RE: 40-hour weeks (was Re: FWD: Lack...)

[Beth Agnew <Beth -dot- Agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>]

There is "good" overtime, and "bad" overtime. Good overtime is when you
decide to put some extra work into a project to lever it past the original
quality standard. It's when your team has run into an unexpected obstacle
and you throw time(money) at it to overcome it. It's when a little push now
can save problems later. It happens from time to time, and it is
appreciated.

Bad overtime is the excessive, debilitating work that is often expected, and
always unappreciated, in companies where the managers do not know how to
manage. The requirement for overtime usually means a project has not been
correctly scheduled, there are insufficient resources, the methodology is
flawed, changes in scope and risks are not adequately managed, managers have
no backbone, or all of the above.

I would be very wary indeed of any company that expects employees to work
overtime without question. Yes, everyone should be prepared to work the
occasional overtime stint to get past a rough spot -- that's professionalism
and company loyalty. But if it becomes routine to have to put in 45+ hours a
week, something is wrong at the management level. 

Some industries are known for punishing work schedules. Game companies come
to mind -- they even excuse it by claiming it's the nature of the genre, but
institutionalizing poor project management and flawed development
methodologies does not make it right.
--Beth

Beth Agnew
Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
416-491-5050 x3133



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