We have our salary poll, so here's another big quality of life question for architects out there... How many hours do you typically work in a week? It might also be good to include the type of firm you work at and your total years of experience.
I typically work around 45 to 50 hours per week, but have spikes up to 70 or 80 hours for deadlines every month or two. I have five years of experience and work for a large corporate firm in Chicago.
40 hours, and its a 2 man design/build home office...my boss is a licensed general contractor and a licensed architect and i produce, mainly, drawings from schematic to construction documents...we do residential remodels and additions...I started without any field experience and got this job 3 months after i completed my b.arch...been working there for 1.5 years
my boss and his wife doesn't want me staying later than 6 pm because that's dinner time at the home office...the wife is against work encroaching in their family life...i try to wrap things up by 6 or even before, but there are times when i stay for an extra hour and we'll balance it out by me leaving early on a friday...
we've get few crunches...usually happens when we have an appointment with the building department for a plan check and we're preparing all the necessary drawings and other documents...those times, if i need to, i show up an hour earlier on the day of the submittal...
40, no more, no less .... i've worked at too many small firms where the additional effort isn't worth it, and I stand firm on working for what i'm paid for ... if it were my own firm, or there were guaranteed bonuses for the extra work, that would be a different story ... i've actually left a firm before when they asked me to put in "the extra effort" because i totally got stinged on a bonus that year because the firm wasn't run correctly.
me.... shyt...ummm.... 60+ on my own trying to make things happen...marketting/graphics/etc... no pay of course
usually when i help out the other shop, i tend to work 8-10 hour days for a few weeks/month depending.... i'm a high priced item for his shop so i only get pulled in when special forces are needed....
Hard to say. I am the principal for my firm, so I really never (ever) stop working. But, in terms of actuall billable time, I typically work 12 hours per day on weekdays and at least one day on the weekend.
In addition I have to do billing, HR duties, scheduling, pension plan administration, potential client interviews, etc. in addition to that. Oh the joy of being the boss.
40 to 50 its a municipal office about 5 jobs on site at any one time. We do about 70% of the design, and almost all of the administration work. I try not to work more - never compensated for it, and it only drives me loopy (granted it still happens)
my time sheet says 40, but since I arrive at 8am and leave after 5pm, that would be 45 hours (if i don't take lunch or count all my archinect postings). this is at a midsize corporate firm.
I really need to get away from my desk more often...
I generally work 45-50 hours in the office per week, sometimes more aruond deadlines. I'm in the office on weekends a few times a month. I don't count the time I spend at home checking/responding to my work email.
A follow-up question: do you feel that you work more or less than your fellow co-workers? (When I'm in a nearly empty office on the weekends, I tend to think that I work more than my co-workers...)
we all work at work until around 5-6, and take things home after that so we have time with our families, so none of that here DCA. besides, I know that we have all put in our time on various projects during our careers.
I don't mind the 40 to 50 work weeks, but the 70-85 hour weeks are killing me... Anyone else hit these extreme hours often? I have co-workers who work 90 hours more often than any human being should... But others leave at 5:00 every day (I'd love to know how they get away with it).
My timesheet says 40 most weeks. We have a flexible schedule where we can work half day fridays if we have 40 hours by noon on Friday. Even with deadlines I haven't been over 50. I work at a small 20 person office, we do mostly commercial, retail, restaurant and big box type projects.
Usually its about 55-70 during the week if I don't have to work over the weekend, during dealine weeks it can get over 100 pretty quick(gotta love those all nighters)
millions and millions and millions of hours.....dusting off old details...creating new thoughts....never comes to an end.....and oh the billing goes on for ever...along with the proposals....when does a person have time to sleep or eat....no wonder we all live to be so old!
Maybe 45 averaged out over the year. Typically 40, but closer to 45-50 at deadline time or when traveling. Receive OT for anything over 40 so the firm is strongly against overtime unless absolute necessity.
I'm Project Architect at large corporate firm. Principals work about the same hours. Entry level and CAD tech only work 40, not allowed OT unless approved and usually is answered with hiring additional staff.
