How many stories have we heard of the extreme working conditions in our industry? Starting from school, "all-nighters" become an inevitable part of our participation as students. It's our ticket to the club. A simple Google search reveals that architecture students are one of the hardest working majors, spending the most hours per week on coursework. And it doesn't stop with school. Naturally, this culture bleeds into the workplace. The experienced reader has probably found themselves, late one night, well past the end of the day, at the office working on something for a client. We vow to get the work done at all costs. But what costs are those really? Our health, wealth, and happiness? Is it really worth it?
In the recent revision of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases, burnout has been included as an “occupational phenomenon.” While not classified as a medical condition, it is defined as:
a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
reduced professional efficacy.
What's more, in the 2011 documentary Happy, Roko Belic introduces the viewer to the foundational building blocks of what makes us happy. One of the aspects covered in the film addresses Karoshi, the Japanese word for people who literally work themselves to death. I don't mean that figuratively, these people are literally dropping dead from being overworked. Usually caused by stress and a poor diet, this phenomenon typically results in the victim dying of stroke or heart attack.
A quick look at some case studies, and we find several appalling stories. There's one of a thirty-five-year-old man dying of a heart attack after working 110 hours per week. Another of a twenty-two-year-old nurse dying of a heart attack after working 34 continuous hours. There's even another social phenomenon in Japan called Karojisatsu, where people are killing themselves from overwork and stressful conditions. It's quite heartbreaking to read these stories. The culture in these areas of Japan places work and economic growth as its highest ideal, but should that cost people their lives?
We Aren’t Steve Jobs
I know that these social phenomena in Japan are extreme examples, but they are still relevant. How many depressed colleagues have I talked to over the years? Fed up with their jobs because of overwork. They feel that they are only task masters instead of contributors. Everything is about the work, and nothing is about the team. They are told they are staying late rather than asked. And God forbid anyone has a life outside of the office, get ready to no longer be a "team player." You can go above and beyond your commitment to your employer but when you try and keep it to those outside of work, issues arise — the double standard is ludicrous.
As the frustration and lack of purpose take its toll, many end up job hopping, desperately searching for an environment that can coexist with their modern lives. "Oh, but it's these millennials, they're just spoiled and entitled." Really? Wanting to have a life outside of work is entitled? Or is it our western belief that life apart from a career is meaningless?
There is no doubt that the work we do is essential, but we tend to behave like we are inventing the next technological advancement set to change the course of history. Mr. and Mrs. Smith will live if permitting takes a couple of extra days.
A while back I was listening to an interview on the Tim Ferriss Show Podcast, Ferriss was interviewing Walter Isaacson, and they got to talking about Steve Jobs, the subject of one of Isaacson's biographies. Isaacson shared how he would encounter leaders in the workforce who would tell him that they were relentless with their teams like Steve Jobs was with his. And you know what Isaacson's response to them was? "You have no right." He told them that they weren't inventing the first personal computer or the next iPhone. That they had no right to berate their teams in the name of "good work." It was an absurdity to think otherwise. While Jobs accomplished the extraordinary, early on, he totally terrorized those he worked with along the way.
Being Busy is Being Lazy
I realize I risk hurting the egos of those who thought they were the next Elon Musk, and you very well may be. But to go back to Tim Ferriss, in his book The Four-Hour Workweek, he presents one of my favorite quotes: busyness is a form of laziness; lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. If Elon Musk can make the time in his week to play video games with his kids, I think we can work reasonable hours drawing up construction documents. We aren't saying that one should never be busy, that's highly impractical. The point is that most of the long hours in architecture arise from poor time management and client management. I agree, producing a building takes a tremendous effort, it is a ton of work. But when a team of people is consistently working overtime, something has gone wrong in the planning and coordination. Yes, surprises come up, but by definition, a surprise is an infrequent occurrence.
Year after year, Denmark, ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world. Why is that? Aside from their nationwide free healthcare and education (yes they pay very high taxes), the Danes put significant value on their relationships and social interactions. It is a cultural construct called "hygge," according to Danish psychologist Beth Daley. Hygge is one of the defining characteristics of Danish culture, characterized as a high quality of social interactions or "intentional intimacy," it is "integral to people's sense of well-being. It acts as a buffer against stress, while also creating a space to build camaraderie."
Daley goes on further to compare the Danes to western culture; specifically, Americans, explaining how the American measure of happiness tends to coincide with how much money one makes. But even with The US' GDP rising and unemployment declining, we have dropped on the happiness scale. It's the symptoms of what psychologists call the Hedonic Treadmill, essentially, the more money we make, the more our expectations and desires rise as well, and on and on we go in a never-ending cycle.
