I am writing this on a Saturday night. I am feeling guilty because I should be working on my documentation package I must submit next week rather than rant about my job. But come to think of it, I am the only engineer at my company who would entertain the notion of feeling guilty for slacking on a Saturday night. Apparently the other engineers “work smarter, not harder”.
Based on what I have read on these posts it seems overwork and uncompensated overtime are the norm. The general consensus is; “if you don’t like it just leave”. And that is exactly where I am now. However, given my relative low time as a project engineer, I worry I may be making a bold move I will regret later. Perhaps the difficulties I am encountering are consistent with the norm. Please read my story and let me know what you think.
I received my engineering degree about three years ago and have been working at one company since graduation. However, I differ from most engineers due to the fact I am middle-aged and earned my degree much later in life. This makes it more difficult to compare my situation with other recent grads. Prior to earning my degree, I had some impressive companies on my resume. I worked for years at a large aircraft manufacturer in the Seattle area until I was laid off. After that I worked as a software tester at a large software company in the same region. In addition to that, I worked for years in aerospace quality assurance. I am technically astute, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. My background taught me that some A+ engineering students can be outsmarted by experienced shop floor technicians. Therefore, I never discuss my academic status at work due to my belief that book smarts only go so far and can occasionally place unrealistic demands and scrutiny on myself.
When I started working for this company they were very flexible with my hours. However, being a new-hire and new to mechanical engineering, I routinely worked 45 to 50 hour weeks believing the company shouldn’t have to waste time and resources bringing me up to snuff. I never concerned myself with the fact it was uncompensated overtime. I was a salaried engineer now not some whiney union worker! Now, roll the clocks forward almost three years and my 6 month average is over 50 hours a week (after subtracting 30 minute lunches which are “off the clock”). I routinely bring work home on the weekends which is not even factored into the 50 hour weeks. This past month average is 60 hours a week. I don’t recall when I last worked less than 45 hours in a given week. There is unofficial flex time I last used in August for half a day. Other than that, no absences other than the two weeks of PTO I use sparingly. I’m ashamed to admit when I last took time off to even go to the doctor or dentist. The only light at the end of the tunnel is after some milestones are reached in another month, then I can “relax” since I will be back to my 50 hour weeks. I guess you can say I am burned out.
It is a small company with less than five mechanical engineers. Only one of them puts in hours that sometimes approach mine. The rest work 45 hours a week maximum. Routinely I am there until late in the evening when everyone is gone. I might be more inclined to “do it for the team” if there was a genuine team effort.
I don’t feel like talking to my manager is an option. It has been made clear that you “never negotiate without a backup plan”. Meaning have another job lined up. Other generic comments have been made about certain employees working long hours needlessly (Gee, could they be talking about me?). Apparently if you “work smart” you can get your job done in a 40 hour week. The problem with that logic is I do not have the support structure the other engineers have. I create my own solid models and drawings 90% of the time. Of the two designers/drafters there, one is off limits and devoted solely to my manager. The other is devoted to other senior engineers. So I get intermittent help from a young part timer that needs training (presumably by me) and is mistake prone. There are numerous documents that are my sole responsibility as the project engineer to write. I juggle close to ten unrelated projects.
My personality type is such that if get slack from support personnel I just end up doing the tasks myself. Some of the support personnel are vital to performing my job (test lab for instance). However, they seem immune to reprimand and don’t work a minute past their 8 hour day. I have literally been kicked out of the lab and had the door slammed in my face while I was in the middle of my testing (testing they should have been doing) because it was the end of their shift. It is commonplace for me to have to circumnavigate test engineers and technicians who are standing around B.S.ing while I am in the middle of doing work that is technically their responsibility. I think every company has people who should have long since been fired but are immune for some reason and nobody except a handful know exactly why. The more senior engineers almost never perform their own tests in the lab and the technicians are more receptive to their requests.
My base salary is competitive although I am on my wife’s health insurance. I already mentioned there is no overtime compensation (or acknowledgement that I even work overtime). Beyond that, there is meager company matching of the 401k. Since I don’t rely on their health insurance it makes it easier to pick up and leave and it makes hourly contract jobs seem rather attractive. My manager is aware of my long hours since he is copied in many of my late night email correspondences. I honestly think when he read those emails he considers it proof of my incompetence rather than a measure of my workload and dedication.
I know many of you have experienced far worse situations. However, since the perquisite to talking to my manager is having a backup plan, I think I need to look elsewhere before doing anything. I think once I start talking to other employers, my negotiation with my manager may be in the form of me giving him a two week notice and giving another company a conscientious, hard working project engineer. I know I need to be cautious when I negotiate with a new company since I cannot mention these difficulties for fear of being labeled a complainer.
