Last winter AssociateNews conducted a reader employment survey. More than three-quarters of respondents indicated that it was either very important or important that a typical workweek remain around 40 hours and that a comp time policy be instituted so that when we do have a big push, the extra hours can be utilized as time-off later. Flex time, or the ability to manipulate your own schedule based on personal or project needs, was even more appealing to associates – 82% of respondents indicated that flex time was either very important or important. Additionally, The New York Times article “Still Searching for Equilibrium in the Work-Life Balancing Act” by Kelly Pate Dwyer references a study by the Society for Human Resource Management stating that “[Balance] is the No. 1 factor in job satisfaction for workers age 35 and younger.” This is especially interesting for associates, who are typically younger than our AIA counterparts.
Have you found a way to balance your work life and home life? What struggles or triumphs have you experienced since entering the workforce? Share your tips, tricks, successes and difficulties.
Comments (4)
I am the Sue, in the article written this month about an example of how my husband and I have acheived a unique work/life balance.
There is so much more I'd like to share about the issue if anyone has questions or rants, etc.. about it. It is a situation we have worked out with our employer for the past 5 years, but recently we are probably going to change it again.
I'd love to hear about other flexible arrangements architects have at their place of work.
-Sue
Posted by Sue Billings | September 4, 2008 4:07 PM
Posted on September 4, 2008 16:07
I work at a well respected retail and community architecture firm in San Francisco. Our flex-time policy is that if we have overtime, then we can use it for up to 30 days after it was accrued. We cannot "make-up" time off with our flex time. One thing our office tries to do is assign people to projects on a whole instead of giving people disparate tasks and roles to fill. This allows for a more even work flow and the team members know what needs to happen when so they always have a sense of whether they are falling behind. We also encourage people to not work late because when people get tired, they make mistakes and the work suffers. The end result is needing to spend more time fixing mistakes than if it was just done right the first time. For me, an AIA associate, gaining my license is important. I keep to the 40 hour work week so that I can focus more of my time after work on study time. Also, if I have to take an exam, our office allows us to document the time as "professional development," and it counts towards our 40 hour workweek. The firm recognizes that the development of its employees is worth promoting because the contributions people make to the firm as a result make the firm more profitable.
Posted by Robert Cooley | September 4, 2008 5:15 PM
Posted on September 4, 2008 17:15
I have been working with my father in the profession since I can remember and this has always been an issue for him! I have watched my dad work late nights, and what seemed like every weekend, for all my life, most of the time for little pay. The only way he was able to spend time with us was to have all of us work for him! (Currently, four out of six in my immediate family work for him). Really, his office was my home more than my home!
You'd think I'd be leery of becoming an architect after seeing him go through all this, but I share my father's passion. I am currently completing the IDP and taking the ARE and working full time plus 45 min. commute each way, and also a newlywed, and I find it hard to even get home to cook dinner at a decent hour and spend quality time with my husband. I am very concerned about my future as an architect and how I can balance the demands of the profession! And I won't have such a good and kind boss forever.
Hearing that some employers are flexible gives me some hope.
Posted by Christina Ireland | September 4, 2008 6:54 PM
Posted on September 4, 2008 18:54
Bags speak a thousand words about the owner. And there is no such thing as an ideal bag for life. Women in general tend to change or buy bags at least once a month and it’s not just because of the changing trends of fashion all the time, but because the Discount Replica Handbags are like people, each bag is unique of its kind and can not go very well with a bag of each of their clothing.
Posted by Louis Vuitton Handbags | March 28, 2011 3:38 PM
Posted on March 28, 2011 15:38