I feel most co-workers have about the same productivity. Today I'm posting on Archinect rather than talking about the bowl games.
but i'm almost never at the office more than 40...due to remote access and my laptop, i can take work home. there are some who cannot mix work and home, and i can understand why, but it's much easier on my marriage to work from home those extra 5 - 20 a week. i mean, i'm an architect, i have no hobbies or pastimes, i'd just be sitting in the living room thinking about work if i couldn't bring the work home.
just because someone's not in the office doesn't mean they're not working...and just because someone's in the office doesn't mean they are working...case-in-point, me at the moment...
10 years experience as a project manager/associate principal
50-60 hours *billable* weekly, although I’m trying to cut that back to 40-50 billable hours this year by finding more efficient ways to get through the design problems.
Work 40 hours a week, plus class 15 hours a week. I do work for Habitat 3 Saturdays a month, 8 hours each time, plus I'm a full time finacee and a father to an uppity maltese/poodle and an energetic boston terrier.
I didn't start this for people to brag about their hours or claim martyrdom... I just wanted to see if there's hope for me (and others) to achieve some kind of work balance if I were to change jobs... In people's experience, do larger firms or smaller firms tend to require more hours? I only have large firm experience, and notice that it tends to vary depending on firm reputation. It seems to me that more reputable firms are more likely to kill you with hours. Does anyone else agree?
there are no answers to that. every firm is different. i work in what would be considered a well-known reputable dutch office, but my boss is quite strict on the idea that we work hard and we work fast - and then we go home.
he believes in the idea of his workers having a balanced life. many times when i have been the last in the office - he comes up and says 'go home!, go to bar - just do something else!'
but in my previous office i worked at in germany everybody sat there til 10-11pm because no one wanted to be the first to leave.
i guess you gotta try different offices and depending at what stage you are at in life, and your priorities, how many hours you want to do will vary greatly.
when i left school i really didnt mind the idea of working all the time, now 6 years later - i really enjoy my job, but i love going home and spending time with my GF. priorities.
French independant office: around 40-50 average
personnal record: 7 days > 125 hours for a (lost) competition ( not my company, and bosses were unaware they needed to put 2-3 more guys on the job)
Now i try to keep things secured and not work nights.
Four days a week at 9 hours a day = 36 hours week.
Friday, and sometimes weekend, is taken up by art/sound/other projects, or going outdoors (camping).
I didn't think i could pull off a 4-day week at first, but i decided that it was a priority, and I worked it out.
I have noticed alot of people who work long hours dont do it becuase they need to (as in job required it) but rather because they think they need to. So if you want to work less, just work less. At previous job I worked a solid 40, but rarely ever more. Still got promotions, raises, etc. I wasn't the "guy who always left early".
Tell your employer what hours you will work, and stick to it. If they dont like it, you can find a place that will respect your free time. They do exist. Just need to work efficiently.
Of course, given a deadline, you will have to put in some extra time once in a while. If this happens every month though, to me that means someone is managing deadlines/workload/staff badly. That can be fixed, but either means longer project timeframes, or more staff. Its really hard to convince your employer to make either of those changes, often its easier to find a new job that plans/staffs projects better.
a normal week is 45-50 hours, but it seems as though every month there is a week of 60ish hours, but i get paid for every minute i work, unlike a lot of people.
instead of a hoiday bonus, four of us worked 80+ hours between christmas and new years (including new years day until 2am tues., after being out until 4am celebrating). a last minute competition came up and we were asked to do it, so the rest of the office came back tuesday to see an amazing 14 board presentation of a 40 story building they had never heard of in our office...but we did get tuesday off to recover...holdiay bonuses are priceless.