But how does all of this play out in architecture? Let's take a look at some studios that are embracing alternative workplace practices, striving to maximize happiness amongst their teams:
The Maximum Hours Per Week
Gray Organschi Architecture is a New Haven-based practice that focuses on its employees' emotional happiness and overall well being. In a recent profile on the studio, Archinect's Mackenzie Goldberg writes: "The firm maintains a 40 hour per week maximum. When necessary to work overtime, employees are offered comp time—or they can take a check, though most choose the extra PTO. This offers a great deal of flexibility. For example, one employee who is currently teaching a professional practice class loads her hours when not teaching in order to balance a more relaxed schedule during the semester." [emphasis mine]
Examples like these show that working in architecture doesn't have to be a drag. Most firms operate in the exact opposite way, it's a minimum of 40 hours a week, and you're expected to work extra time at no additional pay.
But, when there are leaders who make it a priority to support their teams when they put their money where their mouth is, things like retention becomes a non-issue. Be sure to check out the full profile on Gray Organschi Architecture to learn more about their approach and strategies in the workplace.
Unlimited Paid Vacation and Remote Work
Boston based Saam Architecture is a firm that boasts unlimited paid vacation, no office hours, and remote work. Ed Bourget, one of the principals at the innovative practice, emphasizes the importance of flexibility for his team members. "We wanted to adapt to the schedules and needs of the team members rather than the older model where the employee has to adapt to the schedule and needs of the firm," he explained to Enoch Sears in a Business of Architecture podcast interview.
Bourget goes on to explain how the primary goal of the leadership was to attract the best talent, and that inherent flexibility was a huge part of their thesis from the beginning. Allowing team members to work remotely also gives the studio more control over its overhead costs, with a smaller office footprint, no office phone, and all of the other aspects that go into running a location day to day, Saam is able to provide competitive pricing to its clients.
To manage this unconventional style, the team gathers together every Monday to ensure projects are on track and to evaluate everyone's schedules. "On Mondays, we don't just talk about projects, we talk about people," said Bourget. What struck me about this principal was how much he kept highlighting how awesome his team was. You don't get that a lot in architecture. Throughout the interview, his primary focus was on his team and how the organization's primary goal is to ensure people can live their lives on their terms.
"Some people work 40 hours, and others work 32, 24, whatever," he explained to Sears. The firm uses a calendar system to stay on top of everyone's schedule. The culture is one of accommodation. Bourget talked about how responsible the team is with the unlimited vacation and that because of the remote nature of the work that people will find time to contribute even if they are in the middle of something in their personal lives. It seems when a team of people feels valued by their employer that they are more willing to go above and beyond.
Enoch Sears does an excellent job of asking the tough questions. I found this interview refreshing and exciting. If you're curious about how this firm manages to pull this off, check out the full episode.
The examples above are only a few of the many who have started to take steps to address the poor working conditions of our profession. These firms are profitable, they have clients, they’re completing projects, and they have lives outside of work. It does take effort, but it’s not impossible. The Architecture Lobby's Just Design initiative, recognizing fair labor practices in architecture, cites numerous other offices, as we've been also featuring here on Archinect. With retention as a leading issue for many organizations and so many available jobs, it would serve well for those who are struggling to look to those who are succeeding in this area.
Working ridiculous hours should not be a badge of honor, but instead doing amazing projects AND loving our workplace should be the goal. I want to be more like the Danes and increase the hygge in my life. My career gives me joy, but it is only a small part of the bigger picture. In the past, I would get ridiculed for such a statement, but today, the emerging generation of leaders in our industry, places like Saam and Gray Organschi, are giving me more hope for the future.
Sean Joyner is a writer and essayist based in Los Angeles. His work explores themes spanning architecture, culture, and everyday life. Sean's essays and articles have been featured in The Architect's Newspaper, ARCHITECT Magazine, Dwell Magazine, and Archinect. He also works as an ...
1 Featured Comment
I don’t mind the work culture of school, but the problem is a society that doesn’t value architecture enough to pay for it and a professional structure that designs regulations that are meant to codify exploitation of labor for the benefit of the code writers who pull in double salaries in education and practice.
The professional culture basically treats workers like artists but regulates them like doctors.
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I think Bertrand Russell nailed it:
"The wise use of leisure, it must be conceded, is a product of civilization and education. Without a considerable amount of leisure a man is cut off from many of the best things. There is no longer any reason why the bulk of the population should suffer this deprivation; only a foolish asceticism, usually vicarious, makes us continue to insist on work in excessive quantities now that the need no longer exists."
Excellent quote!