Is my situation consistent with the norm? Would you seek an alternative job as a backup plan before confronting the manager? Are those “alternatives” the same situation just with a different company name? Is a two week notice appropriate or should I offer up to one month?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long rant.
Based on what I have read on these posts it seems overwork and uncompensated overtime are the norm. The general consensus is; “if you don’t like it just leave”. And that is exactly where I am now. However, given my relative low time as a project engineer, I worry I may be making a bold move I will regret later. Perhaps the difficulties I am encountering are consistent with the norm. Please read my story and let me know what you think.
I received my engineering degree about three years ago and have been working at one company since graduation. However, I differ from most engineers due to the fact I am middle-aged and earned my degree much later in life. This makes it more difficult to compare my situation with other recent grads. Prior to earning my degree, I had some impressive companies on my resume. I worked for years at a large aircraft manufacturer in the Seattle area until I was laid off. After that I worked as a software tester at a large software company in the same region. In addition to that, I worked for years in aerospace quality assurance. I am technically astute, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. My background taught me that some A+ engineering students can be outsmarted by experienced shop floor technicians. Therefore, I never discuss my academic status at work due to my belief that book smarts only go so far and can occasionally place unrealistic demands and scrutiny on myself.
When I started working for this company they were very flexible with my hours. However, being a new-hire and new to mechanical engineering, I routinely worked 45 to 50 hour weeks believing the company shouldn’t have to waste time and resources bringing me up to snuff. I never concerned myself with the fact it was uncompensated overtime. I was a salaried engineer now not some whiney union worker! Now, roll the clocks forward almost three years and my 6 month average is over 50 hours a week (after subtracting 30 minute lunches which are “off the clock”). I routinely bring work home on the weekends which is not even factored into the 50 hour weeks. This past month average is 60 hours a week. I don’t recall when I last worked less than 45 hours in a given week. There is unofficial flex time I last used in August for half a day. Other than that, no absences other than the two weeks of PTO I use sparingly. I’m ashamed to admit when I last took time off to even go to the doctor or dentist. The only light at the end of the tunnel is after some milestones are reached in another month, then I can “relax” since I will be back to my 50 hour weeks. I guess you can say I am burned out.
It is a small company with less than five mechanical engineers. Only one of them puts in hours that sometimes approach mine. The rest work 45 hours a week maximum. Routinely I am there until late in the evening when everyone is gone. I might be more inclined to “do it for the team” if there was a genuine team effort.
I don’t feel like talking to my manager is an option. It has been made clear that you “never negotiate without a backup plan”. Meaning have another job lined up. Other generic comments have been made about certain employees working long hours needlessly (Gee, could they be talking about me?). Apparently if you “work smart” you can get your job done in a 40 hour week. The problem with that logic is I do not have the support structure the other engineers have. I create my own solid models and drawings 90% of the time. Of the two designers/drafters there, one is off limits and devoted solely to my manager. The other is devoted to other senior engineers. So I get intermittent help from a young part timer that needs training (presumably by me) and is mistake prone. There are numerous documents that are my sole responsibility as the project engineer to write. I juggle close to ten unrelated projects.
My personality type is such that if get slack from support personnel I just end up doing the tasks myself. Some of the support personnel are vital to performing my job (test lab for instance). However, they seem immune to reprimand and don’t work a minute past their 8 hour day. I have literally been kicked out of the lab and had the door slammed in my face while I was in the middle of my testing (testing they should have been doing) because it was the end of their shift. It is commonplace for me to have to circumnavigate test engineers and technicians who are standing around B.S.ing while I am in the middle of doing work that is technically their responsibility. I think every company has people who should have long since been fired but are immune for some reason and nobody except a handful know exactly why. The more senior engineers almost never perform their own tests in the lab and the technicians are more receptive to their requests.
My base salary is competitive although I am on my wife’s health insurance. I already mentioned there is no overtime compensation (or acknowledgement that I even work overtime). Beyond that, there is meager company matching of the 401k. Since I don’t rely on their health insurance it makes it easier to pick up and leave and it makes hourly contract jobs seem rather attractive. My manager is aware of my long hours since he is copied in many of my late night email correspondences. I honestly think when he read those emails he considers it proof of my incompetence rather than a measure of my workload and dedication.
I know many of you have experienced far worse situations. However, since the perquisite to talking to my manager is having a backup plan, I think I need to look elsewhere before doing anything. I think once I start talking to other employers, my negotiation with my manager may be in the form of me giving him a two week notice and giving another company a conscientious, hard working project engineer. I know I need to be cautious when I negotiate with a new company since I cannot mention these difficulties for fear of being labeled a complainer.
Is my situation consistent with the norm? Would you seek an alternative job as a backup plan before confronting the manager? Are those “alternatives” the same situation just with a different company name? Is a two week notice appropriate or should I offer up to one month?
Thanks for taking the time to read my long rant.