Kid....just don't go into business for yourself, as the job is hourless...we do what it takes to get the job done. When we get praise from owners and contractors we know were doing it is a well done job. We don't chase awards, so we don't worry about all the
dance which goes with it.
my boss might say ok, work 36 hours a week...but the contractors and engineers would be pretty pissed if i did so.
i mean, i get complaints because i'm not in the office at 7am (vs 9am)...and i work 5+ days a week...and i can't get enough done in 40 (and i work efficiently except for archinect)...so...
i just started about 3 months ago, one of the first two employees in the new branch office of a firm of about 12. being that we are kind of secluded from the action, i would say my co-worker and i work about 5-10 hours less than those in the home office.
i feel bad for those of you that work more. my employer values his employees and recognizes that people are happier when they actually have lives away from the office.
I am always working (yup, this counts) - hours per day/week are essentially meaningless. I call it 'growing pains', and I am sure everyone here growing a company can relate.
If you want normal hours, don't start your own business. That said, it's all 'my' time and no one elses. It's my choice when to work and when not to.
I often head into the office after breakfast and draw before taking a shower, cause I can get so much done before the phone starts ringing. So I take a shower sometimes around 10:00 am, if I know I don't have any meetings scheduled. It is like I get to start my day twice.....oh that hot shower can feel so good after cranking for three hours.
Jan 4, 07 7:58 pm ·
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POLL - How many hours do you work in a typical week???
We have our salary poll, so here's another big quality of life question for architects out there... How many hours do you typically work in a week? It might also be good to include the type of firm you work at and your total years of experience.
I'll start it out...
I typically work around 45 to 50 hours per week, but have spikes up to 70 or 80 hours for deadlines every month or two. I have five years of experience and work for a large corporate firm in Chicago.
40 hours, and its a 2 man design/build home office...my boss is a licensed general contractor and a licensed architect and i produce, mainly, drawings from schematic to construction documents...we do residential remodels and additions...I started without any field experience and got this job 3 months after i completed my b.arch...been working there for 1.5 years
my boss and his wife doesn't want me staying later than 6 pm because that's dinner time at the home office...the wife is against work encroaching in their family life...i try to wrap things up by 6 or even before, but there are times when i stay for an extra hour and we'll balance it out by me leaving early on a friday...
we've get few crunches...usually happens when we have an appointment with the building department for a plan check and we're preparing all the necessary drawings and other documents...those times, if i need to, i show up an hour earlier on the day of the submittal...
40, no more, no less .... i've worked at too many small firms where the additional effort isn't worth it, and I stand firm on working for what i'm paid for ... if it were my own firm, or there were guaranteed bonuses for the extra work, that would be a different story ... i've actually left a firm before when they asked me to put in "the extra effort" because i totally got stinged on a bonus that year because the firm wasn't run correctly.
42 on average
me.... shyt...ummm.... 60+ on my own trying to make things happen...marketting/graphics/etc... no pay of course
usually when i help out the other shop, i tend to work 8-10 hour days for a few weeks/month depending.... i'm a high priced item for his shop so i only get pulled in when special forces are needed....
:
50, if you're inclduing lunch breaks. can be a lot higher during competitions. i hear that my 50 is pretty low for this industry.
40 to 50
Hard to say. I am the principal for my firm, so I really never (ever) stop working. But, in terms of actuall billable time, I typically work 12 hours per day on weekdays and at least one day on the weekend.
In addition I have to do billing, HR duties, scheduling, pension plan administration, potential client interviews, etc. in addition to that. Oh the joy of being the boss.
usually 40-45 hours.
and, of course, there are those weeks that i work 60+ but those are few and far between.
usually 40-45 hours.
and, of course, there are those weeks that i work 60+ but those are few and far between.
45-50.
Can be up to 60 or more depending on the crunch.
I have 10 years experience in small mountain residential firms.
40 to 50 its a municipal office about 5 jobs on site at any one time. We do about 70% of the design, and almost all of the administration work. I try not to work more - never compensated for it, and it only drives me loopy (granted it still happens)
my time sheet says 40, but since I arrive at 8am and leave after 5pm, that would be 45 hours (if i don't take lunch or count all my archinect postings). this is at a midsize corporate firm.