I'd like to see a comparison with other industries that deal with uncertain project outcomes e.g. aerospace, tech etc. They work ungodly hours too and have to face tight deadlines. The flip side is their work could truly be innovative and well-compensated whereas most of architecture's toil is simply labor.
monosierra, I really like this idea of looking at other industries. You may see an article taking this approach in the near future ;). Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Long hours come with the game. all the best projects are done by firms with rigorous work ethics.
you don't get Tesla model 3s or Macbook pros 9-5ing it
Xenakis, agreed 100 percent! World-changing innovation takes sacrifice indeed. Those under Musk and Jobs worked relentlessly. And now we get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Who enjoys the fruits of our labor?
Rigorous work ethics for the peons, not for the bosses.
Sure, they started out working long, hard hours. But at the first sign of success labor was outsourced at the cheapest possible rate.
Those who are grinding it out at substandard wages are not the bosses.
I don’t mind the work culture of school, but the problem is a society that doesn’t value architecture enough to pay for it and a professional structure that designs regulations that are meant to codify exploitation of labor for the benefit of the code writers who pull in double salaries in education and practice.
The professional culture basically treats workers like artists but regulates them like doctors.
Chemex, this is a really good point. Society does not value architecture (or maybe even more so architects and what they do). Is it a lack of knowledge of what architects actually do? I'm not sure. "...treats workers like artists but regulates them like doctors." This is brilliant.
I've know two schools off the top of my head where campus mental health experts say the architecture students in comparison to other degrees have significantly more cases of depressions/anxiety/burnout per student. Having seen numerous professors expect students to work everyday over holiday breaks, or come into studio at odd hours on weekends to assign extra work...it definitely trickles both unhealthy habits and unsustainable expectations into our profession. That lack of respect for one's worth/time is constantly negated by professors/pedagogues that persist in only seeing students for their value to produce. (Pretty capitalistic mindset to have towards a student, imho)
Architects devalue themselves /their time/ their health constantly...and it's first learned in school. But it can be unlearned. I think this article is great at point towards that new standard. Societal perception is a side tangent, in my mind, but definitely a worthwhile discussion for another time.
I have to disagree with the mantra of, "All great architecture is produced through the sacrifice of long hard hours." In my experience, some of the schematic designs that ended up in the trash bin, lost and unaccounted, had merit beyond what was built but the principals wanted to continue the grind - changing their mind has no cost to them since we're salaried. The utter disregard for the humanity of the lower-level employees at a lot of firms is astonishing.
I used to work at a Fortune 500 company before architecture. The company worked on projects with billion dollar implications that had very very important deadlines/submittals for government review. We had some long days when something came up but nothing even close to my experience in architecture. Honestly, practicing architecture has been closer to that then I would like to admit.
Previous employers have condescendingly berated former employees that dropped out of architecture to go on another path as not being good enough. In reality, I do about the same thing as before with 3/4 the pay, 1 1/2x the hours and 1/2 the dignity.
Is pushing a firm's architecture worth more than choosing what you do with the time that you're given?
The there is OMA with their 48hr marathons, no eat no sleep - many great people came out of there - Jean Gang, Bjarke Ingels to name a few
History definitely agrees that rigorous hours produces great work but I’m not sure if it is a prerequisite or requirement. Gray Organschi Architecture mentioned in the article has beautiful work for example.
Ok, so you've got enough people coming out of OMA that become successful to put together a intramural baseball team. I'm just saying that there is an entrenched belief that absurd hours are acceptable to put employees through no matter the merits. A majority of firms aren't doing inspiring work [besides every job posting saying that they're an award winning firm. I've had to work until 4am on an interior office placing ACT tile! What can one say, no? Buh-bye, another willing person will be sitting there in the next week. Pervasive statements like "history agreeing that rigorous hours..." set a tone for the industry to rationalize this kind of treatment.
@work don’t get me wrong. I 100 percent agree with you. That’s why I wrote the article ;). The point I was making is that history does support the idea that rigorous hours produce great work, however, I do not think that means that long hours are NECESSARY to achieve great work. It’s just unfortunate that there are so many examples to the contrary. The two firms I’ve referenced in the article are heading in the right direction, treating their employees with dignity and respect. Hope that’s a bit clearer
Rigorous hrs can produce great work, but you can produce similar great or greater work within regular hours and plenty of rest...there’s a new generation of architects that value work-life balance and is able to produce amazing work. We need to stop amplifying these myths and make them the norm. Sure it takes time to produce something meaningful but cramming a full working week in two days is not the way to go...
Part of this discussion should be the physical and psychological effects of stress and sleep deprivation.
I think it's worth asking what it took for Gray Organschi and SAAM to get to this point.
