EngineerHer

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again: engineering is a rewarding profession that often comes with the satisfaction of creating innovative solutions and pushing the boundaries of technology. However, it can also come at a cost, as engineers frequently find themselves navigating the challenging waters of long hours, out-of-hours calls, and high expectations of availability. In this blog post, we’ll explore how the demands of engineering can interfere with life outside of work, both in planned and unplanned ways, and discuss strategies for achieving a healthier work-life balance.

The Nature of Engineering Work

As engineers, we play a vital role in designing, building, and maintaining the infrastructure, technology, and systems that drive our modern world. In a factory, engineering roles are seen in pretty much every aspect of the organisation from high profile new equipment being designed and installed to keeping the canteen and toilets running. Sometimes, the coffee machine is the item that causes most pain when it fails to operate…  As a result, the work we do often extends beyond the standard 9-to-5 schedule. Engineers are typically tasked with solving complex problems, meeting tight deadlines, and ensuring the reliability of critical systems, which can lead to planned long hours at the office or worksite. Particularly in installation phases.

Planned Long Hours

Planned long hours are often part and parcel of an engineer’s job. Project deadlines, especially in industries like construction and manufacturing, can necessitate overtime to meet client expectations and ensure quality.  “Client” is carrying a heavy load here. It can mean an external or internal client, or even, whoever’s on the phone right now. Engineers may also need to work longer hours during the testing and commissioning phases of projects to troubleshoot issues and ensure everything runs smoothly. This can impact an engineer’s ability to maintain a balanced life outside of work, as extended hours at the office can lead to missed family events, social engagements, and personal downtime. This especially hits women in engineering, since we still face most of the childcare and senior care responsibilities. And it can be a clash between being a good team member at work, and facing your family and feeling like you’re neglecting them.

Unplanned Long Hours and Out-of-Hours Calls

While planned long hours are a known aspect of an engineer’s life, unplanned long hours and out-of-hours calls can be far more disruptive. Emergencies, system failures, or critical issues that demand immediate attention can strike at any moment. Engineers must be on-call to respond to these situations, which can lead to sleepless nights, cancelled plans, and increased stress. Balancing the unpredictability of such events with personal commitments can be a significant challenge. Most teams will support an engineer who is, for example, on holiday and can’t take calls, although I have taken calls while sipping margaritas on a beach in Lanzarote. (After informing the boss I was 2 margaritas in…) And for big events, most engineers can tell their teams they are not available specifically on this particular occasion, whereas normally they might be ok with accepting a call from work. So, it’s not like teams don’t work together. That doesn’t make it any easier when the phone wakes the whole house at 3am though…

My husband takes a much calmer approach to my occasional extreme lateness. He’s usually in charge of dinner, given that if I was responsible for making dinner on a nightly basis, we’d be having a slice of toast and some chocolate at about 9pm, just as I was going to bed. If I can see I’m going to be late, I can usually let him know far enough in advance, but we don’t have a strict rule about eating dinner together (we don’t have kids either, which helps ease the guilt!) So he’s usually doing a dinner that can get easily reheated in the microwave. He’s an expert at them at this point!

Expectations of Availability

I mentioned this above, but it’s worth exploring further here. In the age of instant communication, engineers are often expected to be available around the clock. Clients and employers may anticipate immediate responses to emails, phone calls, or messages, creating a constant sense of being tethered to work. This expectation can blur the line between work and personal life, making it difficult for engineers to disconnect, relax, and recharge. Over time, it can lead to burnout and negatively impact mental health. I will say I implemented a personal policy a few years ago that, if someone feels the need to email me out of hours, that means it’s not urgent enough for an immediate response. If someone calls on the other hand, I will usually answer and respond. But I’m lucky enough to be well established and not dealing with external clients too often.

Strategies for Achieving Work-Life Balance

So how do we address this and keep these intrusions from interfering too much with our personal lives? Well here’s some things I have found very helpful over the years.

• Set Boundaries: Establish clear boundaries for work and personal life. Communicate these boundaries to colleagues, superiors, and clients to manage expectations. That rule I have about email not being urgent? Some people think that’s appalling, and I have had people challenge me on it. But it works for me. Set your boundaries. And stick to them – that’s the hard part, but it’s well worth it in the long run.
• Prioritize Self-Care: Make time for self-care, including exercise, relaxation, and hobbies. Taking care of your physical and mental well-being is crucial. I’m gonna be honest here, I know I do a hell of a lot better in work and in life when I look after myself, especially the boring stuff like exercising and eating properly. Guess what are the first things to slip when the proverbial hits the fan? So yeah, this is a do as I say, not as I do scenario. What I have found is that having strategies for getting back on the horse after an intense period is vital.
• Utilize Technology: Leverage technology to streamline work processes and communication, allowing for more efficient work during regular hours. Since Industry 4.0 came along, the idea of logging in from home to check things, setting things up so machines can make decisions, making troubleshooting easier – all of this has become reality. There can be a delay in utilising these options in the factory to their fullest extent though. This is something I push for as much as possible, cos frankly, it makes my life easier! So if there is something that can be done with remote log-ins, data driven decision making, etc, push to get it installed. Don’t underestimate the power of machines these days!
• Delegate When Possible: Delegate tasks and responsibilities when appropriate and empower team members to handle emergencies during off-hours. Being the expert on a particular system or process can feel great and it’s wonderful to be the hero saving the day all the time. But it’s also the thing that will burn you out quickly. Where possible, train as many people as possible to do at least basic troubleshooting on key systems and processes. Develop troubleshooting guides. Use AI to talk someone through the process. Make it as easy as possible for other people to solve the issue without your involvement. It’s very much worth the time investment in this.
• Ensure everyone knows when you are definitely not available: Seriously. People in my workplace laugh at me cos I will talk about days off weeks in advance. They think I get very excited about it. And ok, I do. But it’s also a means for people to understand that one those days, I am extremely not available. You think I’m joking? I’m really not. This follows on from the previous point, cos you’ll need to have those items in place in case a serious issue arises and you’re the only one that’s seen to be able to solve it. But your colleagues have problem solving skills as well. Let them exert them and prove themselves, at least in your absence.
• Seek Support: Reach out to colleagues, mentors, and support networks to share experiences and learn from their strategies for work-life balance. And reach out to people you wouldn’t think of speaking to usually. The quiet person in the corner who never appears to have a crisis? Talk to them. I can guarantee they also have crises, they just deal with them differently. The person who appears to never get an out-of-hours call? Check in the them to see how they manage it. You’ll learn loads.

This all takes time to set up and organise and get the systems and processes running. I understand that completely. But it is well worth it in the long run. Engineering can and does lead to life disruption, leading women especially to re-consider their roles once they have a family or it impacts on personal life. But it doesn’t need to be this way. The interruptions can be minimised with the right organisation and the right systems and processes in place. It’s just a matter of time and perseverance to get it going. And yeah – a lot of the work will be unrecognised… so you’ll need to shout about it, but let’s leave that for the next post!