I really need to get away from my desk more often...
anywhere from 40-65 depending on the workload. then there is what i do for fun at home which i don't keep track of.
the funy part is that i feel drained more often than not after the 40-45 hour weeks. those weeks are typically between the more exciting work.
I generally work 45-50 hours in the office per week, sometimes more aruond deadlines. I'm in the office on weekends a few times a month. I don't count the time I spend at home checking/responding to my work email.
A follow-up question: do you feel that you work more or less than your fellow co-workers? (When I'm in a nearly empty office on the weekends, I tend to think that I work more than my co-workers...)
we all work at work until around 5-6, and take things home after that so we have time with our families, so none of that here DCA. besides, I know that we have all put in our time on various projects during our careers.
i don't feel that way about my last job though.
I don't mind the 40 to 50 work weeks, but the 70-85 hour weeks are killing me... Anyone else hit these extreme hours often? I have co-workers who work 90 hours more often than any human being should... But others leave at 5:00 every day (I'd love to know how they get away with it).
+70hrs per week on a semi-normal basis, includes the weekends! we all work somewhat similar hours which is cool.
My timesheet says 40 most weeks. We have a flexible schedule where we can work half day fridays if we have 40 hours by noon on Friday. Even with deadlines I haven't been over 50. I work at a small 20 person office, we do mostly commercial, retail, restaurant and big box type projects.
Usually its about 55-70 during the week if I don't have to work over the weekend, during dealine weeks it can get over 100 pretty quick(gotta love those all nighters)
millions and millions and millions of hours.....dusting off old details...creating new thoughts....never comes to an end.....and oh the billing goes on for ever...along with the proposals....when does a person have time to sleep or eat....no wonder we all live to be so old!
look...all this touting your hours nonsense could get drivelous. just remember to ask yourself one question:
do you work to live, or live to work?
the answer is not as critical as the path to the answer.
why i'm on my high caballo: i'm an archie that is onsite fulltime. get there 6:00, out at 3:30, no lunch. you do the math.
and yes - i have more fun than most of you but have done twice the amount of work before you've exited rem stage.
tyvek you're doing 12 hours billable every day?
I need to work harder.
45, working through lunch.
40
damm, lend me some time. please..
40-45 usually
up to 60 as needed (twiceish a year)
Maybe 45 averaged out over the year. Typically 40, but closer to 45-50 at deadline time or when traveling. Receive OT for anything over 40 so the firm is strongly against overtime unless absolute necessity.
I'm Project Architect at large corporate firm. Principals work about the same hours. Entry level and CAD tech only work 40, not allowed OT unless approved and usually is answered with hiring additional staff.
I feel most co-workers have about the same productivity. Today I'm posting on Archinect rather than talking about the bowl games.
anywhere from 40 - 60, avg 45
but i'm almost never at the office more than 40...due to remote access and my laptop, i can take work home. there are some who cannot mix work and home, and i can understand why, but it's much easier on my marriage to work from home those extra 5 - 20 a week. i mean, i'm an architect, i have no hobbies or pastimes, i'd just be sitting in the living room thinking about work if i couldn't bring the work home.
just because someone's not in the office doesn't mean they're not working...and just because someone's in the office doesn't mean they are working...case-in-point, me at the moment...
of course this is my "lunch break"...
40
70 to 120, but I'm sick. (minus time spent on archinect it is probably 55 to 105)
10 years experience as a project manager/associate principal
50-60 hours *billable* weekly, although I’m trying to cut that back to 40-50 billable hours this year by finding more efficient ways to get through the design problems.
I was just gonna add that 20 of my hours are Archinect hours
40 total hours (billable and not billable)
... with flex time so 10 hours today means 6 hours on Friday.
60-70
you guys work too much
Work 40 hours a week, plus class 15 hours a week. I do work for Habitat 3 Saturdays a month, 8 hours each time, plus I'm a full time finacee and a father to an uppity maltese/poodle and an energetic boston terrier.
