Archinect - News

Survey: Nearly half of industrial workers report stress on the job

2022-10-21T14:17:00-04:00

It’s probably no surprise to those who make their career in the construction industry: Many construction workers are feeling a lot of pressure. In fact, 47% of construction worker respondents to a survey by StrongArm Technologies said they are currently stressed on the job.

The report, titled the Industrial Athlete Workforce Report, by Brooklyn-based safety technology company StrongArm Technologies surveyed more than 600 workers in construction, manufacturing, and warehouse and transport industries about their jobs. Top stressors for workers included not being paid enough, difficulty recruiting new employees, and a lack of advancement opportunities.

Additionally, about a third of workers said it’s challenging to take time off for vacation, with about the same share saying their job had negative impacts on their mental and physical health. Three key actionable takeaways were listed in the report, which include the impact workplace stress has on home life, the lack of on-job training, and the need to further prioritize worker safety.

Can the 4-Day Workweek Become a Thing?

2019-08-05T20:24:00-04:00

In organizations in which a shorter workweek has been implemented, nearly two-thirds (64%) of leaders reported increases in staff productivity and work quality due to a reduction of sick days and overall increased well-being. Another benefit to well-being, respondents noted, was the reduction of commutes. One less day at work helps make the weekly commute more bearable.

Alternative work schedules have been a topic of discussion for quite some time now, especially in European countries. Could this model work well in the architecture industry? Looking to other industries may provide some insights.

"In organizations in which a shorter workweek has been implemented, nearly two-thirds (64%) of leaders reported increases in staff productivity and work quality due to a reduction of sick days and overall increased well-being. Another benefit to well-being...was the reduction of commutes," write Ben Laker and Thomas Roulet, both organizational business leaders.

While the benefits are broad, the setbacks are also. Leaders have brought up concerns with this new approach with aspects like, "regulations regarding work contracts, and the associated bureaucracy to implement the four-day week, as well as challenges around staffing." This coupled with the fact that some workers expressed concern "regarding the way they will be seen by their peers and superiors" fo...

When Our Job Becomes Our Identity

2019-07-22T21:09:00-04:00

It is critical that we learn to distinguish and differentiate our roles from our self. We get into trouble when we lose ourselves in our role instead of thinking in a detached way about how the role is viewed by others...we forget that others in our organizations are reacting to the role we represent in their work lives, not necessarily the interesting and thoughtful people we think we are.

When we identify who we are with what we do professionally, set backs at work can often prompt us to spiral down emotionally. When something is merely an organizational issue we take it as a personal issue. Harvard University Lecturer, Timothy O’Brien, talks about the importance of distinguishing who we are as individuals from what we do at work. People tend to relate to us based off of the role we play in their lives. So for example, if we are in a leadership role, those working under us may not invite us to social gatherings, not because of who we are as people, but because of our relationship to them at work. O’Brien says that many leaders struggle to “be a boss and a friend at the same time.” But, when we embrace our role and the inevitable repercussions that come along with it we are better equipped to draw the line between ourselves and our role.

Archinect & The Architecture Lobby wants to know how satisfied you are with your job

2015-06-19T13:51:00-04:00

While the employment market is very ripe for job-seeking architects at the moment, there’s no guarantee that some of those opportunities won’t turn out rotten. The architecture profession is infamous for its highly skewed work-life balance, emphasis on the work, and office culture may not offer much relief. Impossibly long hours, low pay grades and demanding principals are almost seen as badges of honor. There are of course the golden eggs, the ideal employers who respect their employee’s life outside the office, and produce better work because of it.

But much of the work-life balance conversation in architecture is very cloak and dagger: no one wants to badmouth an employer, or limit their chances of gaining a high-profile position, and sometimes, it can be hard to distinguish ethical treatment from cultural convention. Now that the market has improved, and employees can afford to be a bit pickier, work-life balance will play a pivotal role in the distribution of architectural talen...