Excellent designs often happen spontaneously. Not from overworking. This article raised a good point about time management - and therein may lie the cause of having to put in unnecessary overtime.
Clients also have to be given realistic timelines, and the principal carries that responsibility in making sure that the work output is keeping up with their expectations.
But there’s also another ingredient to the matrix, in that a client might keep changing things, and they don’t realize or want to admit that they’ve created setbacks. Unfortunately the goal posts often remain unmoved, and time constraints will invariably rear their ugly head.
Your sentence: "Clients also have to be given realistic timelines". partially gets to the core of the issue. In my experience, the timelines AND the fees are unrealistic in comparison to what it takes to get a good project delivered. I think that architecture firms en-masse de-value themselves as professionals, and it's a race to the bottom with ever-diminishing fees, and with that ever-diminishing salaries.
This discussion has been going on for generations now. It is my experience that stress tends to lower the level of quality of design rather than improve it. One sad thing about the all-nighter approach to project completion is that it often carries over into adult practice, to the detriment of everyone involved. Doing everything at the last minute is not a good business practice, nor is it healthy. I took electives in the school of business, and those professors lectured on the folly of putting things off til the last minute and working 60 hours to get paid for 40. Architects often equate themselves to doctors or lawyers, but no one needs an architect like they need to be kept alive or out of jail. It's like womens' soccer, where equal pay is the big issue today following the win for the world cup. Will people pay as much to see women play soccer as they do to watch men? Not fair, but until architects provide the same perceived value as doctors and lawyers, they won't be paid as much.
It has been going on for generations, but if you're paying attention (doesn't seem that is the case in regards to your comment, imo) you can see that with this newest generation has to put up with two things previous generations did not have: student debt and social media. ( I didn't read the other part of your comment because it got too spinny/ too generic/ too much false equivalence. )
The thing is, with the unrealistic deadlines and ridiculously low fees of today, you're working 60 hour weeks (to be paid 40) pretty much all the time. When you put things off until the last minute, well then you've got a 90 hour week. It's true that Architects, unlike doctors and lawyers, are not as essential, and therefore don't get paid as such. But then why do we WORK like we are? No one's gonna die or get thrown in jail if we miss a deadline. In summary, architects (en masse) should start saying "NO" to unrealistic clients. THEN the perception will change, and thereby the pay and the work/lifestyle.
lawyers are hardly essential; they operate entirely in a made up construct. they only have the perception of being essential. what architects contribute to is much more essential to living.
check out the Series SUITS on Netflix when its understood that working late in lawfirm is standard "get ahead superman" mentality. Rhetorical question: many hours have I even put into my career to accomplish so much, to ultimately see this "hedonistic treadmill" repeat itself today? We want to achieve more so we have choices: 1. work smarter each day, 2. own your future business, or e. As part Buddhist approach, be happy with the middle path - not poor nor wealthy, while seeking enlightenment.
Great article.
People who feel "burnt out" are those who should not have chosen architecture in the first place, because they never were in it to "master" the profession... they fell into it for one reason another, not really wanting to or having what it takes to get to the top...
People have different views on what "the top" means. The piece of the built world I brought into being that I'm most proud of is a 50' long sidewalk that allows the maintenance staff to get off the bus and get to the door of their workplace without getting their feet muddy. It's my *top* professional accomplishment.
BulgarBlogger and that's the hard truth
Having direct experience in relatively acknowledged firms, and seen various cases of burnout first hand, there is an element to this that article fails to mention. Wrong fees, trying to undercut competition in wildly unrealistic ways, lack of staffing and man management philosophy, and consequently putting the burden on the shoulders of understaffed teams (or team of one) is a chronic problem at almost all mid to large size offices in the US. This is often cloaked with the notion that architects are meant to suffer, or even chose to do so, and that there's some twisted virtue in that, and that one must not be cut out for it if they can't handle. This is so baked in to the professional practice that I've seen principles at offices actually believe this by heart.
Yes good architecture does require a lot of hard work, it's a multifaceted field that goes beyond the boundaries of a profession. Today, architecture is on it's way to become a service industry, and one that is under valued by a large margin, in a speculative world.
If you are working crazy long hours in a pressure cooker, it's because you want to not because you have to. It's easy to practice architecture without being a grind. You just have to understand where the real value is in our work and what we provide, then focus on doing that very well. Work smart, not hard.
Our clients don't undervalue us. That's a cop out. If anything, they understand our value much better than we do. But instead of really zeroing in on delivering that value to them, we spend a lot of time wasting effort on stuff that doesn't matter and obsessing over utilization rates.
tl;dr - Being overworked and underpaid is a problem entirely of our own making.
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