I didn't start this for people to brag about their hours or claim martyrdom... I just wanted to see if there's hope for me (and others) to achieve some kind of work balance if I were to change jobs... In people's experience, do larger firms or smaller firms tend to require more hours? I only have large firm experience, and notice that it tends to vary depending on firm reputation. It seems to me that more reputable firms are more likely to kill you with hours. Does anyone else agree?
there are no answers to that. every firm is different. i work in what would be considered a well-known reputable dutch office, but my boss is quite strict on the idea that we work hard and we work fast - and then we go home.
he believes in the idea of his workers having a balanced life. many times when i have been the last in the office - he comes up and says 'go home!, go to bar - just do something else!'
but in my previous office i worked at in germany everybody sat there til 10-11pm because no one wanted to be the first to leave.
i guess you gotta try different offices and depending at what stage you are at in life, and your priorities, how many hours you want to do will vary greatly.
when i left school i really didnt mind the idea of working all the time, now 6 years later - i really enjoy my job, but i love going home and spending time with my GF. priorities.
French independant office: around 40-50 average
personnal record: 7 days > 125 hours for a (lost) competition ( not my company, and bosses were unaware they needed to put 2-3 more guys on the job)
Now i try to keep things secured and not work nights.
N.
Four days a week at 9 hours a day = 36 hours week.
Friday, and sometimes weekend, is taken up by art/sound/other projects, or going outdoors (camping).
I didn't think i could pull off a 4-day week at first, but i decided that it was a priority, and I worked it out.
I have noticed alot of people who work long hours dont do it becuase they need to (as in job required it) but rather because they think they need to. So if you want to work less, just work less. At previous job I worked a solid 40, but rarely ever more. Still got promotions, raises, etc. I wasn't the "guy who always left early".
Tell your employer what hours you will work, and stick to it. If they dont like it, you can find a place that will respect your free time. They do exist. Just need to work efficiently.
Of course, given a deadline, you will have to put in some extra time once in a while. If this happens every month though, to me that means someone is managing deadlines/workload/staff badly. That can be fixed, but either means longer project timeframes, or more staff. Its really hard to convince your employer to make either of those changes, often its easier to find a new job that plans/staffs projects better.
a normal week is 45-50 hours, but it seems as though every month there is a week of 60ish hours, but i get paid for every minute i work, unlike a lot of people.
instead of a hoiday bonus, four of us worked 80+ hours between christmas and new years (including new years day until 2am tues., after being out until 4am celebrating). a last minute competition came up and we were asked to do it, so the rest of the office came back tuesday to see an amazing 14 board presentation of a 40 story building they had never heard of in our office...but we did get tuesday off to recover...holdiay bonuses are priceless.
40-50
Kid....just don't go into business for yourself, as the job is hourless...we do what it takes to get the job done. When we get praise from owners and contractors we know were doing it is a well done job. We don't chase awards, so we don't worry about all the
dance which goes with it.
my boss might say ok, work 36 hours a week...but the contractors and engineers would be pretty pissed if i did so.
i mean, i get complaints because i'm not in the office at 7am (vs 9am)...and i work 5+ days a week...and i can't get enough done in 40 (and i work efficiently except for archinect)...so...
40
i just started about 3 months ago, one of the first two employees in the new branch office of a firm of about 12. being that we are kind of secluded from the action, i would say my co-worker and i work about 5-10 hours less than those in the home office.
i feel bad for those of you that work more. my employer values his employees and recognizes that people are happier when they actually have lives away from the office.
I am always working (yup, this counts) - hours per day/week are essentially meaningless. I call it 'growing pains', and I am sure everyone here growing a company can relate.
If you want normal hours, don't start your own business. That said, it's all 'my' time and no one elses. It's my choice when to work and when not to.
I often head into the office after breakfast and draw before taking a shower, cause I can get so much done before the phone starts ringing. So I take a shower sometimes around 10:00 am, if I know I don't have any meetings scheduled. It is like I get to start my day twice.....oh that hot shower can feel so good after cranking for three hours.
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