussed in the article below, which could result in many non-professional workers being legally denied compensation for anything over 40 hours a week, let alone time-and-a-half pay.

http://www.truth-out.org/corporations-pushing-bill-take-away-overtime-computer-and-web-workers/1321894342

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
UG/NX Museum:   http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I peaked at around 50-60 hours a week about a year and a half ago. I has sustained that for almost a year and a half straight and burned out (I worked most weekends and "off" Fridays if even for a few hours, never feeling like I got any separation from work). I cut down to an average of 38-40 hours a week, but I'm back to an average of 44 or 45. It seems that while I'm salaried and only get paid for the average of 40, I don't mind working a bit extra as long as I get a few days away from work each week.

When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Seems my old 44 hour weeks have crept up into the 55-60 range thanks to new nuclear construction.  Oh well, at least I'm getting paid straight time OT after my boss put his foot down with the project sites and said you're paying for their work, or you're not getting it.

Biggest regret is that the only time I've started the race car in over a year was to drive it onto the trailer when moving it to the new house.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I am averaging only 10 to 20 hours per week. Sigh. Sign of the the times...

Richard L. Flower, P. E., LEED Green Associate
Senior Structural Engineer
Complere Engineering Group, Inc.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I am currently working as a Mechanical Engineer (Product Development Engineer).  Education is Metallurgical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

New job 4th week with agressive schedule for new product line so I have been working 55-60 hrs/week but hope to slack off to 45-50hrs eventually.
 

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability, and maintainability

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I worked on salary averaging 50 hours a week for years, putting in whatever the job needed, weekends, late nights, and so on.
As soon as work slowed a little they cut me back to hourly part time and then laid me off.
I will never work more than 40 hours a week again unless I get comp time or I'm working for myself.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

46 hours. Salary. Recently passed 4-year anniversary of "temporary" unpaid 6 hours overtime. On the happy side - 5 years of steady job in Michigan.

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

I would like to share some thoughts about working long hours but I also would like to see:

curiousmechanical (Mechanical)     reach a conclusion with the stat's.  Therefore when I can find a few minutes, intend to start a new thread, e.g., "why I work so many hours" or a similar heading where we can all share our thoughts and reserve this thread for its original intention.

If curious and/or others do not agree, let me know and I will not start a new thread.  Maybe it makes more sense to share right here?

Avg hrs/week:  53 currently  
weekends/yr:  TBD  probably about 6/year
discipline:  Metallurgical/Mechanical/Mfg
region:  North Idaho, USA

I forgot to list region.  That is why I am re-posting here.
 

Design for RELIABILITY, manufacturability, and maintainability

RE: How many hours do you work per week?

Northern England
Electrical power
50-ish hours a week
Salaried.

In the current economic climate I'm grateful to have a reasonably well-paid job and to work with a good bunch of people. I don't work too many weekends and evenings / nights at present although that's likely to change as a big project moves forward.
  

----------------------------------
  
If we learn from our mistakes I'm getting a great education!
 

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